In addition to it’s old western town charm, Wickenburg has another feature which we enjoy – it’s a railroad town. The trains no longer stop in Wickenburg – they stopped operations back in 1969 but the track that runs through town is still active with trains coming through several times a day.
The old Santa Fe railroad station has been restored and currently houses the town’s visitor center and Chamber of Commerce. Behind the station is this nice old coal-burner on a siding with a tender and a caboose.
Image courtesy Damsel – Click to enlarge.
Our California residence is a quarter mile from the tracks and we rather like to hear the trains as they pass through the nearby railroad crossings. I come by my affection for trains it honestly. Both my Dad and maternal Grandfather worked for the Pacific Electric railroad in Southern California – Dad worked in the powerhouse and Granddad was a motorman for the famous Red Car.
Our new home will be about a half-mile from the track that runs through town. There is a switch northwest of town about three miles where the trains can be routed west toward California or north toward Kingman and Las Vegas.