G.E. Nordell's
Arizona Travel / Railroads Page

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Arizona railroad links Class 1 Arizona railroads shortline & historic railroads books & other media image gallery

Statewide Arizona Railroad Links

General Railroad Links

American Railroads Pages at Spirit of America Bookstore
Railroad Film Festival Pages at Spirit of America Bookstore

May 10th is National Train Day in USA [est. 2008]

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Travel U.S.A. / Railroad Museums Page

Railroad Links within Arizona
listing of surviving steam locomotives in Arizona
'list of Arizona railroads' page at Wikipedia
TrainWeb / Tourist Railways / Arizona website got hacked {2017}
U.P. Railroad Shortline Railroad Profiles for Arizona
Harvey House Restaurants in Arizona {3 gone, 6 standing}
Arizona Model Trains newsblog about model train shows [est. 2013]

"Locomotive Displays of Arizona: In Black & White" [2018] by Peter A. Cook information on fifty-eight railroad locomotives on display in parks and museums throughout the state of Arizona; described as an update of the 1988 Barton book LULU.com 11x8½ pb [9/2018] for $19.95 "Locomotive Displays of Arizona" [1988] by R.J. 'Bart' Barton National Railway Historical Society Arizona Chapter pb [9/2018] out of print/scarce

Arizona Railway Museum [est. 1983] in Chandler, Arizona
official website • entry at Wikipedia
1905 H.K. Porter 18"-gauge Homestake Mining Co. 0-4-0CA locomotive #5 at Arizona Railway Museum
1906 Baldwin Southern Pacific RR 2-8-0 steam locomotive #2562 at Arizona Railway Museum
rusty 1937 Fairmont Model S2-D speeder (ex-Verde Tunnel & Smelter
Plymouth 1943 U.S. Army gas-powered 4-wheel 'dinkey' (ex-M. Lummus & Co.) needs repairs
1943 U.S. Army 25-ton railroad crane #C-45
Baldwin 1950 Baldwin Magma Railroad DRS C+C diesel switcher #10 is just operational
1950 Chicago & Northwestern E-8 diesel-electric locomotive #97
P.C.C. street car #4607 (ex-Toronto, ex-Phoenix)

rolling stock and other equipment are listed on the Railroad Museums Page

                       
Adobe Mountain Desert Railroad Park [est. 1989] in Glendale (north of Phoenix), Arizona
The Sahuaro Central Railroad Heritage Preservation Society was founded in 1989 and signed a no-fee 25-year lease with Maricopa County Parks & Recreation (renewable for another
25 years). The original 80 acres at the Adobe Dam Recreation Park has expanded to 160 acres; the museum is closed for the summer (too hot!) and is open to the public from mid-September to mid-May. Co-tenants include Arizona Model Railroading Society [est.1984, moved in 1996] which operates N-scale and HO-scale indoor layouts and a G-scale outdoor/garden layout,
and Maricopa Live Steamers [moved in 1996], which has installed approximately 14 miles of 7½-inch gauge miniature railroad track.
official website • no entry at Wikipedia

Chandler, Arizona
Arizona Railway Museum [est. 1983] {see above}

Clifton, Arizona in Greenlee County, SE Arizona
old train depot [built 1913] now used by the Chamber of Commerce
1888 H.K. Porter 20"-gauge Arizona Copper Co. Ltd. 0-4-0T locomotive #5 at Morenci Plaza in Clifton
1897 H.K. Porter 20"-gauge Arizona Copper Co. Ltd. 0-4-4T locomotive #9 'Copper Head' at Clifton Plaza in Clifton

Douglas, Arizona 85607
the EP&SW railroad station [built 1913], 300 E. 14th Street, is now headquarters of the Douglas [AZ] Police Department  
several mining locomotives & railcars are on display around town, mostly from Phelps-Dodge

Flagstaff, Arizona
Baldwin 1929 Southwest Forest Industries 2-6-6-2T locomotive #12 is on display at the Pioneer Historical Museum in Flagstaff  
Baldwin 1911 Southwest Forest Industries 2-8-0 locomotive #25 is on display at AT&SF Depot in Flagstaff  

Glendale, Arizona
Adobe Mountain Desert Railroad Park [est. 1989] {see above}

Globe, Arizona in Gila County
Gila Valley, Globe & Northern Railway Station [built 1910/1916, closed 1950s] ex-Southern Pacific, ex-Arizona Eastern; now a museum
1902 Southern Pacific RR 2-6-0 steam locomotive #1774 on outdoor display at Memorial Park in Globe since 1956

Mesa, Arizona
1912 Baldwin Southern Pacific RR 4-6-0 steam locomotive #2355 in Mesa
'Save The Mesa Pioneer Park Train' [est. 2008]

Miami, Arizona in Gila County
1917 Arizona Eastern Railway Heisler steam locomotive #3 seen in AZER's railyard in Miami, Arizona in 2010   

Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix [AZ] Trolley Museum [est. 1975]
1887 H.K. Porter 20"-gauge Arizona Copper Co. Ltd. 0-4-0T steam locomotive #4 in Phoenix

