The Two Spot

Photo by Peter Corbett  http://www.ontheroadarizona.com/

The Two Spot is a beloved Flagstaff icon that sits serenely on the southeast corner of the bustling intersection of Route 66 and San Francisco Street. Probably everyone who lives in or visits Flagstaff is aware of the engine but how many know it's name?

It's The Two Spot!

And, believe it or not, The Two Spot is actually on The National Register of Historic Places.
The Two Spot is steam locomotive #35938 that was constructed in 1910 and early 1911 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the Arizona Lumber Timber Company (AL&T) of Flagstaff, Arizona. The locomotive bore the number "25" in the AL&T roster. It was called Two Spot because water bag hanging from its cab obscured and eventually obliterated the number "5" and also because later owners changed its roster number to "2." The standard gauge 2-8-0 steam locomotive was used 55 years by the AL&T, the Saginaw Manistee Lumber Company, Southwest Lumber Mills, and Southwest Forest Industries for operations in the Flagstaff area until being retired from service in 1966.

Baldwin Locomotive Works/BLW began building the oil-powered steam engine with tender in 1910, completed it in January of 1911, and outshipped it on January 20, 1911.  Mr. Taylor was the engineer in charge of the cross-country delivery. The AL&T received the locomotive in February and immediately placed #25 in service at the newly-rebuilt Greenlaw mill. Pleased with his purchase, Timothy A. Riordan remitted payment of $11,220 to BLW on April 19,1911.

Once hallmark of the lumber industry, logging trains such as Two Spot are now extremely rare. The report "Logging Railroad Resources of the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests, Arizona" estimated that about 30 logging locomotives operated at various times (circa 1887 to 1966) in the greater Flagstaff area. Most were sold for scrap iron during World War II. Only two Baldwin #35938 and #60870 have survived to the present day. Of the two, #35938 is the older, predating #60870 by 18 years; #35938 is, in fact, the only surviving pre-World War logging locomotive left in the Flagstaff area. The structure accurately reflects the engineering and configuration of Consolidation 2-8-0 engine of Baldwin class 10-30 E, once common but now rare type. With its steam-powered locomotive, tender, and log carrier car, Two Spot embodies the distinctive design characteristics of a technology that is now obsolete.

In its order and drawing system, BLW referred to the Flagstaff engine as "10-30 123." The code translated as follows: "10" was the total number of wheels; "30" was code for the cylinder diameter; in this case it meant 18-inch diameter cylinders; "E" referred to four pairs of driving wheels; and "123" was the sequence number in the class; that is, the AL&T locomotive was the 123rd example of this class. Class 10-30 E was light-to-medium weight freight locomotive of the period. It made solid narrow-gauge freight hauler, as demonstrated by the 50 examples that BLW sold to the Japanese mainline railways. It was also popular in standard gauge, version used in constructing the El Paso Southwestern from Bisbee to El Paso. In terms of wheel arrangement, Baldwin #35938 was Consolidation 2-8-0 type locomotive, meaning that it had one pair of pilot (truck) wheels, four pair of drive wheels, and no trailing axle wheels.

Locomotive #25 first acquired its more common name of "Two Spot" because its engineers used to suspend from the cab  a water bag that obscured and eventually obliterated the number "5". Around 1951 Saginaw Manistee renumbered the engine as "2," the number it retained under subsequent Southwest Lumber and Southwest Forest ownership. The engine has since been repainted with its original AL&T roster number of "25."

The above information was extracted from the National Register nomination located here:
https://ncptt.nps.gov/rt66/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/TwoSpotLoggingTrain_Flagstaff_AZ.pdf
The nomination document contains much additional information.

Many Thanks to Peter Corbett for recording these images to make this post possible.

Photo by Peter Corbett  http://www.ontheroadarizona.com/

Toll Road to Nowhere

Virtually everyone in Flagstaff has at least heard mention of the legendary name "Weatherford." Uncounted tens of thousands of people have passed by or enjoyed the hospitality of downtown's historic Weatherford Hotel.  As time passes and newcomers flood into Flagstaff, Weatherford's other big project fades fast into obscurity. 

Even those who might chance to hike all or a portion of The Weatherford Trail #102 may not fully know the Story of The San Francisco Scenic Mountain Boulevard, an expensive pipe dream that turned into a road to nowhere.  This post attempts to give a brief overview of the road.  James Babbitt wrote a definitive discussion of the project and his work is cited at the end of this post.

Source of photo:

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/flagstaff-az-san-francisco-scenic-1809912940

The San Francisco Scenic Mountain Boulevard had an average grade of 8 % with maximum grades of 11%.  It's hairpin switchbacks can still clearly be seen on Google Earth.

Source of photo:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/arizona-mountain-boulevard-flagstaff-2017046023

John W. Weatherford was born October 24, 1859, in Weatherford, Texas.  He arrived in Flagstaff in 1887 and promptly made a major difference in the community by building a large hotel which remains a beloved Flagstaff lodging landmark and legendary watering hole.  In 1895, Weatherford rode a horse to the top of the Peaks and that's when the glimmer of an idea for a future toll road first took hold.  Success of the Pike's Peak toll road further captured Weatherford's attention and in 1915 he applied for a permit from the Forest Service to build a similar road to the top of The San Francisco Peaks. 

