This is maybe your best ever video. The timing and the scenery are just perfect, and your geeky, pure excitement just complete it. Thank you for sharing.
My husband and I rode this trip in 2015. The staff was so friendly and accommodating. My husband was wheelchair bound and they did not hesitate to make us feel special during this trip. Of course you need to specify the need for special services when booking your trip. Precious memories were recalled while viewing your video. That was the last trip we took before my husband passed away. Thank you .
It was fun! We were in First class due to being handicapped! It was a fantastic trip! We had one of the best stewards on the trip! She was great and personable ! Can’t think of her name!! Had our picture taken! That was fun but the photographer took out tip without telling you ! One of my best memories of any trip !! Oh yeah the Grand Canyon was beautiful!
they did that back in Spring of 2003 when I was on the train as a kid, scared the crap out of me. Also back then they allowed kids in the Luxury Parlor car which is where I was but not the observation car.
In the summer of 2010 I did a Titan Tour (called Coast to Coast, From Sea to Shining Sea) and travelling by rail from New York to San Francisco via Washington DC, Chicago, Denver. At Denver we stopped for a couple of days then on to Durango & Silverton for their railway. Then onto Williams for the GCR. We stayed overnight in the Railways hotel there and then on the GCR with a steam hauled loco to the canyon. As well as the folk singer we had a staged holdup with six guns. Brought back memories of a great trip. After the canyon we went on to Flagstaff and caught Amtrak to Los Angeles, then on again to San Francisco. The trip took three weeks with sleepers Washington to Chicago, Chicago to Denver and Flagstaff to LA. Not a cheap holiday by any means but memorable.
This is one amazing journey. I was fortunate enough to have traveled on this train during the 150 year anniversary when they used 2 steam locomotives to haul the train. It was a memorable experience!
amazing trip report you got to travel on a almost century old vintage passenger coach that and the rest of the train really has a historic vibe to it aswell as the desert scenery on the outside you got to see the traditional American west but the best thing is the open windows you can do window hanging (with your device of course) without seeing trains pass in the opposite direction blocking the view
sorry to be so offtopic but does someone know of a method to get back into an instagram account?? I stupidly lost my account password. I would appreciate any help you can give me
@Rohan Kylan i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm trying it out now. I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
What a wonderful trip, It brought back great memories. This is the last trip (about 2015) that I had with my recently departed wife and I had.. I am looking at her picture of the two of us that was taken on this train in the observation car. I was blessed. Thank You! Thank You! Bob Arnold
We took this train trip a couple of years ago. Really enjoyed it and you have plenty of time to explore that area of the rim. We hiked out to Yavapai Point and back. The nice thing is that your ticket gets you back into the park for a second day. So we drove back the next day and explored the rest of the south rim.
Very happy you enjoyed your trip to the Grand Canyon . I am a Arizona resident and always amazed when l visit the canyon especially when l travel via the train. Thank you for the awesome video and enjoy your visit
I have been there before and stayed at one of those lodges! I remember seeing a lot of elks and wildlife from behind the lodge. I also remember seeing this train and wanting to ride it. The Grand Canyon is such a stunningly beautiful place. This was a wonderful video to watch!
Thanks for the great video. I’ve visited the Grand Canyon three times over the last 20 years and truly love the train experience. The coach that you road in was used on the Southern Pacific’s commute service between San Francisco and San Jose up through the 1970’s. I worked in San Francisco during that period and commuted daily on the SP. Most trains were comprised of double decker commute coaches with a single Pullman coach at one end of the consist. If I was late getting to the depot in SF, I often ended up riding in one of these non air-conditioned coaches.
