Grand Canyon Railway No. 29
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- www.yardlimit.com
Grand Canyon Railway #29 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built by ALCO in 1906 for the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railway. The locomotive was designed to haul carloads of iron ore.
The locomotive was retired from service in 1962 and it was sold to Marquette & Huron Mountain as No. 29. The locomotive was donated to the Grand Canyon Railroad in 1989 and was put in the shop for restoration to working order. No. 29 went into service on the Grand Canyon in the spring of 1990.
In 1901, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 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, 1901. To accommodate travelers, the Santa Fe designed and built the El Tovar Hotel, located just 20 feet from the Canyon Rim. El Tovar opened its doors in January 1905.
Competition with the automobile forced the Santa Fe to cease operation of the Grand Canyon Railway in July 1968 although it continued to use the tracks for freight until 1974.
In 1988, the line was bought by Max and Thelma Biegert, a couple from Phoenix, Arizona. 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.
In 2006, Xanterra bought the railroad. Xanterra is the corporate name and identity for what was originally known as the Fred Harvey Company, with ties to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway as far back as 1876.
Citing environmental concerns, steam locomotive operations on the Grand Canyon Railway were suspended in September 2008, but returned in 2009 when Xanterra converted the steam locomotives to operate using waste vegetable oil, and installed a rainwater collection system on the maintenance building to fill boilers when available. Since 2011, special occasion trips, and at least one roundtrip per month during the summer is operated using a steam locomotive.
On October 26 and 27th, Trains Magazine sponsored a photo charter featuring No. 29 pulling vintage Pullman cars from the 1920’s in one of its last runs before being taken out of service because its boiler inspection has expired.
I've always been a fan of the Grand Canyon Railroad. Great coverage!
Thank you!
Fantastic video. My wife and I took this in the late 90's. Thanks for the memories.
Thank you for watching!
Had the pleasure to ride GCRX when rail service to the Canyon returned in 1989. Steam locos and Pullman coaches beat diesels and streamliners on this run IMHO. Thx for the memories!
Thank you for watching. Dr. Akbar!
I'm glad I got to see her running back in July. Hopefully the rebuild doesn't take too long. Great video!
Thank you!
Great video Tom! This is a very scenic line.
Thanks Mark!
Yard Limit you’re welcome
Ive never had the opportunity to film steam there and i would like to someday. Thanks for making this video & great job!!
Thank you. Hopefully you didn't miss your chance.
Thanks Tom for documenting the very last run of LS&I 2-8-0 29. I am very sad and disappointed that she has to go, but she must get her boiler checked. She sounds very sad in this video, I don't know if its her voice or if its just the crew inside, but I can tell everyone was sad that day, but mostly the engine herself. May 29 return to steam again some day, I really hope the GCR can get her up and running again! Thanks for the video!
Thank you very much, Bruce! It is sad to see her make her last run but I'm sure she'll be back. Who knows, something even more spectacular may come along!
I went pretty insane that day. Great video 👍
You had a good time as did we all! Thanks Chris.
What a sight. A steam loco at speed. You can't beat it, well in my opinion anyway. Great video.
Thank you very much!
Very nice, well done...
Thank you!
Awesome video man! I caught it Saturday as well!
Thanks! Glad you caught it also!
Where does the train 29 depart from and to?
Awesome video Yard Limit liked :)
Thank you!
Sweet video Tom
Thank you, Pete!
LS&I Consolidation 29 found at the Grand Canyon Railway.
Yup, just like the title says.
You should check out the Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad in Flint, Michigan
Sounds interesting. Thanks!
What a 2-8-0 what steam engine you like.
Yup
So, since they run on vegetable oil, does it smell like deep fried potatoes on the train? Great video.
Thanks Charles! It smelled line any old steam locomotive to me.
I see myself in a few shots of this video as I rode behind the charter. I do have a question. At 4:20 where is that shot located at?
Here, I think, but not 100% certain. 35.52114881550622, -112.1927519228476
Hopefully she will be chuffing along the Grand Canyon Railway by 2032! A long time… but it’ll be worth the wait.
A lot can happen between now and then.
Is this train up and running again? If it is where does it leave from and head to?
Steam runs the first Saturday of the month during the summer season. The railroad operates between Williams and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Heard that 29 has been taken out of service. Will it ever run again?
After this run it was essentially mothballed and moved to display adjacent to the Williams depot, decorated with Christmas lights and serving as a photo prop for the line's increasingly popular "Polar Express" trains. Beyond that, the engine's fate is in the hands of corporate management. A budget has been presented for a complete overhaul of the locomotive and it remains to be seen if the considerable investment is approved by owner Xanterra. This was as of October 2019.
So I see 29 was running in the video and I know where Grand Canyon railroad 4960 is it’s in the shed
Yup
Great video. Does this engine run on coal? 👍👍👍
Vegetable oil. Thanks for watching!
Why visit now if there’s no steam?
They run steam the first Saturday of the month during the summer and on special occasions. The diesels are classic F45's which are worth seeing and the trip to the Grand Canyon from Williams is great. Many of the passenger cars are from legacy railroads, each with their own unique history. There are plenty of reasons to visit even if your train isn't being pulled by steam.
It's a shame 29 has to be pulled from service for another overhaul which is sad but it's the rules from the fra that if a steam locomotive wants to continue running it must go through these repairs every 15 years. It's sad but it's better than her retiring from service. And I wish I got to see 29 when she was still in operation especially during the summer but was busy with my summer job
Thanks for watching. I'm sure she will be back!
I head Grand Canyon Railroad buys old railroad spikes from Paducah and Louisville railroad Grand Canyon railroad buys the 1950 style railroad spikes from p&l Railroad
Interesting