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Story & photos by Dennis Begin
My last ride on a real train was four years ago on a wine tour of the Napa Valley in California. The Verde Canyon Railroad provided a second opportunity, with or without the wine. The Verde or Green Valley is located between Phoenix and Flagstaff, Arizona, with most tourists spending their time in the Sedona area. Get ready, as any day is a good day to ride the rails.
Train Route
The starting point is the Clarkdale Depot only a few kilometres south of Cottonwood, AZ. The train pulls out of the station at 1:00 pm and returns four hours later, providing a 64 km (40 mi) round trip. There is a misconception that the train travels to Sedona; instead the trip is a wilderness journey of the Upper Verde River Canyon, which is narrow and rocky. The route follows the Verde River as well as crossing the Sycamore and Big Springs tributaries. The train climbs nearly 150 m (500 ft) in elevation with the canyon walls nearly touching the train at one point. Along the route two Sinagua Indian cliff dwellings come into view, along with myths of early Spanish conquistadors and lost gold mines. Other sites include the 45 m (150 ft) S.O.B trestle bridge (which according to the commentary, stands for Superintendent of Bridges ), a 200 m (680 ft) curved tunnel, old abandoned buildings, rock formations shaped like a ram or turtle, soaring bald eagles and their nests, as well as the abandoned buildings at Perkinsville.
The Perkinsville ghost town is the end of the line. In 1899, M.A. Perkins purchased the land for his cattle ranch. A small community evolved with a general store, school and post office, with ten to twelve families living in the area. It was the railroad company who added a station in 1912, naming it Perkinsville. As there is no roundhouse to turn the train around, the two engines disconnect here, take a side rail and reconnect to the caboose for the trip back to the depot. If you recognize Perkinsville, it was used in the 1962 movie ‘How the West Was Won’.
Pulling eighteen cars is the vintage FP7 locomotive or engine, originally built for use in Alaska in 1953. The locomotives are only two of ten still in operation. Locomotive #1510 pulls the cars up the canyon while locomotive #1512 takes the cars back to the depot. Originally General Motors’ Electric Motor Division [EMD] and General Motors of Canada, produced three hundred and eighty one engines between 1949 and 1958. The diesel engine produces 1,500-horse power, travels at 12 to 16 kph and meets all ADA safety requirements. The Verde Canyon Railroad made its first run in November 1990, is owned by the Arizona Central Railroad, draws 100,000 tourists yearly and operates throughout the year.
There are three levels of customer service. First Class Service comes with open space, panoramic windows, individual comfortable seating, complimentary appetizers and champagne. Coach Class Service has vintage Pullman-style seats, snacks and an assortment of refreshments for sale. A third choice is found in the Classic Caboose, which accommodates group parties. Regardless of the choice, everyone is allowed in the open-air viewing cars for terrific photo opportunities. Each car can accommodate, on average, 74 people or 425 passengers in total, and is serviced by 22 staff members. Throughout the trip there is a running narrative and music, featuring fifty-eight different railroad songs with artists including Elvis Presley, Gordon Lightfoot and Jimmy Buffet. Our car had the good fortune of having Kari and Jennifer who served as hostesses, historians, geologists and experts in railroad trivia. The railroad also has featured special events such as tequila, wine tasting and chocolate trips. A new program is being introduced entitled ‘Engineer for a Day’, designed for railroad enthusiasts to assist the engineer in operating the train.
Come early and spend some time exploring the Clarkdale Depot. The depot features the Boxcar Gift Store, Copper Spike Café and the Whistle Stop Shop. Not far away is the John Bell Museum, a real boxcar renovated to display railroad memorabilia and history. The entire town of Clarkdale is one huge museum as it features copper mining in Jerome and rail construction by owner William Andrews Clark.
To assist your understanding of the Verde Canyon Railroad, purchase ‘Rail’, the official magazine. There are 20 mileposts [38 to 18] along the train route, with the magazine providing interesting background information about each milepost.
As for my favourite part of the trip, it was the red and orange rocks of the Mormon Loop located near the tunnel. The geography of this area resembles the red mountains around Sedona. If the opportunity presents itself to visit the Verde Valley, take a day and travel back in time. The Verde Canyon Railroad literature states that, “…it’s not the destination, it’s the journey”, so….. “All Aboard”.