The term I have always heard used for the seats in the coach you rode in is "walkover" seats. Meaning you walk the seat-back from one side to the other. The better ones also change the side the footrest is on at the same time. The cafe car came from Amtrak service, a "Heritage" lounge car, formerly numbered in the #3100 series. Originally built in the late 1940's/early 1950's for the Pennsylvania Railroad by the Budd Co., and given names for Revolutionary War figures, like Betsy Ross and Paul Revere. They were generally assigned to East Coast trains. I worked them as an Amtrak attendant in the 1980s on the old "Montrealer". The seating configuration was very different under Amtrak, but the food service area is largely unchanged. It looked like most of the coaches ahead of your car were converted self-propelled Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDC). The ones converted to non-powered coaches were originally built for the Boston and Maine in the early 1950s. B&M converted all of their passenger service to RDCs from locomotive-hauled equipment and bought over 100 of them. When Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) took over the service, they eventually converted them to non-powered coaches and "de-humped" them. You can still tell they were originally RDCs by the curved ends of their roofs, and the headlight mounting space over the vestibules. After MBTA retired them, they were used by other commuter agencies (there was one in the yard at Williams with a blue stripe that was from Virginia Railway Express).
And the cafe car was what made me wriggle with delight! 1952? Only a year younger than me! PRR? The route my family took every year from northern Ohio to Philadelphia - the source of all my childhood delights! That cafe car is my brother!🥰
Rode the GCR back in the 90s behind steam. Sat in the parlour car, last coach on the train. Wonderful standing on the observation platform and watching the scenery roll by. There were roving musicians at that time going from car to car. Very memorable experience.
Not only was your video outstanding but your still pictures are wonderful. I would love to take this trip and would definitely travel in the Pullman car.
I remember taking 2 separate dinner trains on 2 different occasions. One on the Strasburg to Paradise Jct. and another on the Conway Scenic Railroad. Both I would recommend paying a visit.
I love the concept of the flip-seats. I can never decide between rows or vis-à-vis, but I hate when airpline style rows are not in the direction of travel. Even if I enjoy sitting in the wrong direction in vis-à-vis seats, somehow airline style seats trigger my ocd. :D Merci pour la superbe video, comme d'hab!
well this is definitely not what I was expecting but I'm thrilled you reviewed this! I love oddball little railroads like this. And what a fascinating coach too! I wonder if that PRR dining car was built in my hometown. They built a lot of their equipment here!
I did this trip back in 2018, it was great, I didn't managed to see the gunfight as my family and I took a wrong turn in LA, but still took the train. I took dome class (1st time I've ever seen or ridden in one) and that was brillant
In July we drove from Vegas to the Railway Hotel and the next morning(after the cowboy show) we took the train to the Grand Canyon....that was 6 months ago and we talk about it all the time.... everything from booking online to the hotel/staff/entertainment/train host(Cameron)/food at the El Tovar Hotel was awesome... we are planning for the Polar Express in December .... Glad you enjoyed it as much as we did !!!
I just got back from this trip! I rode in the luxury dome and the parlor car. $226 to be honest isn’t too bad for above first class. I highly recommend it because not only can you Wander through your cars, you can wander through the entire train and then retreat to your couch up in the dome. Best train trip I’ve ever been on!
Excelente video ¡¡¡¡¡.buena elección el coche pullman el más realista en cuanto a experiencia ferroviaria. Hermosos paisajes y un excelente tren para disfrutarlo. Saludos de un argentino desde España.
Thank you for always great video. You make me feel like I've been on a foreign train that I've never had in my life. Japan is a mountain-like country, so you can't enjoy such magnificent scenery. I've heard that Walt Disney originally planned Disneyland as a place to put guests on large model railroads in their collections. If you think about it, your video is Disneyland to watch.
Loved your video, really educated the watcher on the star of the video, the train experience !!! Well edited with great commentary as text so not to take away from the experience, be proud of quality work!
I have been there! (I live in Arizona so it wasn’t far). Such a fun trip, but it has been many years. I would love to go again someday. Keep these videos coming of your wonderful journey! I am following!
12:21--No train scene during an old-time movie or TV show was complete with a railroad crossing sound effect. What you will hear is an actual version of it.
Just a note to anyone shocked at the Cafe Car prices: I'm pretty sure the alcohol prices are jacked way up beyond the others; I do not remember paying nearly that much for other things
Thank you for the video! Back in 1968 I bought an acre of land just outside of Williams, AZ sight unseen on a whim. I’ve always wanted to go to AZ to see my “ranch” and revisit the Grand Canyon. Your video report has spurred me on! Perhaps early fall this year or spring of next year. Thanks!
