Trains keep a-rollin' as Grand Canyon Railway chugs its way through Arizona landscape

Visiting the Grand Canyon via the restored vintage railcars and engines of the Grand Canyon Railway may well be the grandest way to visit a national treasure.

It certainly beats jockeying for parking space at a park that, with approximately five million visitors a year, is second only to Great Smoky Mountains National Park as the busiest national park.

The historic train that connects Williams, Arizona, to Grand Canyon Village uses the same line that first welcomed tourists in 1901. During its heyday, passengers included Teddy Roosevelt and his fifth cousin, Franklin Delano, plus other notables such as John Muir, Clark Gable, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Doris Day.

The automobile and the interstate highway system almost killed the little train, with service ending in 1968 because of declining ridership. Only in the nick of time, after tracks were already being torn up for salvage, that saviors came to the rescue in the form of entrepreneurs Max and Thelma Biegert, who poured millions to rebuild the decaying tracks and restored the depots, cars and engines. In 1989, Grand Canyon Railway was back in business.

National and natural treasures

The train journey begins daily at the Williams depot. While individual train tickets are available, the experience is more historically accurate — and enjoyable — when booking a package that includes a stay at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, built on a site that since 1908 has lodged visitors riding the rails. The Frey Marcos Hotel was one of the original and legendary Harvey Houses the Fred Harvey Company built to lure tourists with amenities that brought civility and charm to rough-and-tumble western towns. Part of the original structure, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, houses the current depot and gift shop.

The Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, built in 1995 to resemble the original Harvey House, continues the tradition, with a lobby crafted of fine wood and stone, Western art and a massive fireplace that welcomes guests in proper western fashion. Off the lobby is Spenser’s Pub with its handcrafted 1887 mahogany bar imported from Europe. Rooms and suites evoke the luxury and leisure of the bygone era of train travel.

One- to four-night stay and ride packages offer lodging at the hotel, tickets and meals. With the two-night Canyon Limited package visitors can also opt to stay one night at the Railway Hotel and one night at Maswik Lodge inside the park.

Steam runs the 9:30 a.m. departure on the first Saturday from March through October as well as on Earth Day, August 12 (the steam engine’s birthday) and Sept. 21, for the anniversary of the railroad.

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A journey through time

Traveling the same tracks of Grand Canyon adventurers of long ago, the trains arrive daily at the 1910 Grand Canyon Village train depot after an approximately two-hour journey through 64 miles of magnificent and wild scenery.

This is cowboy country, and the boys from the Cataract Creek Gang are part of the adventure. Every morning before the train’s departure, the not-so-desperadoes square off with the Marshall at the Williams Depot. They will return in the afternoon to “hold up” the train during the return journey. As the train rolls along pine forests, singing cowboys stroll through the cars. Passenger service attendants such as Teryl Ozolin recount lore that at times spills into the apocryphal, such as the story of Cleopatra’s son hiding the family fortune at the Grand Canyon. Ozolin also concocts excellent drinks that make her tall tales more believable.

As chief mechanical officer for Grand Canyon Railway, Eric Hadder has a railroad fan’s dream job. His domain encompasses a staff of 30, including two guys who do nothing else but keep the rail stock pristinely painted, and a landscape of engines and cars in various stages of restoration, including the 15 blue cars that make up the special Polar Express used during the holidays.

Hadder knows the provenance and names of each car, and the many eccentricities one can expect with such vintage stock. He worked his way up the railroad tracks, beginning as the hostler-helper tasked with preparing the train for the next day’s trip. Hadder also realizes just how special the train is, both for staff and guests.

“Often many of the passengers are doing something that’s on their bucket list,” he said.

“I can’t think of another tourist railroad that runs as far as we do every single day.”

Comfortable and classic

The cars are restored classics, such as the 1923 Harriman-style coach refurbished for the Pullman Class. Coach Class cars are 1950s-era passenger cars, with one car designated adults-only for folks traveling minus kiddos. The train also features Observation Dome cars and in rail baron tradition, the ornately decorated Luxury Parlor cars, reserved for guests 15 and older. They include a private bar, access to an open-air rear platform, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages in both directions and a sparkling wine toast to celebrate a fine day aboard.

While all the locomotives used are restored railroad gems, none is more popular than #4960, a midnight black iron steed that spews steam. Constructed in 1923 and weighing 310 tons, #4960, nicknamed the “French Fry Express” is also a mighty "green machine" powered by waste vegetable oil from Williams restaurants.

Locomotive #4960 is a rare working survivor of the golden age of railroads. Of the more than 30,000 steam engines originally built in the United States, less than 200 remain today, and only a few are still running, primarily on museum lines. Grand Canyon Railway is believed to be last regular passenger railroad in the country running steam engines in regular service at no extra cost to guests.

The scenery shifts from pine forests to high deserts during a journey that changes 1,500 feet in elevation. In the horizon are the San Francisco Peaks, including the 12,633-foot high Humphrey’s Peak, Arizona’s tallest mountain. Alert passengers may even catch a glimpse of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in the distance. In an automobile, it’s easy to overlook the magnificence of the scenery.

A train ride, on the other hand, opens your eyes to both the landscape and the history of the area. Getting from Point A to Point B is suddenly more fun.

No wonder trains still fascinate us.

“It’s like traveling back in time,” Hadder said. “Everyone loves trains.”

Information: the train.com.

Maria Sonnenberg is a Brevard-based freelance travel and lifestyles writer.

Of mules and men

Among pack animal circles, the mules at the Grand Canyon South Rim are envied for their cushy jobs.

Mule team manager John Barry and his wranglers pamper the 150 or so mules that make up the South Rim’s legendary herd. The mules have their own blacksmith and saddle maker and veterinarians from Flagstaff ascertain the animals are physically at their best. When it’s time for retirement, there is a supply of folks interested in adopting this ultimate Grand Canyon souvenir.

“It’s very easy to find good homes for them,” Barry said.

There is a practical reason mules have been the equine of choice for Grand Canyon visitors since 1887.

“They’re sure-footed and their eye sockets are set further apart than a horse’s, so they can see their feet on the ground,” Barry explained.

Like the Grand Canyon Railway, the South Rim mules are part of the fabric of the canyon. While some of the animals take visitors on short trail rides around the rim, the crème de la crème are the mules who carry guests to overnight at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon. Visitors who venture there will never forget the experience.

“We take pride in this trip of a lifetime,” Barry said.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Grand Canyon Railway steams its way through high pines and time