THE GRAND CANYON RAILROAD

The daily Grand Canyon Railway Train arrives here at the South Rim at approx. 11:45 am, and departs at 3:30 pm. I took these pictures a couple of weeks ago, when the daily train preceded the AMTRAK Steam Special.

For over twenty years (1968 - 1989), these rails saw no action, and only gathered rust and weeds. This 64 mile spur line, built by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1901, was in danger of being abandoned, with the tracks and equipment destined for the scrap metal pile. The automobile had replaced the railroad as the transportation of choice, and on the last train to the canyon in 1968, there were 3 paying passengers. There were several attempts to purchase the railroad from Santa Fe, but it wasn't until 1988, that Max and Thelma Biegert became the new owners. From that point forward, the railroad, it's equipment & properties were revitalized, and today, the train is a business success story, bringing several hundred thousand people to the canyon each year. Xanterra, the largest State & National Park Concessionaire in the U.S., purchased the railroad in 2006, and combined the railroad with their many other services available at Grand Canyon National Park.

I'm looking forward to working with the staff at Xanterra, in preparation for our Golden Spike Chapter RV Rally on Sep 13-15. Patty and I rode the 128 mile round trip from Williams to the Grand Canyon several years ago, but that train was pulled by a diesel engine similar to the one pictured. The train on Sep 15 will be pulled by a steam engine, and for train enthusiasts, that's a whole different ball game. The sound of a giant steamer pulling a heavy load up a grade, is like no other sound anywhere, and is sweet music to the ears of folks like me.