I have only been to the Grand Canyon once (despite growing up in Southern California) on a high school student tour of the U.S. but that was when the line was abandoned in the 1980's and it had no future. So glad the line was saved and serving an important purpose (giving an alternative to driving to the Grand Canyon which is extremely crowded most of the summer). I also got a chance to ride the type of car you rode when it was still in commuter service in the San Francisco Bay Area not too long before Caltain came along and ordered new equipment.
I rode in coaches like that in the 1950s with my uncle on rides on the Pennsylvania Railroad to Pittsburgh. The windows opened but in the days of steam you usually kept the windows closed because of smoke from the locomotive. Note on toilet time back in the day. When you flushed the toilet the flushing dropped onto the rails below. No holding tanks.
We loved our train trip to the Grand Canyon. Since it was an anniversary trip, we did the Dome Car. We also stayed the night up on the Grand Canyon. Yes, I would do it again.
The ticket office and boarding in Williams are in the former Frey Marcos Hotel, built as a railway hotel by Fred Harvey in the days before trains had dining cars or sleeping cars. Google it. It's fascinating history and beautiful architecture. The coach class cars were commuter rail diesel cars built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia. They served, first, with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA); then with the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), when I rode on them; then with Caltrain (some of them); and finally, with the Grand Canyon Railway. I say "some of them," because some VRE coaches went to Caltrain, who later sold them to the Grand Canyon Railway, while other VRE coaches went directly to the Grand Canyon Railway. If you look closely at the roofs, you can still see scars where the vents from the Detroit Diesel engines emerged after running through the center of the cars. Before they left the MBTA, they were sent to Morrison-Knudsen in Boise, Idaho, where their engines were removed and they were converted into standard commuter coaches. They became known as Boise Budds. I've ridden many a mile on those VRE Boise Budds. I loved them! We passionate railfans did our best to persuade the VRE to keep them, but alas, we lost out. The VRE went to double-decker commuter cars, just like everyone else. So sad, but I'm glad they live on with the Grand Canyon Railway.
That was a very informative and thorough review experience! My dad has always wanted to do such a rail trip and I'm looking into all options as to where and which trains to take. This really helps!
Greetings from New Jersey! Great video! We are planning GC in either late August or mid-September 2021 and really want to take this train up to the GC. Safe Travels!
we rode it in 1990, they had 2 Alcos 2-8-0 s...which were strugglin pullin those SP heavywt. coaches,they had just purchased the 2-82,and it would go thru complete resto. great road, top notch service
Quick story: I volunteer at a railroad that runs wine trains in Phillipsburg New Jersey, and you can by wine at the winery. Well on the return trip somebody did what you did at 18:54 but dropped the cup out the window! LOL! Amazing video. Tickets are kinda pricy but looks worth it. Cant wait for more videos...
I enjoyed this video very much, it brings back great memories🙂 I took the Grand Canyon Railway in the spring of 2017 (in the before time)😷and I enjoyed it very much👍🙂 I rode in the Pullman car also and it was great, as I remember the conductor told us that when they refurbished the Pullman car they used school bus windows for the windows in it. I enjoyed being able to open the window and I took lots of great pictures from outside of the window. I didn't walk around the train very much, so I am glad to see that you did and I enjoyed seeing what the rest of the cars looked like. We did get some snacks in the cafe car and enjoyed sitting in there eating and drinking while enjoying the great views for a while on the way back. We added the bus tour at the Grand Canyon that came with a buffet lunch, it was a great tour, they took us to an area on the bus tour that you can not go to in a car, passing through a gate to get there. To this day, that was the longest train ride that I have ever been on, unfortunately on the way back we were robbed by train robbers on horseback who stopped the train and went through the coach wanting money, thinking where is the Lone Ranger when you need him😉 we gladly gave them some money in fear for our lives (just kidding) considering it a tip for the fun and great service that they provided. I'm very happy to see the Grand Canyon Railway, is still operating and doing well even while having to deal with Covid-19. I would definitely take their train when ever I go back to the Grand Canyon again, it's definitely worth every penny 👍🙂
These historic tourist railroads are loads of fun. They make for a fantastic day trip. I have taken rides on several of them in Arkansas, Texas (my home state), Colorado. I would love to take the copper canyon train!
