The Grand Canyon Railway, The Only Way To See And Experience The Grand Canyon!

While the line the Grand Canyon Railway operates on today has had a rocky history since the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (the Santa Fe) gave up on its branch to the Grand Canyon in 1974, today the tourist line is one of the most popular excursions in the country with its top-notch services and stunning scenery of the Arizona desert and Grand Canyon National Park. As the popularity of the Grand Canyon Railway has certainly increased over the past twenty years since its inception in 1988 and today, the railroad's fleet of diesel locomotives carry you in a fleet of restored passenger equipment ranging from café and club cars to observations and domes for unparalleled enjoyment and spectacular views.

Today the Grand Canyon Railway is owned by Colorado billionaire Phil Anschutz, which recently purchased the railraod from Xanterra Parks & Resorts of Denver, Colorado (which itself had purchased the railroad and assets from owners Max and Thelma Biegert in early 2006). During the Biegerts ownership they watched their small operation grow from a dilapidated and rundown property (which was in the process of being salvaged after two other attempts at turning the railroad into a tourist trap fell through in the 1970s and early 1980s) in 1988 to a popular, well respected, and well maintained railroad when they sold it in 2006.

The rail line to the Grand Canyon itself dates back to 1901 when the Santa Fe Railway decided to complete a branch (which had been started in 1898) from a junction at Williams, Arizona, which connected the national park 65 miles due north. To learn more about the line’s history please read on below, courtesy of the Grand Canyon Railway:

“ The Railroad was originally built to transport ore in the Wild West from the Anita mines, 45 miles north of Williams in the late 1800s. Buckey O'Neill, sheriff of Yavapi County, mayor of Prescott, prospector, promoter and later one of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, realized money could be made in the mines. He traveled east to gain the support and investment. O'Neill gained the support of Thomas Lombard from the investment firm of Lombard, Goode and Company in New York. Together they entered conversations with the Santa Fe Pacific Railroad.

To help gain the interest of the Santa Fe, O'Neill sent ore samples of gold saying he had mined the samples from the Grand Canyon. In the same letter, however, O'Neill also recognized the potential for tourism so he spoke to the natural beauty of the region and the canyon. O'Neill continued to flirt with the Santa Fe through the years seeking their investment. He also tried to get local investors, which he did, and in 1897 the Santa Fe and Grand Canyon Railroad Company was incorporated. Development of the tracks north from Williams began. O'Neill would not see its completion. He left to fight in the Spanish American War behind Colonel Theodore Roosevelt where he died in 1898.

The railroad changed management and consolidated numerous times in the early year. Finally, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway took over and completed the track to Grand Canyon in 1901. The company could make a return on its investment through tourism because the lure of ore and mining proved to be unsustainable. The $3.95 train ride would replace the $15.00 eight-hour stagecoach ride from Flagstaff, allowing visitors to gaze upon what Teddy Roosevelt said ‘every American should see.’ The 65 miles of track the iron horse traveled became the lifeline to Grand Canyon.”

To capitalize further on its new rail line that offered magnificent views of Arizona and the canyon the Santa Fe built the El Tovar Hotel just feet from the edge of the canyon. However, like most such branches in the region it played out quickly of profitable rail traffic and in 1974 (with passenger service had been eliminated some years earlier) the Santa Fe called it quits on the branch.

For power today, the Grand Canyon Railway maintains a fleet of six diesel locomotives and four steam locomotives. Unfortunately, it was announced in the September of 2008 that the railroad's fleet of steam locomotives would be retired although for now they are still retained. Below is an up-to-date roster:

· EMD FP40 #237: Ex-Amtrak

· EMD FP40 #239: Ex-Amtrak

· EMD FP40 #295: Ex-Amtrak

· EMD GP7 #2134

· Alco FPA-4 #6773: Ex-Canadian National

· Alco FPA-4 #6776: Ex-Canadian National

· Alco FPA-4 #6793: Ex-Canadian National

· Alco FPB #6860: Ex-Canadian National

· Alco FPB #6771: Ex-Canadian National

· Alco 2-8-0 Consolidation #18: Ex-Lake Superior & Ishpeming (Currently out of service.)

· Alco 2-8-0 Consolidation #20: Ex-Lake Superior & Ishpeming (Currently out of service.)

· Alco 2-8-0 Consolidation #29: Ex-Lake Superior & Ishpeming

· Baldwin 2-8-2 Mikado #4960: Ex-Chicago, Burlington & Quincy

Today, Grand Canyon Railway trains depart from the Williams depot to take the journey 65 miles north to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim and the famous El Tovar Hotel (which you can still stay at, by the way).

For more information on tourist trains like the Grand Canyon Railway might want to consider the book Empire State Railway Museum's Tourist Trains 2006 from the Empire State Railway Museum. Given excellent reviews this guidebook covers nearly all of the tourist railroads and museums operating in the country in fine detail. So, if you’re interested in locating a tourist train or railroad near you, or simply want to know more about a particular one, you will certainly not be disappointed in Empire State Railway Museum’s guidebook to tourist railroads and museums. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit The Railroad Diamond by clicking the tab in the menu to your left marked "TRD Store".