Grand Canyon Railway - steam is back!

[nachoman]

Perhaps another factor in bringing back steam as a draw is the shifting popularity of the 'Old West' or somesuch theme. As much as I rail against Country & Western banjo music (with a harmonica and some bearded coot singing about 'ole number 7' if yer lucky), it epitomizes the tragic stereotype all steam railroads fall into at some time or another, that of a backwards, at-best-historic mode of transportation used by gunslingers & miners. WHY? WHY? WHY?

There's so much more to steam than that limited slice of gold-rimmed americana. And as much as promoters try to change the image of steam by tapping into what it was really like, somehow adding a diamond stack and a cowboy hold-up has stuck in our nat'l collective brain as what steam is.

All that to say, there are legit organizations like the Grand Canyon who could honestly and rightfully tap into that sort of history. But they could also go 'retro' and work the transition era angle as well, and do it with shiny diesel streamliners, serving martinis in the lounge car - without a single horseback hold-up.

Galen

"Pappy" dies every morning at the gunfight, but was revived somehow before the evening gunfight

And as much as I like steam - I almost think the retro streamliners theme works better on their line. The town of Williams plays up the postwar route 66 thing, with 50s-early 60s automobiles, motor hotels, diners . The railroad runs all stainless passenger cars now - sealed and air conditioned so you can't hear or smell the steam engine anyway. The ex-southern pacific heavyweight commuter coaches they have ride a little more bouncy, are less comfortable, and have no air conditioning for those 90 degree summer days - so they only use them for thomas or other special trains. And it's not steam, but when they run an A-B-A of silver painted alco FP-4s, it is pretty darned cool. Unfortunately, they use mostly F-40s now.