Trainiacs Unite! National Train Day is Back.
The Grand Canyon Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and Grand Canyon Railway are cooperating to host an event for National Train Day, held for the first time in Williams on May 8th and 9th.
The highlight of the 2 day event will be the ‘Cataract Creek Rambler’: 45 minute train rides in open air passenger coaches, pulled behind 1923 Baldwin steam locomotive 4960, which has been recently converted to burn waste vegetable oil. Trains leave every hour on the hour from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. A special 6:00 pm train will include a photo runby. Tickets are sold on the day of the event and are $15 for adults, $10 for children.
3500 square feet in the Williams Depot and adjacent Grand Canyon Railway Hotel have been dedicated to model railroad displays. At least 5 different scales will be on display, including several N-trak displays from the Mountain Valley N Scale Group, Arizona Southwest Model Railroad Society, and Prescott Valley N-trak. N-trak is a special organization of N scale (1:160) model railroaders who build individual modules to specified standards. The modules can be combined to form layouts of various sizes, configurations, and themes.
The Redlake Junction Railroad Heritage Preservation Society will have a 7 ½” gauge live steam locomotive on display. They will offer rides on a short section of track.
Operation Lifesaver will be on hand with the GCRy locomotive simulator, which demonstrates what an engineer sees when he approaches a road crossing. While this is especially popular with the kids, there will also be a simulator on hand geared more for the adults. This computer based simulator uses commercially available software, and is intended to give an experience of what it is like to actually operate a real train.
Al Richmond will have displays from the Arizona State Railroad Museum Collection and be on hand to talk about the planning for a permanent location. Morgan O’Connor from Grand Canyon Railway will be present to discuss Xanterra’s environmental policies and how 21st century railroading can minimize it’s environmental impact. There will also be a small display of railroad photography by local artisans.
Several pieces of full scale railroad equipment will be on display, including a modern BNSF diesel electric locomotive, a historic Grand Canyon Railway locomotive as well as GCRy's "Max Biegert" parlor car will be open for display showcasing how rail barons traveled in style and luxury. The Chapter’s own Santa Fe Caboose will be open for tours. Activities for each day begin at 10:00 am.
National Train Day was started by Amtrak in 2008 to commemorate the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, May 10, 1869. Amtrak sponsors major events in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, and Philadelphia. Local communities around the country are welcomed to host their own events. Visit www.nationaltrainday.com for more information on activities around the country. For information on the area, please visit the Williams Chamber.
Take advantage of a special package for travel May 7 - 9 during our
National Train Day celebration
The package includes 2 nights at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams plus Coach Class train travel to the Grand Canyon.
$370 per couple*
Please ask for promo code SPE2 at time of reservation.
This special offer is only available by calling 1-800-THE-TRAIN.
Price is per couple and does not include tax or National Park entry fee. Valid for travel 5/7 - 5/9/10.
