John Monhoff Wrote:
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> If you have access to a Santa Fe Los Angeles Division employee's timetable from the '60's you can find this branch mentioned in the "additional stations and sidings" area. I believe it was about 8 miles in length and did not have an extremely long life, maybe around 40 years max. I did find it on a DeLorme atlas shown branching off the rice-blythe main a few miles north of blythe and heading east towards the Colorado River. Very interesting to see this photo and read the link from t.o. Thanks for sharing!

In looking at ATSF ETT # 11 dated OCT 26, 1980, there was a 1,450 foot siding named "Miller Farms" at MP 44.7. Blythe was MP 42 and the end of track at Ripley was at MP 49.4. I believe you are referring to the Riverview Farms Spur which was 3.9 miles in length (in 1980) and broke off the main line at MP 36.3 from the west only. It would be interesting to know if the excursion went over this line. I've looked for it on old topo maps without success.

All of the track in the Palo Verde Valley is gone now. It's pretty sad when an operation is sold off to a lower-cost short line and even the short line has no interest in cultivating the business. Short lines are starting to act too much like Class Ones.