Scottsdale, Arizona
1907 Baldwin Magma Arizona RR 2-6-0 steam locomotive #6 in Scottsdale

Tucson, Arizona in Pima County
Southern Arizona Transportation Museum {at the S.P. Depot} in Downtown Tucson
The Sun Link Streetcar [launched 7/2014] runs along a 3.9-mile route in Downtown Tucson
1872 Virginia & Truckee RR 4-4-0 steam locomotive #11 'Reno' at Old Tucson, Arizona
ALCO 1900 Southern Pacific RR 2-6-0 Mogul steam locomotive #1673 at the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum
The C.P. Huntington Railroad [est. 1970s] at Trail Dust Town [est. 1961] {24-inch gauge gas-powered 4-2-4T locomotive & coaches}  
Old Pueblo Trolley [est. 1983] of Tucson - operation suspended 2012
Arizona Hobbies railroad books & DVDs [est. 1999] based in Tucson, Arizona
Gadsden-Pacific Division Toy Train Operating Museum [est. 1988], 3975 No. Miller Avenue in Tucson, Arizona
annual Gadsden-Pacific Model Train Show [Nov 2017] at the Tucson [AZ] Expo Center
Tucson [AZ] Garden Railway Society [est. 1994]

Wickenburg, Arizona in Maricopa County
Santa Fe Railroad Depot [built 1895], 215 No. Frontier Street now houses Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Center
Santa Fe Section House [built 1925], 279 Railroad Street
1900 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway 2-8-0 steam locomotive #761 is next to AT&SF Depot in Wickenburg
cupola caboose painted red behind locomotive #761

Williams, Arizona in Coconino County
Grand Canyon Railway & Resort {see also below}
Lima 1923 Anaconda Copper Mining Co. 3-truck Shay-geared locomotive #5 is on display at the Grand Canyon Hotel in Williams
Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway 2-8-2 locomotive #539 in Williams

Class 1 Railroads of Arizona

Union Pacific Railroad
[est. 1862, U.P./S.P. merger Sept. 1996]
Union Pacific gained access to Southern Arizona with the merger/takeover of Southern Pacific in 1998; the main route comes west from Lordsburg, New Mexico
then to Wilcox, Benson & Tucson; branch from Tucson to Nogales at the Mexico border; main route continues to Casa Grande branching north to Phoenix
(connection with UP) and west to Gila Bend and Yuma on the California border.

Union Pacific Railroad entry at Wikipedia
Union Pacific Historical Society [est. 1984]
Union Pacific Railroad Museum [opened 2003] in Council Bluffs, Iowa

Southern Pacific Railroad entry at Wikipedia
Southern Pacific RR Historical & Technical Society

    
The B.N.S.F. Railway cuts across northern Arizona from New Mexico, to Holbrook, Winslow, Flagstaff, and Williams where it branches: going southward
down the mountain to Wickenburg and Phoenix or going to Seligman, Kingman, and Needles and crossing the Colorado River to California.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway entry at Wikipedia

       
Amtrak Passenger Service [est. May 1971]
official website • Wikipedia

Amtrak's Southwest Chief runs from Chicago to Kansas City, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Flagstaff and Kingman in Arizona, crossing
the Colorado River at Needles, California and on to Barstow, down the Cajon Pass, to San Bernardino, Fullerton, and Los Angeles.
official homepage • Wikipedia

Amtrak's Sunset Limited runs from New Orleans to Houston, San Antonio & El Paso in Texas, to Tucson and Yuma in Arizona,
and to Palm Springs, Pomona, and Los Angeles in California.
official homepage • Wikipedia

Shortline & Historic Railroads
of Arizona
'list of Arizona railroads' entry at Wikipedia

Apache Railway [est. 1917]
Built by Apache Logging Co. of Holbrook, AZ from Sept 1917; reached Snowflake, AZ in Sept 1918; reached McNary, AZ in Summer 1920 for total mainline of 72 miles; bought by Cady Lumber in 1924; owner renamed Southwest Lumber Mills [1935-60]; owner renamed Southwest Forest Industries [1967]; Snowflake-McNary line abandoned in 1984, reducing to 38 miles of mainline; paper mill closure in 2012 forced company into bankruptcy; purchased by Aztec Land & Cattle to prevent abandonment; current revenue is from freight car repair and storage.
official company website {parked 2016} • company entry at Wikipedia

        
AZER: Arizona Eastern Railway 'Spirit of The Southwest' [built 1885] • 206 miles (Arizona 181, New Mexico 25)
Built 1885; leased by SP 1905; Kyle RR 1988, StatesRail 1995, RailAmerica 2001, Permian Basin Railways 12/2004, Iowa Pacific, purchased by Genesee & Wyoming 8/2011
for $90.1 million; two segments connected by SP-UP trackage rights: the original 133-mile Miami-Globe to Safford to Bowie branch and the 70-mile
former UP Clifton Subdivision purchased in 2008.
official Arizona Eastern Railway homepage at Genesee & Wyoming website
Arizona Eastern Railway entry at Wikipedia
Arizona Eastern Railway Heisler steam locomotive #3 seen in AZER's railyard in Miami, Arizona in 2010   

