The ATSF and Williams Arizona: Part VI; The Grand Canyon Railway

 

 The Grand Canyon Railway

(All images, unless otherwise noted, are located in the file "Grand Canyon Depot Images" available online. Used by permission; creative commons.org/licenses by/2.0/. Grand Canyon National Park Museum Collection, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, Arizona 86023. Captions are from the original images.)

(Author's note: I cannot do justice to the Grand Canyon Railway on an amateur blogsite. I would recommend the book "Cowboys, Miners, Presidents & Kings: The Story of the Grand Canyon Railway; Al Richmond; Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 85-70353. This book served as a reference guide for this brief history.) 

Origins of the Grand Canyon Branch Line

In the early years of Williams, a sense of optimism and the hope of prosperity filled the hearts and minds of the town's citizens. A new lumber mill had been built, with ample supplies of Ponderosa Pines waiting to be harvested. The Atlantic and Pacific ran through the town, with the hope of securing the division point of the railroad. Ranching was a major industry. Add to this the newly discovered mineral deposits of the Anita Mining District, with the promise of untold wealth. Yes, there were ample reasons to hum a happy tune, as there seemed to be no end to good news. The Williams News, the town paper, was more than obliging to continue encouraging this sunny outlook on the future.

      Lombard, Good and Company, through the auspices of the Anita Consolidated Copper Company, were involved in the development of the Anita Mines, north of Williams, and south of the Grand Canyon. In order to ship the ore from the mining district, and to supply the new smelter in Williams, a railroad would have to be built. After acquiring the necessary funding through investors and stocks, they began building the Santa Fe and Grand Canyon Railway to the Anita Mines district, and thence onward to the Grand Canyon. 

 However, due to the fact that the ore deposits were of low quality, the first railroad company ran out of money before reaching the canyon. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was able to buy the remaining assets of the Santa Fe and Grand Canyon Railway, allowing the completion of the line to the Grand Canyon. 

   The Town of Anita

(From an article in The Williams News, dated January 27, 1916. This would have been written contemporaneous with the town's existence. Additional comments from the author have been added.) 

The town of Anita deserves some mention as it was located within the original mining district. It was in part an important consideration for building the railroad that would eventually reach the Grand Canyon. Located 40 miles North of Williams, it was incorporated in the early 1900s. The town was developed to service the mining district, which was reported in 1904 to have 35 claims (the Copper Queen Mine was developed in 1907.) The township was divided into six wards, presumably from which the town council members could be elected. A station stop was provided, to service the needs of the local residents. 

The town was substantial enough to have its own column in The Williams News. This column continued for a number of years, reporting on the comings and goings of the local citizenry and persons of note. It was reported in one column, March 19, 1914, that an automobile party had stopped in Anita, then took the remainder of the trip to the Grand Canyon by train.

Like many promising mining districts, the ore did not prove to be substantial enough to continue exploiting. Eventually, as the mines gave out the town faded away. Most of the buildings were moved to Williams or appropriated by the local ranchers. Today, sagebrush and the remnants of a railroad spur that served the mining district, mark the location of Anita. 

The Grand Canyon Depot and Railroad Yards

To service the expected crowds, the Grand Canyon Depot was constructed in 1901. To capture the rustic, western appearance that would uniquely blend into the natural surroundings, logs were used in the construction. This Depot would serve with distinction for the Santa Fe Railway, and then the Grand Canyon Railway in future years. The building has existed for over 125 years and is worthy of respect and admiration. After the sale of the branch line by the Santa Fe, the new owners have lovingly maintained this historic building.  

Caption reads "The Grand Canyon Railroad Station built in 1901 and is within the Grand Canyon Village Historic District. It is one of three remaining railroad depots in the U.S. built with logs..."(license to use Wikimedia Commons, commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File Grand Canyon

With the coming of the railroad, facilities were needed to service the passenger trains. This included a number of tracks arranged in the yard so that passengers could disembark to the Depot. A wye was built within the narrow confines of the Village in order to turn the entire train, then back into the depot, ready for the return to Williams. One special feature, which can be seen in the following images, was a series of steam and electrical connections to each track, whereby each set of passenger cars could be connected to ensure heating to the cars in the winter months. 

During its heyday, the railroad provided easy access to the National Park, as most people traveled by train for long distance vacations. This was before airline travel was affordable for the average traveler, and before the building of a reliable and safe highway network.

The popularity of the Grand Canyon, and all of its natural surroundings, drew the attention of national conventions, such as the Shriners and the Boy Scouts of America. The Shriners could indulge in the comforts of the nearby lodgings, and the Boy Scouts could attend a national Jamboree while camping in the great outdoors.

 

AERIAL PHOTO SHOWING ENTIRE GRAND CANYON VILLAGE, WITH RAILROAD WYE. HORSE BARN SHADE STRUCTURE. PHOTO BY US ARMY, PUBLIC DOMAIN. CIRCA 1924

The wye allowed passenger trains to be turned around, and the entire consist would back into the yard tracks at the Depot. 

AERIAL OVERVIEW OF GRAND CANYON LODGE AND CABINS ON N. RIM. 1932

AERIAL BRIGHT ANGEL CAMP - BUILDINGS, TRAIN TRACKS & ROADS ALONG SOUTH RIM. CIRCA 1934. NPS.

The railroad provided additional services for the National Park Service, and the Village.  The line provided freight services, such as fuel for the powerhouse; freight carloads of building materials, supplies for the restaurants and hotels, and an all-weather connection to the outside world. One of the most important items was water. The Santa Fe brought in freight trains consisting of water cars for the park. This was an absolute necessity, until the park developed its own water sources. It could be said that the park would not have grown in popularity without the railroad.

