Grand Canyon Railway First Steam Excursion for 2025! скачать в хорошем качестве

Grand Canyon Railway First Steam Excursion for 2025!

It’s Saturday, March 1, 2025, and we are in Williams, Arizona to catch the first steam train of the season to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim! The station platform is crowded with passengers eager to board the train on this fine morning where the wind has taken a break. In 1901, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 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 on September 17 of that year. The 64-mile 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 from the Canyon Rim. 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. 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. The first locomotives the railway acquired were a pair of EMD GP7u units from the Santa Fe, as well as four 2-8-0 consolidation steam locomotives formerly operated by the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad. In the early 1990s, the Grand Canyon Railway purchased a fleet of 1950s-era ALCO FA Diesel-electric locomotives, featuring an iconic "snub nose" design. The fleet consisted of two cab-equipped lead A unit models and two B unit models. The new locomotives supplemented the fleet of steam locomotives and allowed the railway to grow into a year-round operation. In 1996, the railway boosted their steam roster by rebuilding a 2-8-2 mikado; former Chicago Burlington and Quincy 4960, which will be pulling today’s train. The ALCO FA locomotives lacked the features found in more modern units, such as increased horsepower and dynamic brakes. In February 2003, the Grand Canyon Railway purchased three late-1970s F40PH locomotives from Amtrak and placed them into service in 2004. In March 2006, the Biegerts announced that they were placing the railroad and its associated restaurants, hotels and amenities up for sale. On September 21, 2006, it was announced that Xanterra Travel Collection, submitted the winning bid 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. Xanterra stopped steam locomotive operations on the Grand Canyon Railway in September 2008 citing extra diesel fuel costs and environmental concerns as the reason for the decision, pointing out that each roundtrip of a steam locomotive consumed 1,450 gallons of diesel fuel (compared to the 550 gallons used by a diesel-electric locomotive) and 1,200 gallons of water. Steam locomotives would return to the Grand Canyon Railway on September 19, 2009 when Xanterra converted the steam locomotives to operate using waste vegetable oil collected from restaurants across Northern Arizona and installed a rainwater collection system on the maintenance building to fill boilers when available. Since 2011, special occasion trips, and at least one roundtrip per month during the summer, have been operated using a steam locomotive. These trips are on the first Saturday of the month. The passenger cars are restored vintage cars with long histories and we invite you to check out the railroad’s website for more information on them. https://www.thetrain.com/the-train/eq... The line is 64 miles long and the train departs Williams at 9:30 and arrives at the South Rim at 11:45. The return trip begins at 3:30 and arrives back in Williams at 5:45. Thank you for watching and please subscribe to the channel!