Steam & Excursion > A Recent Trip On The Grand Canyon Railway

I just returned from a wonderful vacation with the family to Williams and the Grand Canyon and here's some photos and observations regarding the Grand Canyon Railway. To celebrate my mom's eightieth birthday, we spent two nights in Williams at the GCRY-owned Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, a round trip on the GCRY in dome coach Grand View and two nights at the El Tovar Hotel at the South Rim. All in all, this is really a top-notch operation. I give it high marks all the way around. I rode the Grand Canyon Railway shortly after it began operations in 1989, and they have come a long way since. Phillip Anschutz owns Xanterra, the company that now manages the Railway plus almost all of the lodging and concessions at most of the nation's national parks. There are now some "deep pockets" to help ensure that this operation is a success and that is evident in the expanded and improved shop complex in Williams, among other things. The steam engines are still used on special occasions and there are special trains operated for holidays such as Halloween and Christmas. The GCRY is the largest employer in Williams and the operation has really given the town a much-needed boost. An employee told me there are still some challenges with the soft economy and, when the National Parks were shut down briefly a year or so ago due to budget problems (and political shenanigans), the railroad was unable to run trains into the Park. Passengers were "bustituted". Hopefully, something like that won't happen again.

01 On the way to Williams, we swung through Skull Valley and saw the depot that has now been moved away from the track and functions as a museum. On the drive to Prescott I tried to observe some of the abandoned right-of-way over Ramsgate Hill with little success. The Prescott depot now functions as a component of a shopping center, the Depot Marketplace. The nearest tracks are miles away.

02 The lobby of the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/14 11:36 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

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03-04 The dining hall is located adjacent to the train station on the east side. Inside the dining hall is what looks like a stainless steel panel taken off a passenger car. There's also a miniature train that runs around the room on an elevated track. While dining, you can watch BNSF freights headed to and from Phoenix.

05 On the west side of the train station there's a staged cowboy gunfight show that takes place just prior to the departure of the train.

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06-07 At the Williams station, there's an immaculate AT&SF caboose and # 539, a beautifully restored ex NP, ex SP&S 2-8-2. I forgot to inquire as to whether or not the steam locomotive is in operating condition.

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08-09-10 The northbound trip to the Canyon. We were in completely-filled dome car Grand View. Here is its lineage, courtesy of Web Lurker's DOME.main:

CB&Q 4722 "Silver Stirrup" coach for 'California Zephyr' - became BN 4686 (not applied), to Amtrak 9456, retired 2/84 to ARR 7003 (not applied), became ARR 7034, sold to Roaring Fork RR (10/86), DCRX 7034 (800334), leased to Texas Limited Houston-Galveston (1989-1994), South Orient Express Mexico Copper Canyon - now part of DRCX Mexican American Railways based in Nogales MX In tour service (2000). As of 2001, service terminated and car withdrawn from Mexico. Car part of short-lived "Acadian" Montreal - Maine - Halifax service. Sold 5/04 to Grand Canyon Railway. Entered service 3/05 as GCRX 7034 Grand View. Sold (along with entire railway) to Xanterra 9/06.

I'm pretty sure I rode this car when it was used on the Texas Limited, the South Orient Express and with DRCX Mexican American Railways.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/14 04:29 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

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11 View of the train station at the Grand Canyon with the El Tovar hotel just above and beyond it. There was an article in SUNSET magazine in the late 1960s entitled "To Grand Canyon Village By Rail" describing AT&SF service and a photo was published with similar composition. I'd like to track down that article. There's frequent, free bus service that will shuttle you all over the Park.

12 GCRY # 29, an Alco 2-8-0 ex-LS&I 14, ex-M&HM 29 on display at the Grand Canyon station.

13 Our obligatory group photo at the Grand Canyon. Except for my daughter, all of us had made previous visits to the Grand Canyon. She did it right. She arrived by train!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/14 10:58 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

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14-15-16 We again rode in the Grand View on the return trip. The full-length dome car Fred Harvey, shown here, was removed from the train the day after we returned to Williams. Here is its lineage and other details:

Constructed by the Budd Company for the CB&Q (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy) in 1955, this dome car was named River View. CB&Q operated this luxury streamliner from Chicago to Minneapolis, where the Great Northern Railway took it over for the rest of the journey to Seattle. Amtrak purchased the car and operated it in a variety of services, eventually selling it to the American Orient Express (AOE) in 2001, when it was renamed Copper Canyon.

