Grand Canyon Railway

The Grand Canyon Railway is a tourist and heritage railroad in Williams, Arizona, United States which carries passengers between Williams, Arizona, and the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
==History==
The 64-mile (103 km) railroad, built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, was completed on September 17, 1901 when they completed a branch line from Williams to Grand Canyon Village at the South Rim. The first scheduled train to carry paying passengers of the Grand Canyon Railway arrived from Williams. The 64-mile (103-kilometer) long trip cost $3.95, and naturalist John Muir later commended the railroad for its limited environmental impact. To accommodate travelers, the Santa Fe designed and built the El Tovar Hotel, located just 20 feet (6.1 meters) from the Canyon Rim. El Tovar opened its doors in January 1905.
Competition with the automobile forced the Santa Fe to cease operation of the Grand Canyon Railway in July 1968 (only three passengers were on the last run), although Santa Fe continued to use the tracks for freight until 1974.
Plans by entertainer Arthur Godfrey to resume service in 1977 fell through. In addition, two other companies attempted to resurrect the line in 1980 and 1984, with each attempt helping to maintain interest in preserving the line and saving it from scrapping.
In 1988, the line was bought by Max and Thelma Biegert. The railway was restored and in 1989 began operations as a separate company, independent of the Santa Fe. The first run of the restored railroad was on September 17, 1989, commemorating the September 17 debut of the original railroad.
==Locomotive Roster==
;Current Locomotives:
Number	Images 	Heritage 	Type 	Builder 	Built	Status 	Notes
29 	 	Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad 	2-8-0 	American Locomotive Company	1906 	Stored while awaiting FRA Mandated 1,472-Day Boiler Inspection and Overhaul	
4960 	 	Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad	2-8-2 	Baldwin Locomotive Works 	1923 	Operational 	
295 	 	Amtrak 	EMD F40PHR 	Electro-Motive Diesel 	1979 	Operational 	
237 	frameless	Amtrak 	EMD F40PHR 	Electro-Motive Diesel 	1977 	Operational 	
239 	 	Amtrak 	EMD F40PHR 	Electro-Motive Diesel 	1977 	Operational 	
1105 	 	Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 	EMD GP7u 	Electro-Motive Diesel 	1952 	Operational 	
2134 	 	Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 	EMD GP7u 	Electro-Motive Diesel 	1953 	Stored 	It used to be painted in the Blue and Yellow freight scheme when it operates on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway but now it's painted black.
4124 	frameless	New Jersey Transit 	EMD F40PH-2	Electro-Motive Diesel 	1981 	Operational 	
4128 	 	New Jersey Transit 	EMD F40PH-2	Electro-Motive Diesel 	1981 	Operational 	
6762 	 	Canadian National Railway 	Alco FPA-4 	Montreal Locomotive Works 	1958 	Stored 	Never operated on the GCR. Spare parts provider for the other diesel units. Still in Via Rail colors.
6776 	 	Canadian National Railway 	Alco FPA-4 	Montreal Locomotive Works 	1959 	Static Display At the Grand Canyon Village 	It previously operated back in 2009.
6768 	 	Canadian National Railway 	Alco FPA-4 	Montreal Locomotive Works 	1959 	Stored 	Never operated on the GCR. Spare parts provider for the other diesel units. Still in Via Rail colors.
6793 	 	Canadian National Railway 	Alco FPA-4 	Montreal Locomotive Works 	1959 	Operational 	In limited use. Ex-Potomac Eagle.
6860 	 	Canadian National Railway 	ALCO FPB-4 	Montreal Locomotive Works 	1959 	Operational 	
;Former Locomotives:
Number	Images	Heritage 	Type 	Builder 	Notes
18 	 	Lake Superior & Ishpeming 	Steam 	American Locomotive Company	Now At the Colebrookdale Railroad in Boyertown, Pennsylvania Undergoing Restoration.
19 	 	Lake Superior & Ishpeming 	Steam 	American Locomotive Company	Now On Outdoor Static Display At the Frisco Heritage Museum Painted in Frisco Livery.
20 	 	Lake Superior & Ishpeming 	Steam 	American Locomotive Company	Now On Outdoor Static Display At the Depot Museum in Allen, Texas.
5 	 	Anaconda Copper Mining Company 	Steam 	Lima Locomotive Works 	Now On Outdoor Static Display At the Arizona State Railroad Museum in Williams, Arizona.
539 	 	Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad 	Steam 	American Locomotive Company	Sold to the Port of Kalama, Who Has the Hopes of Putting the Locomotive On Indoor Static Display.
2072 	 	Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	Diesel	Electro-Motive Diesel 	Now Stored On the Oregon Eastern Railroad in Vale, Oregon.
6773 	 	Canadian National Railway 	Diesel	Montreal Locomotive Works 	Sold to Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in 2024
6871 	 	Canadian National Railway 	Diesel	Montreal Locomotive Works 	Sold to Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in 2024
==Trivia==
*The railroad carries hundreds of passengers to and from the canyon every day, totaling about 225,000 people per year.
*There are also other locomotives that occasionally visit the GCR, whether its for special events like Santa Fe No. 3751 or modern units from Amtrak, or just for temporary storage, like Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway No. 4, or the Arizona State Railroad Museum's locomotive collection.
* Steam locomotive operations on the Grand Canyon Railway were suspended in September 2008.
*The restored Santa Fe Railway Station in Williams serves as the southern terminus for the Grand Canyon Railway and the Grand Canyon Depot, owned by the National Park Service, is the northern terminus for passengers of the line. 
** The Grand Canyon Depot was originally constructed in 1909–10 for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, in what is now Grand Canyon National Park. It is one of three remaining railroad depots in the United States built with logs as the primary structural material. The station is within 330 feet (100 m) of the rim of the canyon, opposite the El Tovar Hotel, also built by the railroad. The depot is designated a National Historic Landmark, is listed the National Register of Historic Places, and is included in the Grand Canyon Village National Historic Landmark District.
**The Santa Fe Station in Williams was built in 1908 it is the oldest remaining port concrete structed in Arizona.
* On September 21, 2006, it was announced that Xanterra Travel Collection, submitted the winning bid (for an undisclosed sum) and was selected as the new owner for the Grand Canyon Railway. Xanterra is the corporate name and identity for what was originally known as the Fred Harvey Company, a company with restaurant, hotel and service ties to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway as far back as 1876.
*The railroad adds to the Old West experience by having actors dressed as bandits stage a mock train robbery during the return trip from the Grand Canyon to Williams.
* The Grand Canyon Railway offers at least one daily round trip of its Williams Flyer train between Williams and the Grand Canyon every day except on Christmas Day, December 25. During peak demand periods a second train departure is added.
==Gallery==
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Category:Heritage Railways
Category:Companies
Category:Grand Canyon Railway
Category:United States
Category:Tourist Railroads
Category:Tourist attractions
Category:Preserved Railways
Category:Preservation societies