REAL LIFE USA NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY

GRAND CANYON RAILWAY

In 1901, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (A.T.S.F.) 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. 

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 a Phoenix, Arizona, couple, Max and Thelma Biegert who made their fortune in crop dusting. 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 railroad carries hundreds of passengers to and from the canyon every day, totalling about 240,000 passengers in 2006.

The restored Santa Fe Railway Station in Williams now serves the Grand Canyon Railway's daily Williams Flyer (Williams to/from Grand Canyon), Seasonal Polar Express, and is the terminus for other special events trains operated by the railway. The Williams Depot also offers twice daily Amtrak Thruway Motor-coach service connecting to/from Amtrak's Southwest Chief trains at Williams Junction.

The Grand Canyon Depot, owned by the National Park Service, remains the northern terminus for passengers of the line.

On September 21, 2006, it was announced that Xanterra Parks & Resorts of Denver, Colorado, submitted the winning bid (for an undisclosed sum) 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, a legendary company with restaurant, hotel and service ties to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway as far back as 1876.

Xanterra said that it intended to keep all 480 of the railway's current employees, and planned to focus on growing the business and increasing the coordination between the railway and Xanterra's other services in the Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim. In the press release, the railway and Xanterra reported over 225,000 passengers and over $38 million in revenue in calendar year 2005. The purchase of the GCR included all of the railway's assets, land, depots, hotels, RV park, rolling stock, shops and linear pieces of land along the 65-mile (105 km) line. 

The railroad operates reconditioned 1970s (EMD F40PH)  Diesel locomotives year-round. Passengers ride to / from the Grand Canyon in 1950s climate-controlled coaches. The railroad adds to the Old West experience by having actors dressed as bandits stage a mock train robbery during the return trip from the Grand Canyon to Williams.