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The Copper King Express, Hosted By The Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway

The Copper King Express was a relatively new excursion train provided by shortline carrier, Rarus Railway, now known again as the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway (the railroad's name was changed back to the historic carrier's name in 2007 by parent Patriot Rail Corporation). The tourist train debuted in 2006 and offered spectacular views of southwestern Montana from the tracks of the former mine railroad, and original Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway. Unfortunately, its operations were discontinued in December 2009. Despite having quite good ridership during the four year operation the railroad stated that the excursion simply could never earn enough money to break even, thus causing its cancellation.

The Copper King Express operated nearly every weekend during the summer season and had become so popular since its 2006 debut that every tourist train offered in 2008 was sold out. Not only did the train offer stunning panoramic views of "Big Sky Country" and the historic mining operations of the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway it was also located in an area steeped in railroading history. The historic BA&P, which was the first electrified freight railroad in the country when it was launched in 1913 (on a 2,400-volt DC system), once connected with the venerable Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (the Milwaukee Road) at Butte, itself electrified until June of 1974.

The Copper King Express typically used a pair of restored passenger coaches to take guests, which boarded the train at Smelter City near Anaconda, on a long three-hour journey along the historic Butte, Anaconda & Pacific system in the southwestern region of Montana. The excursion train did offer visitors a few options and onboard amenities but most of its draw was simply to see the area's incredible scenery, one which most folks never get to see traveling through areas such as the Durant Canyon and along the Clark Fork River.

For power, the train typically employed one of the BA&P's current roster of EMD Geeps, ranging from GP7s to their most powerful units, GP38-2s. With the Copper King Express's closure the region took quite a blow to its local tourism, particularly the Anaconda Railroad & Mining Museum, which depended on the train for not only the crowds that passed through its doors but it was also the depot where visitors departed during their trip. Today, the BA&P itself remains in operation as a Class III, freight carrier although its attempt to host tourist trains like other shortlines have done is but a memory today. It is said that the passenger cars still remain on the railroad's property but they will likely been gone as soon as a buyer is lined up.

Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway Diesel Locomotive Roster

· EMD GP7 #102: Originally Butte, Anaconda & Pacific #102 built in 1952.

· EMD GP9 #107: Originally Butte, Anaconda & Pacific #107 built in 1952.

· EMD GP9 #201

· EMD GP9 #202: Ex-Montana Western

· EMD GP9 #302: Originally built as Southern Pacific #5628 in 1956.

· EMD GP38-2 #1011: Ex-Montana Western

The seasonal operations of the Copper King Express were completed on November 29, 2009 and the excursion train planned to run two final trains in December but canceled those plans due to poor weather conditions. Patriot Railway, which owned the BA&P, stated that the while the train received good ridership it never carried enough passengers to justify continuing its operations and the equipment has since been sold.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Tourist Railroads Section

For more information about excursion trains like the Copper King Express you might want to consider the book Tourist Trains Guidebook, which is put together by the editors of Kalmbach Publishing's Trains magazine. The guide below is the latest, released in just April, 2011 that now includes more than 470 museums and tourist trains (it also lists all of Alabama's rail museums). In any event, if you're 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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