Phenoix AZ: Traffic?

[Pie39]

I'm about to stay in Phenoix, are there any good railfanning spots in the city or nearby?

[AARR]

I don't know about good spots to rail fan but I do recall in a Trans Mag that showed traffic density of BNSF that Phoenix averages 1-2 trains per day in and out for a total of 2-4 per day. I would guess there is a local or yard switcher to handle the cars once they are set out but I may be wrong and the road trains could handle all ocal switching too.

[GTW6401]

Give this a look, has information on the BNSF line into Phoenix.

http://www.aeromoe.com/Peavine.html

Google can be your friend.

[MQT3001]

If can get to Flagstaff, you've got Transcon Traffic, and the Grand Canyon Railway runs up to the Grand Canyon daily in Williams (home of William Jct).

Just in case you get up there

[atrainguy60]

Not to far south of Arizona is the UP mainline between LA and New Orleans.

[trnwatcher]

If you follow Grand Avenue all the way to I believe 23rd St??? you can find the BNSF yard. When I was out there in 2009 they had put view blockers in the chain link fence so you can't see into the engine facility\yard anymore. Best place to to catch and BNSF traffic is along Grand Aveune which heads NW out of Phoenix and parrallels the BNSF main for quite a long way (7-12 miles I think). Usually there is a train that runs around 5-6 pm local time. Locals a run throughout the day except Sunday.
Not alot of "photogenic" locations along this part of the line as it passes through mostly suburbian type areas. To get more scenic pics you have to go out NW from Peoria to Wickenburg. Tracks are harder to follow but with a good map or GPS you'll be OK. If you are going as far as Wickenburg\Matthie watch for the Arizona and California as this is their eestern terminis. Nice shortline (now owned by RailAmerica I beleive).
UP (ex-SP Sunset route) is about 35-50 miles south of Phoenix. When I was out there in 2009 there where working on double tracking the section from Case Grande west. This line has much more traffic on it but it is very rural. Be careful. Bring lots of water, a good fully charged cell phone and don't walk through brushy areas. Rattlesnakes and scorpions abound out there.

[OhioNSandCSX]

If you can, go to Flagstaff (60-80 trains a day)
Phoenix has nothing.

[GTW6401]

Flagstaff is about 200 miles from Phoenix. Most people dont have the extra time to drive that far when they have already planned things while on vacation.

[cbehr91]

The UP Sunset Route (old SP main) is roughly an hour's drive south of Phoenix. It has about the same amount of traffic as the Transcon.

[Chrisracer8903]

Give this a look, has information on the BNSF line into Phoenix.

http://www.aeromoe.com/Peavine.html

Google can be your friend.

GP60Ms and B40-8s leading hot autorack trains? Yyyeeaaah....that site's information is really old. What is the actual trains per day around Phenoix? Seems similiar to the train counts up here in Michigan.

[MQT3001]

When I stayed overnight I Williams, AZ in Feb. 2010, we had 3 trains go by on the Phoenix line in 12 hours. 2 Z trains & 1 Autorack, with only one of the Z train WB. Not a great indication of the line's traffic, but a snapshot nonetheless.

For those who don't know, Williams is about an hour West of Flagstaff, and the BNSF transcon splits with the line to Phoenix east of town at a spot known as Williams Jct. To the west of there, the transcon follows the Crookton Cutoff, while the Phoenix Line follows the origional Transon alignment until almost Ash Fork before turning south. The Crookton Cutoff is a spectacular example of re-alignment of a railroad. The line has far less steep grades and gentle curves, a stark contrast to the old Williams-Ash Fork Line.