06-11-2010, 01:13 PM
Just a slight correction, Rob. There is no railroad running "through" the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon Railroad runs from Williams, Az. to the South rim of the Grand Canyon. There is the Verde Canyon Railroad that runs from Clarkville near Cottonwood, Az down the Verde Canyon to a ranch where the pair of Fp9's uncouple from the train and run around it. The crew then climbs out of what was the lead unit, but is now the trailing unit and goes to the new lead unit to make the return trip back up the canyon. If anyone on this board gets out to Az, to visit the Grand Canyon, I would highly recommend both train trips. It probably takes about an hour to drive from Falgstaff (just up I-40 from Williams) to Cottonwood to catch the Verde Canyon RR. Reservations are highly recommended for both railroads if not required.