What is the Grand Canyon train?

The Grand Canyon train is a tourist route giving visitors the option of taking old renovated trains to the south rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. It offers its passengers a luxurious mode of travel and views of the changing landscape as they progress northwards towards the natural attraction. To learn more about the Grand Canyon Railway, read the guide below.

History of the railway

What is it? The tourist train departs every morning from Williams in Arizona at 9.30 a.m. The train then travels in a northerly direction towards the south rim. The 65-mile journey is completed in 2 hours and 15 minutes. The return train makes its afternoon departure from the Grand Canyon depot at 3.30 p.m., arriving back in Williams a little before 6 p.m. Things to see The location of the Grand Canyon in north western Arizona is on the Colorado Plateau and the landscape ranges from Ponderosa pine forests to open dry desert. The start and finish of the journey are at around 7,000 feet above sea level. Along the route is a challenging 1,500 foot drop as well as the sight of Arizona’s highest point the 12,600 foot high San Francisco Peaks. The first trains The route opened in 1901. At first, it was built to transport ore from the Anita gold mines 45 miles to the north of Williams. Williams was located on the line from Los Angeles to Chicago and many notable passengers would take this route to visit the Grand Canyon after the line was extended due to the profitability from tourism. Decline of the route Due to the popularity and rise of the automobile industry, the railway began to suffer from a decline in its use. In 1968, the Grand Canyon Railway stopped its services and the line began to go into a state of disrepair.

The tourist train

Restoration project In September 1989, the railway reopened with a passenger service 88 years to the day after its first run. The lines reopening occurred as a rival company was bidding to tear up the old line and sell it for salvage. The decaying tracks were rebuilt, the stations at either end restored and the line was brought back to life. Alternative to driving The train takes an estimated 50,000 visitors to the Grand Canyon every year. This helps to greatly reduce the cars making the journey helping to preserve the beauty of the area through less emissions. Steam to diesel and back to steam The first trains operating were steam engines. These were replaced by diesel locomotives in the 1940s. The final steam train operated in 1953. Steam tours were introduced in 1996 running on waste vegetable oil.