Barstow, CA-Transportation Oasis

Barstow is a transportation oasis in the High Desert of California.  It is located where today's Transcon intersects with I-40, I-15 and Highway 58.  Barstow sits one day's travel outside of Los Angeles, making it an ideal location for transcontinental shipments to get classified before delivery.
Barstow owes much of its existence to the Santa Fe Railroad.  The city takes its name from William Barstow Strong, president of the Santa Fe Railroad during the town's growth.  Establishment of a Santa Fe Harvey House as the town grew was key to Barstow's development.
As you drive Main Street in today's Barstow, you see the Barstow that many were familiar with so many years ago.  Diners and motels still proudly brandish the Route 66 signs that welcomed so many weary travelers to California.
Alongside Main Street sit the large classification yards of today's BNSF Railway, successor to the Santa Fe.  Carloads of California perishables bound for Eastern markets and merchandise from across America are efficiently placed onto their trains.
As we hear a highball in the distance, we watch, and another train rolls onward, ready to make its trek across America.  Onward from Barstow, transportation continues to roll.