West of Rogers Lake
Revised 9/2018. In 2012, I visited a large trestle that I had located on Google Earth. Based on Stein (1993), this trestle was on a line constructed by the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company. This is located near the northwestern extent of what Stein refers to as the Rogers Lake South line. While not continuous, the total length is nearly 600' which makes it the longest trestle that I've come across. This section of the line is in a relatively narrow drainage and,because of this, erosion has made it difficult to detect the grades at either end of the trestle.
My wife and youngest son joined me recently when I revisited this site. We came in from the south on FR 530 which is largely on top of, or immediately adjacent to, a grade. We hiked up a small drainage that I had identified as being location of the grade that continues south from the trestle. I quickly identified the grade on the west slope of the drainage. It was generally easy to follow (due to ties, a visible grade and rock alignments) down the draw all the way to the trestle although he first 200' or so just south of the trestle show very little evidence of a grade. This section immediately south of the trestle crosses a drop-off in the drainage which is roughly 15' wide and 15' or so feet deep. It isn't evident how this area was built up to allow ties and rails to cross it.
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| FR 530 |
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Rail on the side of FR 530. There are numerous ties and rock alignments adjacent to the road.  |
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| Immediately south of the trestle where the line crossed a narrow drop-off in the drainage. |
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| There isn't any evidence of the grade in the drainage bottom. |
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| This is as far south that I've been along the grade.
Saginaw-Manistee Allan Lake line trestle
Much of Forest Road 700 that runs from the Mountainaire area down toward Allan Lake (south of Morman Lake on Lake Mary Road) was built on top of this line. I'd read of this trestle at some point and found it after looking at Google Earth. It is east of the 700 road in the vicinity of Coyote Tank. Stein (1993) states that this line was constructed in the late 1930s and that it is 500' long. In reality, it is roughly 250' in length.
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Rogers Lake South line trestle... I've walked this many times. The southbound grade beyond the trestle seems impossible. Did it really exist or was it just a hopeful goal? Driving me even more nuts, where the heck can I find a copy of Pat Stein's report?
ReplyDeleteI just checked the Stein report clearly shows the line continuing south. I don't know for sure but I believe the maps in the report were created using info from the old Coconino NF Timber Atlas maps that show rail lines. They are generally pretty accurate. The line going NW up Volunteer Canyon is also shown.
DeleteMe again... Google Earth shows an average slope of 7.3% between the north end of the trestle and FR 530 at the top of the canyon, following the river bed for the most gradual slope. Much higher than the typical 1.5% or so.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I can't be 100% certain because I've not walked up canyon much from the trestle but I have done work on Camp Navajo in Voluteer Canyon right where the CN and Coconino boundary is. There definitely is a grade that goes south to the very border of Camp Navajo. I've got several pictures of it. It was seven years ago so I don't remember how much further it went south of the boundary but I've got to believe it does. I'll check maps in Stein to confirm.
DeleteVery cool that you've been down to that trestle. It is not a very easy spot to get to.
Unfortunately I've not hiked very far south of the trestle. I have a feeling that it may have continued down in the general direction of Mill Park but I can't saw for sure. I don't recall what the maps in Stein show. I'll check those tonight. It does seem like a very difficult route but I've been surprised/shocked many times at where I've found grades. As far as the Stein report goes....you might consider contacting SWCA as they were the ones that put it together if I remember correctly. https://www.swca.com/flagstaff
ReplyDeleteGreat 9/2018 addition, thank you! No go with SWCA, so perhaps the Cline library. Gotta get boots on the ground where that peals off 530 and goes into the canyon.
ReplyDeleteTurn right (roughly NE) off of the 530 onto the 526 and you'll find the grade just a few hundred yards from the 530.
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