In 2011 Copper Canyon was purchased by the Grand Canyon Railway and was renamed Fred Harvey. The rail car needed a complete overhaul which lasted one year and used over 8,000 man hours at a cost of $1 million. The Fred Harvey car made its first trip to the Grand Canyon under new ownership in September 2012. The full length dome car joined Grand Canyon Railway’s Luxury Class Service as a Luxury Dome Car seating 66 passengers upstairs and open lounge seating down stairs. The car measures 85 ft. long, 12 ft. wide, 16 ft. high and 91 tons.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/14 04:20 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

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17-18 On the southbound trip we had the entire upper deck of the dome car Grand View all to ourselves! It was the closest we'll probably ever get to having our own private railroad car. We saw some deer and elk as we headed south out of Grand Canyon Village.

19 With some imagination, this could be the North Coast Limited climbing Homestake Pass! AT&SF never operated domes on this line in regularly-scheduled service.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/14 04:22 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

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20 About two-thirds into the trip, the train encountered a "hold up" by "train robbers" and stopped so they could board the train. Here they are riding alongside of the train. My daughter thought it was neat and enjoyed bantering with the "robbers."

21 And, finally, the drumhead of our train. Hope you enjoyed the pics and narrative.

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CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
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> 06-07 At the Williams station, there's an
> immaculate AT&SF caboose and # 539, a beautifully
> restored ex NP, ex SP&S 2-8-2. I forgot to
> inquire as to whether or not the steam locomotive
> is in operating condition.


The steamer is not operable.

I do love visiting the Grand Canyon. Next time you're in the northern Arizona area spend a night at the LaPosada hotel - you won't be disappointed.

Great series of shots, shot 16 really stands out with the great cloud cover in the background. The GCRY crews did a great job with the cosmetic restoration on the 539, thanks for posting a shot of it as well.

~Ryan

Emmo213 Wrote:
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> Next time you're in the northern Arizona area spend a
> night at the LaPosada hotel - you won't be disappointed.

My wife and I stayed there about nine years ago. It was great. They've done a fantastic job restoring it to its former glory. At a gift shop at the Grand Canyon I bought a really fascinating book that covers all of the Harvey Houses and lunch rooms.

Very nice report. Your pictures help tell story. Wife and I did that a few years back....with steam. Great experience.

Super post and photos. Well worth the trip, either with steam or diesel.

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com

really nice post, Mr. Agent

Emmo213 Wrote:
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> CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 06-07 At the Williams station, there's an
> > immaculate AT&SF caboose and # 539, a
> beautifully
> > restored ex NP, ex SP&S 2-8-2. I forgot to
> > inquire as to whether or not the steam
> locomotive
> > is in operating condition.
>
>
> The steamer is not operable.
>
> I do love visiting the Grand Canyon. Next time
> you're in the northern Arizona area spend a night
> at the LaPosada hotel - you won't be disappointed.


Yeah, the missing main rod from the cylinders to the wheels is a small problem...

Great pictures. Who took them?

Alco251 Wrote:
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> Great pictures. Who took them?

Uh, my Hasselblad-equipped personal assistant?

Actually, I took 'em all except for the group photo at the canyon.

Very nice trip report of a great train ride.
Well-written and complete. I really like your
photos. The one of the "robber" on horseback
racing alongside the train, is super!
AFAIK, only one steam locomotive is operable,
and she doesn't run often. Xanterra really
did do a nice job of cosmetically restoring the
other locomotives (which many of us wish
would run).

The Grand Canyon is one awesome place, isn't it?

What a super way to celebrate your mother's 80th!

I love this photo montage along with essays! Seems as though the GCRwy has gone through its own transition from HW & Steam to streamliners (and invested a fortune in the streamliner equipment!). And I could've never imagine that the ex-AOE Copper Canyon would've needed 8000 man hours and a million bucks out of that service for service on the Grand Canyon (which tells me how serious they are).

Wish there were more steam outings--but--aside from going to Canada where else is one to find a serious operation of mostly Budd-built streamliners that actually serve a business purpose?

And love that photo of from the dome from the longish-train with the F40s up front "smoking it up," indicating that they are working hard!!! :-)