STEAMIN TO THE RIM

Yesterday was my early workday for the week, starting at 8:25 am. While driving the Village (Blue) Route, a little before noon, I discovered that the Grand Canyon Railway had used one of their steam engines to bring the train from Williams to the South Rim. I took these two photos from our bus stop at the Bright Angel Lodge, and they're not the best shots, but at least you can see #4960 in front of the train.

The Grand Canyon Railway, like many short line railroads, has a history of boom and bust periods, and despite economic conditions, is currently riding a wave of prosperity.

In 1901, the Santa Fe Railroad completed the 64 mile line from Williams to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. A few years later, they built the famous El Tovar Hotel on the rim of the canyon.
For several decades, the railroad was the primary reason that hundreds of thousands of people were able to visit the Grand Canyon. When the automobile became more and more dominant as the publics transportation choice, many small railroads started to disappear. In 1968, the last passenger train from Williams carried 3 passengers, and the decision by Santa Fe to discontinue service was an easy one.

For about 20 years, there was talk about abandoning the line, but fortunately the rails were never pulled up. In 1988, Max and Thelma Biegert purchased the line, and restarted passenger service to the South Rim in 1989. They were responsible for rehabilitating not only the railroad, but also the Williams Depot and other assets like the Williams Hotel.

Increased ridership has continued through the last 25 years, and today, the annual passenger count is several hundred thousand, putting the Grand Canyon Railway in the top 5 of North American scenic railway excursions. In 2006, the railroad and it's assets were sold to Xanterra Corp. who is the primary concessionaire at the South Rim. Due primarily to higher costs, Xanterra made a decision to discontinue usage of the steam engines. However, they have brought the steam engine out a few times during the summer, I suspect due to increasing demand from the public.

Yesterday was one of those days when the sound of the steam engine and it's distinctive whistle, was once again seen and heard here at the Grand Canyon.