By Stan Wawer
The Grand Canyon Railway diesel engine chugged slowly out of Williams’ 101-year-old Williams Depot en route to the No. 1 natural Wonder of the World.
Sixty-five miles and two and a half hours later, my wife, my granddaughter and I stepped off the train in a rainstorm at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. My wife and granddaughter were wearing fashionable Ralph Lauren baggies for rain gear, courtesy of our passenger service attendant Caleb.
Grand Canyon Railway made its first journey to the South Rim on Sept. 17, 1901, 11 years before Arizona became our 48th state. At the time, according to Bruce Brossman — director, reservations & sales for Grand Canyon Railway — the Grand Canyon was remote and a difficult trip. Along came the Santa Fe Railroad, which built the Williams Depot.
Buckey O’Neill, the sheriff of Yavapai County, started the canyon branch line but died in combat in Cuba as a member of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders before the line’s completion. The project continued to change hands until the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe took over and completed the 65-mile branch line.
In the days before the train, park visitors arrived via a bumpy, bouncy all-day stagecoach ride from Flagstaff.
The historic train almost faded into the sunset when passenger service to Grand Canyon National Park stopped in 1968 as automobile travel became more popular.
Along came Max and Thelma Biegert who bought the line in 1988 with a commitment to restore the tacks, the South Rim and Williams train depots and the Fray Marcos Hotel. The next fall, 88 years after the first train went into the Grand Canyon, Williams Depot reopened, followed by the Grand Canyon Depot a year later. The Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, a recreation of the Fray Marcos Hotel, opened in 1995.
The Biegerts sold the railroad to Xanterra Parks & Resorts in 2006. Phillip Anschutz, whose investment group owns the Staples Center, purchased Xanterra in 2008.
The train ride to the Grand Canyon experience commences with the Shootout at the Williams Corral, a family-fun event highlighted by a mirthful dialogue. Marshal Rusty, a key performer, has been doing the shootout for 11 years. Rusty, who owned a corporation in Anaheim and lived in Laguna Hills, moved to Williams after he retired. “I started doing the shootout and loved it and here I am 11 years later,” he said. The entire experience is family oriented. Actors, conductors and workers are all friendly.
The 1950s era train has been refurbished to its original state. Its unique passenger cars are plush and comfortable. “The cars are serviced every 92 days,” Brossman said. “On this trip, there are 700 passengers. The number of passengers determines the number of cars, but there are never fewer than 15.
“Each car has its own feel, configuration — if you will — because they came from different lines and we have a couple that were formally private coaches,” he added. “Most of the cars are from the ‘40s and ’50s and earlier.”
Along the way, singers and entertainers go from car to car. Shortly after the train leaves Williams Depot, the same bad guys at the Shootout at the Williams Corral rob the train. But, do not fear, Marshal Rusty comes to the rescue again. One of the robbers gave my granddaughter a bullet shell and taught her how to use it as a whistle.
“If you’re ever in trouble,” he told her, “you just blow into that shell and whistle and I’ll come a running.”
The train passes through different landscapes, from Ponderosa pine forests down to the open and dry high desert and then the train rises back into the forest as it gets close to the canyon. The Navajo, Hopi, Havasupai and Piute reservations are in and around Grand Canyon National Park and Northern Arizona.
The line also runs the Polar Express during the winter season November through January) from Williams to the North Pole, a station about 17 miles north of town. The Polar Express service operates with restored 1920s vintage Harriman coaches.
The Grand Canyon Railway departs from Williams Depot daily (except Christmas) at 9:30 a.m., arriving at the Grand Canyon at 11:45. It departs from Grand Canyon Depot at 3:30 p.m. and arrives back in Williams at 5:45.
If you go
Williams, Ariz. Is just under six hours from the Eastern San Gabriel Valley. Take the Foothill (210) Freeway east to the Ontario (15) Freeway north to the I-40 east. Take Exit 163 toward Williams/Grand Canyon, right on North Grand Canyon Boulevard.
Grand Canyon Railway
Grand Canyon Railway has packages that combine train travel and hotel accommodations. Go to www.thetrain.com/index.html. Grand Canyon Railway is operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts. Visitors can book rooms in Grand Canyon National Park online by visiting www.grandcanyonlodges.com.
Lodging
Grand Canyon Railway Hotel. Nestled amongst the Ponderosa pine forest in Williams, Ariz. Owned and operated by Grand Canyon Railway. It is one of the finest hotels in the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff and Williams area. The Grand Canyon Railway Hotel is next to the Grand Canyon Depot and just two blocks north of downtown and Route 66. Rates from $169 for a standard room to from $219 for suites. Free Wi-Fi available in the lobby. Room access available for $9.95 per day. For reservations, go to www.thetrain.com/reservations/train/index.php?reserve=rooms.
All information is accurate at the time of publication but prices, dates and other details are all subject to change. Confirm all information before making any travel arrangements.