Images of the Grand Canyon Railroad 

FIRST TRAIN TO CARRY PASSENGERS ALL THE WAY TO GRAND CANYON VILLAGE. GROUP POSING IN FRONT OF LOCOMOTIVE. 17 SEP 1901

The previous image is generally accepted as the image of the first train to the Grand Canyon. Note the water car behind the engine. 

SHRINER'S SPECIAL TRAINS IN GRAND CANYON STATION YARD. SHRINERS AND 5 STEAM LOCOMOTIVES IN PHOTO. 28 MAR 1937 NPS PHOTO

SMU FOOTBALL SPECIAL TRAIN AT GC, RETURNING TO TX FROM PASADENA, CA (ROSEBOWL) 04 JAN 1936. NPS PHOT

OVERVIEW: SANTA FE TRAIN "EL CAPITAN" IN STATION AT GRAND CANYON DURING FIRST LOS ANGELES TO CHICAGO RUN. SNOW. 19 FEB 1938

LOOKING BACK ON THE LONGEST TRAIN TO HAVE ENTERED GRAND CANYON, THE ELKS SPECIAL, TAKEN FROM GROUND LEVEL BY THE POWERHOUSE. BROWN BUILDING BEHIND (ON THE RIM) 05 JULY 1956. NPS PHOTO BY LEDING.

VIEW FROM ROOF OF POWERHOUSE AT THE SHRINERS SPECIAL TRAINS IN RAIL YARD. EL TOVAR HOTEL IN THE BACKGROUND. 17 JUNE 1950 NPS PHOTO BY EDEN. 

As air travel and the automobile became more reliable, the desire to travel by train became less appealing. Despite the investment in modern stainless-steel cars and diesel locomotives, ridership took a continually downward spiral, ultimately resulting in the decision to cease operations to the Grand Canyon.

After slumbering for a long period of time, new owners purchased the line just before it was sold for scrap. Therein is a new chapter, continuing to be written today, of a successful private enterprise reviving and growing what was once thought to be the final end.

The Grand Canyon Limited

An article was published in the Williams News, May 12, 2020 (Wendy Howell), With a subtitle "History of the Grand Canyon Limited." This passenger train was operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. The following Information is excerpted for educational purposes from the article:

    The Santa Fe named train "Grand Canyon Limited" began service on June 29, 1929 (just before the start of the Great Depression.) In 66 hours, it traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles, "with a branch to Grand Canyon National Park." 

    The train consisted of a dormitory-buffet smoking car, two chair cars, a diner, three compartment-and drawing-room sleepers, and an open-end observation/parlor car, all built by Pullman-Standard. 

    In 1947, it was re-equipped with diesel-power and stainless-steel cars.

 

(Built post war, this was an attempt by most major railroads to keep the public traveling by train. By the 1960s, most railroads were more than willing to divest passenger trains. The Santa Fe was an exception, running name trains until the creation of Amtrak in the early 1970s.There has been some documentation and speculation that, had the Santa Fe known what Amtrak was planning to do with passenger rail travel on their line, the Santa Fe would have continued to operate their own trains. Alas, that was not to be...)   

Steam Engines along the Grand Canyon Line

All images courtesy Arizona Memory project; Williams, Arizona Collection. Original scans available at the Williams Historic Photo Project, Williams, AZ. (AZMEMORY.AZLIBRARY.GOV.

(Information regarding the steam engines was provided from ATSFRailfan.Net/ATSFSteam.HTML.)

Images from the past don't just capture an item of interest but tell a story. Sometimes speculating as to the circumstances in the photograph can prove to be more entertaining and informative than the centerpiece of importance.

 

This engine appears to have been involved in some near-catastrophic event. The front pilot has been sheared off, and the number plate has suffered from the fracas. The number of men milling about with earnest expressions indicates that a wreck has occurred, and that the powers-that-be want the line cleared as soon as possible. The woman in the image is probably the wife of one of the officials' overseeing repairs. 

 

ATSF #1239 was built by Baldwin in 1905. The image was taken just after Grand Canyon line's completion, given the basic ballasting and condition of the ties. 

 A number of tracks are seen to the left, as well as several substantially built structures. There are a number of large boxes lining the tracks, indicating they were purpose-built. This appears to be an early image of the station area at the Grand Canyon, as the tracks were used to store and service passenger cars. 

The persons in the photograph are in their finest travel-attire, indicating that the engine was pulling a passenger train. 

 

ATSF #1251 (classification 1226) was a Baldwin built (1905-06), four-cylinder balanced compound design. Survivors of the class were modified to two-cylinders sometime between 1918-32. This unusual design had its origins in the theory that more cylinders would result in additional power and greater efficiency. This may have been true initially, but in practice it left something to be desired. The problem was, the inside cylinder required valve gears and timing adjustments, just the same as the outside cylinders. Maintenance and service were a headache at best. Given that most steam engines were available 30% of the time due to maintenance requirements, this complicated design only added to the downtime. It can be compared to trying to do your own maintenance on a modern, computer-driven, high-tech automobile of today. Sometimes it's best just to trade it in...   

The caption for the picture denotes this is on the Grand Canyon Line. This would have been in the early years, since only the most basic ballasting of the track has occurred. The rails also appear to be relatively light weight (50 pound?), not adequate for the heavy Mountains and other steam designs that would come later. The people in the image appear to have been motoring about, in the new technology of the automobile. The women are wearing outer travel clothes, protecting their dresses. Given that they are standing next to the engine, and no crew is seen, this locomotive appears to be dead on a siding, which might be owed to its' aforementioned complex design.