The Grand Canyon Railway operates between Williams, Arizona and the Grand Canyon and started operation in 1901 by the Atcheson, Topeka and the Santa Fe railway. Today, it serves a very valuable purpose by diverting automobile traffic from the roads leading into and out of the Grand Canyon.

On Feb. 14, 2012, they operated an “Official Arizona Centennial Train” by making a special round-trip run to Grand Canyon National Park using their steam locomotive. Centennial Train passengers rode coach class in fully refurbished historic 1923 Harriman-style rail cars for only $7.50 round trip, approximately what it cost in 1912. The train trip from Williams to Grand Canyon National Park takes approximately two hours and 15 minutes and runs 65 miles through Ponderosa pine forests and scenic high-desert landscapes. The train normally offers four classes of service — coach, first class, observation dome and luxury parlor.

Click on the video above to view an excellent HD video of the special run.

Their regularly scheduled trains are sometimes pulled by this fully operational steam locomotive #4960, a 2-8-2 Mikado class locomotive. This historic locomotive has been converted to use recycled vegetable oil for fuel, and reclaimed rain and snow melt are used in the boiler for steam.

To learn more about the Grand Canyon Railway visit their website: http://www.thetrain.com/index.html or click here to read about them at Wikipedia.

Click on the video below to watch an excellent HD video of the story of the #4960 steam locomotive.

Posting by Russ Milland