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Arizona Railroads and Railfanning In "The Grand Canyon State"

Arizona railroads are known for flat deserts, high mountains, and trains that range from speeding loads of intermodal to slow drags of coal, copper, agriculture, and wood products. The state's history with trains began in the latter half of the 19th century although because of its lack of natural resources and major markets few classic lines ever operated there. Today, while the state may be home to less than 2,000 route miles of railroad but it offers a little of everything from main line railroads (the West's two largest systems still operate important routes through Arizona) to railroad museums and tourist lines. In any event, included here is a brief overview of Arizona railroads, covering both the state's history with trains as well as present-day operations. Additionally, links to other pages here at the site covering various Arizona railroad subjects are also featured.

Arizona railroads got its start in 1877 when the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in Yuma on its way to completing its line to Tucson in 1880. Over the years Arizona would become home to seventy-six different railroads although most of those have since been either abandoned, sold, or merged (actually, many disappeared during the industryâ€™s early years due to poor management, economies, or other factors). One thing about Arizona railroads that has not changed, however, is the natural resources it has been known for which include coal, copper, and (to a lesser extent) timber/wood products.

Arizona has been one of the few states to never lose its original number of Class I railroads, two (although the names have changed). Prior to the mid 1990s Arizona railroads included its original Class Is; Southern Pacific and the venerable Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway both of whom had their main lines running east-west across the state. After 1995 that all changed when the Santa Fe merged with Burlington Northern Railroad becoming the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (today simply known as the BNSF Railway) and Southern Pacific was purchased by Union Pacific Railroad in 1996. Today, Arizona is still home to both original ownersâ€™ main lines with Union Pacificâ€™s former SP Sunset Route a major corridor between California and Texas and BNSF Railwayâ€™s Transcon between California and Chicago (this route is also the stateâ€™s busiest). For more information about Arizona's "classic lines" please visit the links listed below to learn more about them:

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway

Southern Pacific

In terms of overall mileage, currently Arizona ranks somewhat low at just over 1,800 route miles. However, during the "Golden Age" of the railroad industry the state was home to about 2,500 miles. As such, Arizona has lost about 28% of its rail infrastructure, which actually is much less than other states. In any event, the short table below lists its mileage rise and decline.

Although Arizona has only ever had two Class I systems the state is also home to many shortlines, which include the historic Apache Railway (and its fleet of large Alcos), Arizona & California Railroad, Arizona Eastern Railway, Arizona Central Railroad, Magma Arizona Railroad (currently dormant but still on the books), San Manuel Arizona Railroad, San Pedro Southwestern Railroad, Bauxite & Northern Railway, the Copper Basin Railway, and perhaps the most interesting of all the Black Mesa & Lake Powell Railroad a 78-mile entirely electrified railroad that operates E60C electric locomotives on a 50,000-volt catenary system (the line is used exclusively to move coal from the Black Mesa Mine to a power plant at Lake Powell, where the railroad gets its name). For contact information regarding these shortlines please click here. The page is for those looking for railroad employment in the state of Arizona but also provides you with a list of all of the state's current operating railroads.

Regarding the Class I railroads their larger terminals in Arizona include Tucson, Phoenix, Casa Grande, and Yuma along the Union Pacific and BNSF has yards in Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Winslow. Today, passenger service is still available in the state with the Los Angeles-Chicago Southwest Chief along the BNSF Railway stopping at Winslow, Flagstaff, Williams Junction, and Kingman. Also, the Sunset Limited along the UP stops at Benson, Tucson, Maricopa, and Yuma. Finally, Phoenix operates a light rail system known as the Valley Metro Light Rail. The line serves Tempe, downtown Phoenix, and terminates to the north at 7th Avenue and Camelback Road (the route makes a rough "L" shape).

As far as museums and tourist lines are concerned, take your pick! There are plenty to choose from and include the Arizona Railway Museum, Gadsden-Pacific Division Toy Train Operating Museum, McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Southern Arizona Transportation Museum, the popular and well-known Grand Canyon Railway, Verde Canyon Railroad, Sierra Madre Express, Old Pueblo Trolley, Paradise & Pacific Railroad, Superstition Scenic Railway, and the Yuma Valley Railway. To learn more about various Arizona railroad subjects from history to excursion trains please check out the links below:

Apache Railway

Arizona & California Railroad

Black Mesa & Lake Powell Railroad

Arizona Railroad Museums

Arizona Train Rides

Surviving Arizona Railroad Stations

Arizona Interurbans

For more information regarding Arizona railroads please click here. This excellent website covers most aspects of the state's rail history broken down through a number of sections. It's well worth checking out! All in all Arizona railroads is well worth the trip with the backdrop of beautiful deserts and mountains. So, whether you plan to ride the tourist railroads, visit the railroad museums, or just go out and railfan one of the stateâ€™s many shortlines or two Class I railroads you should have a wonderful time!

Please Click Here To Return To The Main States Section

Lastly, a good book covering Arizona railroads and its rail history is Arizona's Railroads: Exploring the State by Rail by author P.R. Griswold. The guidebook explores the state's rail heritage but also highlights its present day operations, a great read if you're interested in such. Keep in mind, tough, that the book dates to 1992 (I am not sure if there has been any recent printings) and it is only about 48 pages in length so it is not all that extensive. In any event, if you are interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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