Arizona’s Wild West Train Still Uses Century-Old Tracks to Reach the Grand Canyon’s South Rim

All Aboard The Historic Grand Canyon Railway

The Grand Canyon Railway has been taking visitors from Williams, Arizona to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon since 1901. This 64-mile train route has helped millions of people visit the Grand Canyon, which was pretty difficult to reach before.

Today it offers daily trips that mix modern comfort with the feeling of riding a historic train. Here’s what makes it so interesting.

How the Railway Started Back Then

Though it was originally built to transport ore from the Anita mines, the Grand Canyon Railway was put together by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1901 who later financed the El Tovar Hotel in 1905.

The trains brought everything needed to build Grand Canyon Village, including water in special tank cars because the area didn’t have reliable water sources.

Railway Police Protected Valuable Cargo

The railway once had its own police force to guard mail and valuable items like mining equipment and payroll money.

These armed officers were especially important in the early 1900s when train robberies were still common in the Southwest. The officers rode with the trains and kept watch over remote parts of the track.

Grand Canyon Railroad Was NOT Just for Tourists

Historical sites like Anita, Apex, and Willaha served as winter stations, providing essential water sources for the railway during colder months.

In 1919, the Santa Fe Railroad transported 60,000 to 100,000 gallons of water daily from Flagstaff and Chino Valley to tanks near the Grand Canyon Depot to meet the water needs of the railway and the developing village.

How Volcanic Rock Shaped the Railway

The train tracks follow paths around accumulated volcanic debris (flat plains and rugged ridges) from the San Francisco Peaks.

These lava fields, some over 100,000 years old, helped engineers plan where to put the tracks. Passengers can see red and black volcanic rock as the train winds through these ancient lava fields.

Natural Springs Made Train Travel Possible

The railway relied on hidden springs (Roaring Springs and Bright Angel Creek) in the desert to keep the steam engines running.

Water sources near Anita, such as Hull Tank, Grand Canyon Village, Rowe Well, and Long Jim Canyon, served as winter stations for the railway. Workers built tanks and pipes along the route so trains could refill their water at different stops.

Protecting Native Desert Plants

The railway helps protect local plants by growing and replanting native species (Blue grama grass in the region’s grasslands) along the tracks. They focus on the Desert marigold (native to the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts) commonly found in full sun on wash bottoms, alluvial slopes, and sandy plains.

Two Historic Steam Engines Still Run

The railway keeps two old steam engines in working condition: No. 29 from 1906 and No. 4960 from 1923. No. 4960 still requires 12,000 gallons for a full round trip between Williams and the Grand Canyon.

In 2009, the Grand Canyon Railway introduced the use of waste vegetable oil as fuel for its steam locomotives.

Special Train Cars with Glass Roofs

The Grand Canyon Railway is one of the few that still uses these special cars that can seat 66 people.

Special dome cars (like the Fred Harvey and Mary Colter) from the 1950s give riders a better view of the landscape. Featuring curved glass windows that extend into the roof, the seating area stretches 16 feet above the tracks.

Old Cattle Loading Stations Still Stand

The Grand Canyon Railway’s loading facilities included pens and chutes built around 1917. Today, the railway still has some of its original wooden stations.

Ranchers would bring their cattle to these stations to send them to markets in California and eastern states. Though no longer used, these buildings show how important the railway was for moving cattle.

How Trains Run in Winter Weather

The railway uses special snowplows called flangers to clear snow and ice from between the rails.

They also have rotating snowplows that can cut through snow piles up to 10 feet deep. These rotating plows are so powerful they need their steam engine just to run the spinning blades. This equipment lets trains keep running even in harsh winter weather.