Long comment alert. 1) For those that don't know, the steam locomotive on display there at Williams runs every now and again at points in the year, and is actually *HEAVILY* rebuilt from how it looked originally. If you wanna know just how much it was rebuilt, look up images of "CB&Q 4960" and you'll see photographs of an engine with a top mounted headlight and a white or gray smokebox, and a smaller coal tender. That's the 4960's original look. The GCRY rebuilt her in the 90's shortly after acquiring her, and even got the tender behind the 4960 now from a museum that had it. It was in fact an original SOO Line 4-8-4 tender, and now holds recycled and cleaned vegetable oil that the 4960 and her companion locomotive the GCRY 29 now burn. I think the audio heard when the picture of the 4960 running is on screen is from a 2012 run when the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 3751 made another visit to the line, a decade after it's first preservation era visit to the line for the 2002 NRHS Convention. 2) 11:13 Boy oh boy do I ever recognize THAT paint scheme. 'Tis a shame the Greenbrier Presidential Express never happened. It would've been nice to have seen C&O 614 tackle the high iron again in that paint scheme, that she's still in surprisingly. There might've even been a few trip reports done about the train, one of which could've possibly have come from this channel. 3) 19:18 Man look at those 645 engines giving off good clag. Now, if the GCRY was using their ALCo PA's, those not in the know would quickly learn why ALCo's diesels were called "honorary steam locomotives." 4) Don't think I've ever seen an EMD 645 spitting fire, as I call it, like a GE 7FDL will. Shoot, I've seen a picture of a 7FDL that literally "spat" it's turbocharger out. Don't know what in the world GE did with those later end 7FDL's, but boy are they some temperamental machines here in their later days.
I rode this train back in the fall of 2002. The engine was the steam engine with a diesel B unit behind the tender. There was a separate throttle for it on the engineer’s console. The engineer was a cute blonde and she would not talk to anyone. I was able to talk to the fireman who was in his 70s and very willing to talk about the steam engine. He told me she would not talk to any of the passengers. Like me he was a retired engineer and we talked for a good while. The owners had spent close to $2,000,000 on its rebuild. Each of the engine’s wheel bearings had a temperature probe so they could monitor the bearings along the trip. I would highly recommend taking this trip if possible. Do the round trip which starts and ends in Williams. We caught it from the Grand Canyon and rode a van back from Williams to the GC. The price was the same.
Hoping to visit GCR in the future with my uncle and ride behind one of their steam locomotives which they operate 2 of them, 4960 their mikado which was seen in the vid on display at the museum, and their consolidation 29 that was pulled from service for a rebuild after 2019 but will be back in a few years once it's done. Hopefully, when I visit I'll get to see a Pullman car on the train which will be my second time seeing a former SP Pullman coach since I rode in one at a museum I visited in January 2020 with my dad and it was great except for how cramped it was.
I have ridden the train a few times (one with a steam engine) and it is amazing. try the dome car, not the luxury dome but the regular dome when you can (i.e. not during COVID) that is really the best. The reason for all the rolling stock is that in the summer they run 2 trains a day and that typically the trains are longer. since there is typically the dome cars on it as well.
The more modern “Coach Class” car connected to yours are de-engined Budd Cars that began life with the Boston and Maine, but were modified for the MBTA Commuter Rail operation to permit being used as locomotive hauled cars.
Man I miss doing stuff like this......I'm moving to South Carolina next month and planning on stopping by and hopping the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad in North Carolina on my way there
If and when you get the chance, I'd highly recommend spending some time in Fort Bragg, California and checking out the California Western Railroad. To sum it up, they offer several different kinds of trips between Ft. Bragg and Willits through the scenic Redwood forests of the Northern California Coast.
Took this trip 30 years ago when the only rolling stock were the Pullman cars you rode in, the locomotive was stem, probably the one pictured at the beginning of the video, on the way back , the train made an unscheduled stop, I saw two guys dressed like cowboys get out of a pickup truck and got on the train announcing a “train robbery “ the lawman escorted them off the train, then one of the conductors handed out cold Coca Cola in small bottles, the car was hot and was appreciated. Your trip didn’t have the same feel as ,one because the 50s era cars and Diesel engines take away from the Wild West authenticity. But your ride looked like a fun experience.
