What are the best photo spots along the BNSF Southern Transcon?

[JohnTrainHead]

Hi everybody! Its been a while since I've posted, but I was hoping some of you familiar with the area (BNSF territory in SoCal, Arizona) could give me some advice. This summer, I'll be taking some kind of a road trip with my college friends out west. Most likely, our route will take us over I-40 and possibly route 66, right along the BNSF Cajon, Needles & Seligman Subdivisions. My friends don't really care about trains, but I'm hoping they won't mind if we pull off the road now and then to take a few pictures. That being said, I don't want them to annoy them with stops too much, so I was hoping some of you could give me suggestions as to what the best photo spots along the tracks are; I'm from the East coast and have never been to the Southwest. I'm hoping to find locations with fairly dramatic and interesting landscapes, but also not far off the main road. Also, how often can I expect to see trains at these locations? I don't think my friends will be happy with me if we are at a stop for more than 20, maybe 30 minutes at a time.

Already, I'm thinking of places like Ludlow, CA, Seligman, AZ, and Winslow, AZ. Are these good spots, or are there better ones?

Also, if you know of any places where we could pace a train, I'd love to know. Never done that before, and I'd love there to be a first time.

Thanks in advance.

[AmericanSteam]

There is some train cams there so wave to everyone. Hold up a sign. Check Flagstaff, Tucson, Cajon Pass, Hesperia and Tehachapi loop.