(Adapted from source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41696969 See note at end of post.)

Source of Weatherford photo:
http://archive.library.nau.edu/digital/collection/cpa/id/11223/rec/1

After much bureaucratic wrangling, Weather had his permit in hand by May 1916. He incorporated the San Francisco Scenic Mountain Boulevard Company in August 1917 and tried to sell stock.  The stock idea didn't go over well in Flagstaff or anywhere else but Weatherford forged ahead.  Construction eventually began in 1920 with completion of the first two miles of the road. 

(Adapted from source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41696969 See note at end of post.)

Source of stock certificate image:
http://library.nau.edu/speccoll/exhibits/sca/collect/manusrpt/sf.html

"Nevertheless, work continued during the summer months of 1921, 1922, and 1923. By the spring of 1924, some seven miles of road had been completed. On June 9, a group of prominent Flagstaff businessmen that included Tim Riordan, E. A. Haight, K. J. Nackard, and David Babbitt drove over the completed portion of the route. They enthusiastically endorsed the project." 

(Adapted from source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41696969 See note at end of post.)

Source of photo:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/flagstaff-az-san-francisco-scenic-1809912940

We were roaming eBay on January 8, 2020 looking at new listings under the category "Flagstaff postcard" when we found three views of the San Francisco Scenic Mountain Boulevard.  Although we first heard of the road in 1980 as "The Weatherford Road," we had never looked into the subject.  Today's post is a result of the chance finding of those three views on eBay. The three views include this one and the next two below.

Source of photo:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Flagstaff-Arizona-San-Francisco-Peaks-Mountain-hand-colored-1920s-Postcard-13153/372903181332

By mid-1926, construction crews had completed 10.4 miles of steep, narrow road to the Fremont Saddle-enough for Weather ford to stage a grand opening ceremony. At 9:30 on the morning of August 19, local drivers lined up on Leroux Street, as Boy Scouts distributed souvenirs of the occasion. Some 170 automobiles made the trip to Fremont Saddle, where Flagstaff I.O.O.F. lodge members served a picnic luncheon. Dr. Earl Slipher of Lowell Observatory set up a telescope at the end of the road that allowed sightseers to gaze over the Grand Canyon and into six different states." 

(Adapted from source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41696969 See note at end of post.)

Source of photo:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Flagstaff-Arizona-Hand-Colored-1920s-Postcard-San-Francisco-Mountain-13162/402026291566

The stock market crash of 1929 put a permanent damper on both use and lengthening of the road.  Weatherford died January 7, 1934.  The Forest Service revoked the special use permit January 19, 1938.  Altogether, $150,000 was purported to have been spent on the road. 

(Adapted from source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41696969 See note at end of post.)

Source of photo:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Albertype-Flagstaff-Arizona-San-Francisco-Mountain-Blvd-1920s-Postcard-13137/372904101483

Weatherford's widow and possibly some early investors pushed a claim of $15,500 from the federal government.  In 1939 President Roosevelt weighed in against such a claim. However, after much more bureaucratic and political wranglings, the claim was approved in June 1942.  Investors received a whisker more than seven cents for each share of stock they owned. 

(Adapted from source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41696969 See note at end of post.)

The link below this screen clip goes to a more or less complete official account of how the $15,500 claim was finally reimbursed.
http://bit.ly/36DAI1Y

Perhaps the most notable use of Weatherford's old road to nowhere is the annual War Dog Race each October.  Northern Arizona Trail Runners Association members and guests climb 3,000 feet to Doyle Saddle along the rock strewn old right of way and then return for a total of 15 miles. The Way Dog event began in 1981, just three years before creation of the federal Kachina Peaks Wilderness area.

The steep trail continues to attract more hikers each year as visitors venture out to enjoy the splendor of The San Francisco Peak while pondering a piece of bygone history about a road to nowhere.

Here is a very thorough history of the War Dog. The photos here were taken from a slideshow at this link:
https://www.natra.org/history

Here's a great 10+ minute video of the 2012 War Dog with an account of its founding:
https://youtu.be/AWABn-B0W4g

The photo below showing War Dog runners on the old Weatherford Road gives a good idea of what that route must have looked like for early autoists and wagoneers traveling the steep grade up to Doyle Saddle and back.

NOTE: Any narrative in quotes above was taken directly from the source shown here and is believed to be within the Fair Use guidelines of U.S. Copyright Law.  All other narrative regarding the Weatherford Road is adapted in our own words from content in the source below and is likewise believed to be within Fair Use guidelines of U.S. Copyright Law.  Mr. Babbitt's article on the Weatherford Road is quite likely to be the best and definitive assessment of the subject.

Babbitt, James E. “THE IMPASSIBLE DREAM: John W. Weatherford's San Francisco Mountain Boulevard.” The Journal of Arizona History, vol. 47, no. 2, 2006, pp. 173–184. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41696969

Note: Mr. Babbitt's article states the Kachina Peaks Wilderness was designated in 1978.  It was designated in 1984. See: https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/?ID=285