Great video! I worked and lived at the GC in 1986 and saw a lot of the politics and work being done on the Depot at the GC. Wished you would have shown more of the GC Depot.
I like the way you wrote comments below and your video was well done and you could hear the train. The information was the best! I was on the train many years ago, you did not show the train robbery?
You definitely should have spent the night at the Canyon at one of the hotels, Well worth the time and money if you have a passion for the American West.
This is maybe your best ever video. The timing and the scenery are just perfect, and your geeky, pure excitement just complete it. Thank you for sharing.
That's one reason I love this channel. He puts his personality into the reviews and he definitely has a sense of humor!
My husband and I rode this trip in 2015. The staff was so friendly and accommodating. My husband was wheelchair bound and they did not hesitate to make us feel special during this trip. Of course you need to specify the need for special services when booking your trip. Precious memories were recalled while viewing your video. That was the last trip we took before my husband passed away. Thank you .
The coach is 97 years old
And
What more amazing it can be
We had Bandits stop the train and came through the rail cars acting out a holdup. Then a sheriff came through after the bandits.
I remember that, it was pretty fun
It was fun! We were in First class due to being handicapped! It was a fantastic trip! We had one of the best stewards on the trip! She was great and personable ! Can’t think of her name!! Had our picture taken! That was fun but the photographer took out tip without telling you ! One of my best memories of any trip !! Oh yeah the Grand Canyon was beautiful!
same here that was cool
they did that back in Spring of 2003 when I was on the train as a kid, scared the crap out of me. Also back then they allowed kids in the Luxury Parlor car which is where I was but not the observation car.
In the summer of 2010 I did a Titan Tour (called Coast to Coast, From Sea to Shining Sea) and travelling by rail from New York to San Francisco via Washington DC, Chicago, Denver. At Denver we stopped for a couple of days then on to Durango & Silverton for their railway. Then onto Williams for the GCR. We stayed overnight in the Railways hotel there and then on the GCR with a steam hauled loco to the canyon. As well as the folk singer we had a staged holdup with six guns. Brought back memories of a great trip. After the canyon we went on to Flagstaff and caught Amtrak to Los Angeles, then on again to San Francisco. The trip took three weeks with sleepers Washington to Chicago, Chicago to Denver and Flagstaff to LA. Not a cheap holiday by any means but memorable.
This is one amazing journey. I was fortunate enough to have traveled on this train during the 150 year anniversary when they used 2 steam locomotives to haul the train. It was a memorable experience!
in a year, the pullman's having the 100th year of their life of travelling
amazing trip report you got to travel on a almost century old vintage passenger coach that and the rest of the train really has a historic vibe to it aswell as the desert scenery on the outside you got to see the traditional American west but the best thing is the open windows you can do window hanging (with your device of course) without seeing trains pass in the opposite direction blocking the view
since i am severely disabled, i am starving for new travel-experiences. You really made my day (morning) today ;)
sorry to be so offtopic but does someone know of a method to get back into an instagram account??
I stupidly lost my account password. I would appreciate any help you can give me
@@holdenmilo24 nice try of scam at all
@Holden Milo Instablaster =)
@Rohan Kylan i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm trying it out now.
I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Rohan Kylan It worked and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy!
Thanks so much you saved my ass !
What a wonderful trip, It brought back great memories. This is the last trip (about 2015) that I had with my recently departed wife and I had.. I am looking at her picture of the two of us that was taken on this train in the observation car. I was blessed. Thank You! Thank You!
Bob Arnold
I used to live in Butler, Pennsylvania where the Pullman train cars were built! It was a huge plant, it's not there anymore.
We took this train trip a couple of years ago. Really enjoyed it and you have plenty of time to explore that area of the rim. We hiked out to Yavapai Point and back. The nice thing is that your ticket gets you back into the park for a second day. So we drove back the next day and explored the rest of the south rim.
