Western Railroad Discussion > Grand Canyon RR?

Anyone with experience photographing the Grand Canyon RR? I will be making a late April trip out that way.

Are there photo ops in the Williams area, facilities accessible, etc?

Any helpful hints on train chasing, or don't-miss setups?

After the tracks leave the Williams, there are several places to photograph it. The track runs next to the highway a little way North of Williams but then turns West and eventually ends up about 10 miles away from the paved road. You can easily get into places like Willaha and Anita but given the time do drive in and back out, it is pretty much a one shot thing. Coconino, just South of the Canyon is closer but again, you cannot make it from Anita to there and get ahead of the train. A few good locations inside the park itself if you can stand doing business with the NPS.

I would plan at least two or three days of chasing if you want to get a lot of photos. The DeLorme maps for that area plainly show the roads between the highway and the track. Just remember this is open range and watch out for cattle on the roads.

I always like photographing the train when it leaves Williams. Those FA's really smoke it up and they sound great. The light is perfect at 10:00 when the sun is shinning. If you get in your car right after the train passes by you can easily drive east to route 64 north via I-40 or route 66 and beat the train to mile post 8.4 the crossing with a name to warm the heart, Espee Road. You can get there with at least 3 or 4 minutes to set up.
Steve B.

I usually use the curve as the train pulls away from Williams and before it takes the long straight past the loco depot. I had no trouble two years back in getting ahead to Red Lakes and found this quite a good area for both the morning outward and afternoon return train. I did manage to do a chase to Anita for the train heading to the Canyon, but this was real rough off road driving, frankly it was a daft move as if my hire 4x4 had broken down, I would have been trapped never to be seen again. Pctures within the park area were fine and I walked back along the right of way for a mile or so and got a few quite good pictures.

Colin J Marsden, Dawlish UK
43197

If you take Grand Canyon Blvd. (the road directly east of the station) & follow it north, you will pass under the BNSF main. Stay on this until you come to the airport where the road jogs a little to the right & also turns to dirt. It is usually well graded. Continue on this a couple miles & you'll drop down a hill & cross the tracks @ Mile 4.5. For trains heading to the Canyon, there is a short 3% grade visible to the left. Once done here, continue on the road, now called Pronghorn Ranch Road, until you come back out to AZ 64. Turn left & you're heading for the Canyon.
The Arizona Hwy Dept. puts up milepost signs that are located on the right side of the road as you head north. These are quite useful.
If you turn left @ 228 & take the dirt road west, you'll come to Anita after about 10 miles. Unless, it has been raining hard, this is a decent road.
At Anita, you can view the train approaching from Woodin. Track speed here is still 40. If you decide to go to the right, you'll find that the speed restriction starts a little ways around the hill & old corral pens. This spot is also a good place to shoot the afternoon train coming down the grade.
If you get to WMS early enough in the morning, just stop by the Grand Canyon Ry. gift shop & see if they have any older Employees Timetables for sale. They have sold outdated ones in the past & one would still be useful for what you want. The TT has a good map that you can use.
I would be cautious around the Williams wye. They are nice folks, but are not really too happy with photographers on the property & this is especially so with the shop area. Do not just go driving in there without getting permission first.
Good Luck.
Tom Moungovan

Nitehostler Wrote:
> I would be cautious around the Williams wye. They
> are nice folks, but are not really too happy with
> photographers on the property & this is
> especially so with the shop area. Do not just go
> driving in there without getting permission
> first.

I would agree. The last time I was there, the people around the depot were jerks.

- gb -

Agreed, a couple years ago I drove into the shop area. I asked permission to take photographs without crossing tracks or anything wild. I was told to leave and was told I was lucky they didn't call the local police since I drove past the "No Trespassing" sign on the road into the shop area. Not friendly at all.

FCP 901