61-mile Copper Basin Railway [built 1902-1904] in Arizona
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_Basin_Railway

Copper Spike Excursion Train [2008-2011]
Apache Gold Casino & Resort [est. 1994] ran weekend excursion trains on the Arizona Eastern Railway from 12/2008 to May 2011; four trains operated daily,
Thursday through Sunday, over about 20 miles of desert scenery between Globe and the casino resort; operation of the 2011-2012 season was cancelled
due to the sale to Genesee & Wyoming.
watch 1/201 official TV/cable ad [0:32] online at YouTube
watch 4/2010 footage [12/2011 upload, 12:08] online at YouTube

El Paso and Southwestern Railroad [1888-1961]
no official website • Wikipedia
EP&SW info at American Rails website
EP&SW info at Abandoned Rails website
Extended north to Tucson in 1912; bought by Southern Pacific in 1924 for $64M; absorbed in 1961.
El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Depot [built 1913], 419 W. Congress Street in Tucson, Arizona  

Southwest Forest Industries Railroad [1923-67]
Built as 45-mile Cady Lumber Corp. [1923-35]; renamed Southwest Lumber Mills [1935-60]; renamed Southwest Forest Industries (35 miles of track) [1960-67]; subsidiaries included 20-mile Standard Lumber Company [1925-27] and 44-mile Flagstaff Lumber Company [1916-26]. Abandoned in 1967 and several locomotives donated for display.
Baldwin 1929 Southwest Forest Industries 2-6-6-2T locomotive #12 is on display at the Pioneer Historical Museum in Flagstaff  
Baldwin 1911 Southwest Forest Industries 2-8-0 locomotive #25 is on display at AT&SF Depot in Flagstaff  

43-mile Tucson, Cornelia and Gila Bend Railroad [1915-85]
TC&GB RR map & history at Abandoned Rails website
1950s color video [15:09] of caboose & diesel cab ride on the TC&GB
1922 Edwards TC&GB Motor Car #401 was fully restored in 1999 and is in use at Nevada State Railroad Museum   
(long on display at Los Angeles Travel Town; refurbished & leased to Virginia & Truckee RR for operation
in 1976 as #50 'Washoe Zephyr'; on display at Jamestown, CA; sold to N.S.R.M. in 1985)
1944 shop-built TC&GB woodside caboose #1 is at Arizona Railway Museum {see above}  

Warren-Bisbee Railway [1908-1928]
8-mile electric trolley service
no official website • road entry at Wikipedia
click here for 1910 postcard view of Warren & Bisbee trolley #105, built by McGuire-Cummings Interurban

"Mining Town Trolleys: A History of Arizona's Warren-Bisbee Railway" [1983] by Richard V. Francaviglia 48-page Copper Queen Publng 8½x5¾ pb [1983] out of print/scarce

Books & Other Media
browse books about Arizona Railroads {returns almost 600 titles} at Amazon

"The Young Engineers In Arizona: or, Laying Tracks On The Man-Killer Quicksand" [Altemus/Saalfield 1912] by H. Irving Hancock [1866?-1922] Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [12/2012] for FREE {sic} Kindle Edition from Library of Alexandria [12/2012] for $2.99 CreateSpace 9x6 pb [8/2013] for $6.64 Aeterna Books pb [2/2011] for $9.89 Kessinger Publng 9x7½ pb [9/2010] for $15.80 Kessinger Publng 9¾x7 hardcover [9/2010] for $26.60 Saalfield Publng hardcover [1912 original] out of print/used Altemus 7½x5 hardcover [1912 original] out of print/used

"Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History, Volume 1: The Desert States - Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah" [1986] by Donald B. Robertson Caxton Press 11¼x8¾ hardcover [9/86] out of print/many used

wikipedia's list of films shot in Arizona

"How The West Was Won" [1962]

"The Lone Ranger" [2013]

"Maverick" [1994] western comedy film directed by Richard Donner

"3:10 To Yuma" [1957]
"3:10 To Yuma" remake []

"Wild Wild West" [1999]

Image Gallery

G.E. Nordell's Arizona Travel / Railroads Page

top of page   •   links   •   Class 1 railroads   •   shortline & historic railroads   •   books & other media   •   image gallery

Arizona Travel & Business Links Page
top of page  •  Statewide Links  •  A Few Important People  •  Smaller Towns of Central Arizona  •  
Indian Country of Arizona  •  Reading Material  •  Other Media

Phoenix Area Page  •   Tucson Area Page  •   Northwest Arizona Page  •   Northeast Arizona Page  •   Southern Arizona Page

Carson & Colorado / Nevada & California / Southern Pacific Narrow-Gauge Railroads [1880-1960] Page
Cass Scenic Railroad [built 1901] of West Virginia Page
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad [est. 1970] in New Mexico & Colorado Page
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad [1870-1988] Page
Florida East Coast Railway [est. 1885] Page
Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad [1876-1942] in California Page
Sierra Railway in California [est. 1897] Page
Virginia & Truckee Railroad [1869-1950, rebuilt 1972 & 2006] in Nevada Page

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