The best trains tripreport channel ever
Have you seen mine though 😉
@@NonstopEurotrip no don’t self advertise it’s cringe
Very happy you enjoyed your trip to the Grand Canyon . I am a Arizona resident and always amazed when l visit the canyon especially when l travel via the train. Thank you for the awesome video and enjoy your visit
I have been there before and stayed at one of those lodges! I remember seeing a lot of elks and wildlife from behind the lodge. I also remember seeing this train and wanting to ride it. The Grand Canyon is such a stunningly beautiful place. This was a wonderful video to watch!
Thanks for the great video. I’ve visited the Grand Canyon three times over the last 20 years and truly love the train experience. The coach that you road in was used on the Southern Pacific’s commute service between San Francisco and San Jose up through the 1970’s. I worked in San Francisco during that period and commuted daily on the SP. Most trains were comprised of double decker commute coaches with a single Pullman coach at one end of the consist. If I was late getting to the depot in SF, I often ended up riding in one of these non air-conditioned coaches.
I thought those cars looked familiar. In the early 1970's we commuted by rail from San Mateo, my wife to San Francisco and I to Palo Alto.
Loved the Grand Canyon RR. My wife and I rode in the last bar car. The bartender was so funny!!! Great day!!!
The term I have always heard used for the seats in the coach you rode in is "walkover" seats. Meaning you walk the seat-back from one side to the other. The better ones also change the side the footrest is on at the same time. The cafe car came from Amtrak service, a "Heritage" lounge car, formerly numbered in the #3100 series. Originally built in the late 1940's/early 1950's for the Pennsylvania Railroad by the Budd Co., and given names for Revolutionary War figures, like Betsy Ross and Paul Revere. They were generally assigned to East Coast trains. I worked them as an Amtrak attendant in the 1980s on the old "Montrealer". The seating configuration was very different under Amtrak, but the food service area is largely unchanged. It looked like most of the coaches ahead of your car were converted self-propelled Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDC). The ones converted to non-powered coaches were originally built for the Boston and Maine in the early 1950s. B&M converted all of their passenger service to RDCs from locomotive-hauled equipment and bought over 100 of them. When Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) took over the service, they eventually converted them to non-powered coaches and "de-humped" them. You can still tell they were originally RDCs by the curved ends of their roofs, and the headlight mounting space over the vestibules. After MBTA retired them, they were used by other commuter agencies (there was one in the yard at Williams with a blue stripe that was from Virginia Railway Express).
And the cafe car was what made me wriggle with delight! 1952? Only a year younger than me! PRR? The route my family took every year from northern Ohio to Philadelphia - the source of all my childhood delights! That cafe car is my brother!🥰
Yes, the GCR bought all of Caltrain's de-motored RDCs in 2005.
Rode the GCR back in the 90s behind steam. Sat in the parlour car, last coach on the train. Wonderful standing on the observation platform and watching the scenery roll by. There were roving musicians at that time going from car to car. Very memorable experience.
Not only was your video outstanding but your still pictures are wonderful. I would love to take this trip and would definitely travel in the Pullman car.
I remember taking 2 separate dinner trains on 2 different occasions. One on the Strasburg to Paradise Jct. and another on the Conway Scenic Railroad. Both I would recommend paying a visit.
I love the concept of the flip-seats. I can never decide between rows or vis-à-vis, but I hate when airpline style rows are not in the direction of travel. Even if I enjoy sitting in the wrong direction in vis-à-vis seats, somehow airline style seats trigger my ocd. :D
Merci pour la superbe video, comme d'hab!
At 12:56 you see though that when forming a group of four the legroom is very limited. So it only works if (almost) all sit in the same direction.
It’s hard for me to get out and I’m easily stressed. These are such a blessing for me.
You have noticed the sunshine in the west. The clear air and sky. Makes a beautiful difference in pictures. And in person it is unforgettable.
well this is definitely not what I was expecting but I'm thrilled you reviewed this! I love oddball little railroads like this. And what a fascinating coach too! I wonder if that PRR dining car was built in my hometown. They built a lot of their equipment here!
If it was a Pullman, it was built in Hammond, IN
Pullman coach built in 1923 is absolutely full of life! ❤️🙏🏾
Dream trip! I'm so jealous. Beats flying anytime.
Great trip!!!! Wow love your channel, you’re the best.
I did this trip back in 2018, it was great, I didn't managed to see the gunfight as my family and I took a wrong turn in LA, but still took the train. I took dome class (1st time I've ever seen or ridden in one) and that was brillant
This not just a railrod experience, but experience of life.
If you didn’t know, that second track is used for a BNSF Subdivision that runs to Phoenix, Az
In July we drove from Vegas to the Railway Hotel and the next morning(after the cowboy show) we took the train to the Grand Canyon....that was 6 months ago and we talk about it all the time.... everything from booking online to the hotel/staff/entertainment/train host(Cameron)/food at the El Tovar Hotel was awesome... we are planning for the Polar Express in December .... Glad you enjoyed it as much as we did !!!
What an amazing experience and the scenery just added to the trip, thank you for sharing
The scenery on the journey to the Grand Canyon is nothing compared to what greets you when you reach your destination. It brought tears to my eyes 🤣
I just got back from this trip! I rode in the luxury dome and the parlor car. $226 to be honest isn’t too bad for above first class. I highly recommend it because not only can you Wander through your cars, you can wander through the entire train and then retreat to your couch up in the dome. Best train trip I’ve ever been on!
Excelente video ¡¡¡¡¡.buena elección el coche pullman el más realista en cuanto a experiencia ferroviaria. Hermosos paisajes y un excelente tren para disfrutarlo. Saludos de un argentino desde España.
Thank you for always great video. You make me feel like I've been on a foreign train that I've never had in my life. Japan is a mountain-like country, so you can't enjoy such magnificent scenery. I've heard that Walt Disney originally planned Disneyland as a place to put guests on large model railroads in their collections. If you think about it, your video is Disneyland to watch.
Many thanks for this fascinating train adventure. Up to your usual high standard.
Loved your video, really educated the watcher on the star of the video, the train experience !!! Well edited with great commentary as text so not to take away from the experience, be proud of quality work!
I have been there! (I live in Arizona so it wasn’t far). Such a fun trip, but it has been many years. I would love to go again someday. Keep these videos coming of your wonderful journey! I am following!
12:21--No train scene during an old-time movie or TV show was complete with a railroad crossing sound effect. What you will hear is an actual version of it.
Just a note to anyone shocked at the Cafe Car prices: I'm pretty sure the alcohol prices are jacked way up beyond the others; I do not remember paying nearly that much for other things
Took this trip 4 years ago with all my family and grandkids. Had a fantastic time and enjoyed the scenery.
Thank you for the video! Back in 1968 I bought an acre of land just outside of Williams, AZ sight unseen on a whim. I’ve always wanted to go to AZ to see my “ranch” and revisit the Grand Canyon. Your video report has spurred me on! Perhaps early fall this year or spring of next year. Thanks!
I have only been to the Grand Canyon once (despite growing up in Southern California) on a high school student tour of the U.S. but that was when the line was abandoned in the 1980's and it had no future. So glad the line was saved and serving an important purpose (giving an alternative to driving to the Grand Canyon which is extremely crowded most of the summer).
I also got a chance to ride the type of car you rode when it was still in commuter service in the San Francisco Bay Area not too long before Caltain came along and ordered new equipment.
History and trains combined = my favourite 🤩
VERY informative video. Well done and NO talking!
My best ride was in a Pullman Sleeper from the art deco period. Amtrak still had some in the mid 80's.
I sure wish I had known about this the last time I was in Arizona. Neat train!
Very beautiful, thanks for sharing.
The rolling stock you showed us looked really great they must spend a great deal of time looking after the carriages what ever their use is.👍
I rode in coaches like that in the 1950s with my uncle on rides on the Pennsylvania Railroad to Pittsburgh. The windows opened but in the days of steam you usually kept the windows closed because of smoke from the locomotive.
Note on toilet time back in the day. When you flushed the toilet the flushing dropped onto the rails below. No holding tanks.
Waiting to see video of the return trip 😀
We loved our train trip to the Grand Canyon. Since it was an anniversary trip, we did the Dome Car. We also stayed the night up on the Grand Canyon. Yes, I would do it again.
The ticket office and boarding in Williams are in the former Frey Marcos Hotel, built as a railway hotel by Fred Harvey in the days before trains had dining cars or sleeping cars. Google it. It's fascinating history and beautiful architecture.
The coach class cars were commuter rail diesel cars built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia. They served, first, with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA); then with the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), when I rode on them; then with Caltrain (some of them); and finally, with the Grand Canyon Railway. I say "some of them," because some VRE coaches went to Caltrain, who later sold them to the Grand Canyon Railway, while other VRE coaches went directly to the Grand Canyon Railway. If you look closely at the roofs, you can still see scars where the vents from the Detroit Diesel engines emerged after running through the center of the cars. Before they left the MBTA, they were sent to Morrison-Knudsen in Boise, Idaho, where their engines were removed and they were converted into standard commuter coaches. They became known as Boise Budds. I've ridden many a mile on those VRE Boise Budds. I loved them! We passionate railfans did our best to persuade the VRE to keep them, but alas, we lost out. The VRE went to double-decker commuter cars, just like everyone else. So sad, but I'm glad they live on with the Grand Canyon Railway.
Dude is living the dream. 👍🚄🚞
That was a very informative and thorough review experience! My dad has always wanted to do such a rail trip and I'm looking into all options as to where and which trains to take. This really helps!
Greetings from New Jersey! Great video! We are planning GC in either late August or mid-September 2021 and really want to take this train up to the GC. Safe Travels!
we rode it in 1990, they had 2 Alcos 2-8-0 s...which were strugglin pullin those SP heavywt. coaches,they had just purchased the 2-82,and it would go thru complete resto. great road, top notch service
We drove there and stayed at the El Tovar...but I did walk down and look over the train. Hope you got to look over the Canyon!
Great video as always mate, what a stunning train and route 😎🇺🇸🚂
Quick story: I volunteer at a railroad that runs wine trains in Phillipsburg New Jersey, and you can by wine at the winery. Well on the return trip somebody did what you did at 18:54 but dropped the cup out the window! LOL! Amazing video. Tickets are kinda pricy but looks worth it. Cant wait for more videos...
Very cool video, looking forward to the return trip !
Your best yet. I remember trip in 2016!
Probably, this Pullman car was used on Peninsula Commute, the SF commuter service in Bay Area, pulling by a EMD GP or F-H Train Master locomotive.
Nice trip. I’m looking forward watching to the return trip.
Historical!
Pretty remarkable to get within a few hundred yards of the south rim of the Grand Canyon with nary a picture of it.
Subscribed. This mini break was great fun to share with you, thanks!!
Great video as always. I'm visiting the Grand Canyon in March and I was thinking about taking the train there! Now I really want to ride it :)
I enjoyed this video very much, it brings back great memories🙂
I took the Grand Canyon Railway in the spring of 2017 (in the before time)😷and I enjoyed it very much👍🙂
I rode in the Pullman car also and it was great, as I remember the conductor told us that when they refurbished the Pullman car they used school bus windows for the windows in it.
I enjoyed being able to open the window and I took lots of great pictures from outside of the window.
I didn't walk around the train very much, so I am glad to see that you did and I enjoyed seeing what the rest of the cars looked like.
We did get some snacks in the cafe car and enjoyed sitting in there eating and drinking while enjoying the great views for a while on the way back.
We added the bus tour at the Grand Canyon that came with a buffet lunch, it was a great tour, they took us to an area on the bus tour that you can not go to in a car, passing through a gate to get there.
To this day, that was the longest train ride that I have ever been on, unfortunately on the way back we were robbed by train robbers on horseback who stopped the train and went through the coach wanting money, thinking where is the Lone Ranger when you need him😉 we gladly gave them some money in fear for our lives (just kidding) considering it a tip for the fun and great service that they provided.
I'm very happy to see the Grand Canyon Railway, is still operating and doing well even while having to deal with Covid-19.
I would definitely take their train when ever I go back to the Grand Canyon again, it's definitely worth every penny 👍🙂
These historic tourist railroads are loads of fun. They make for a fantastic day trip. I have taken rides on several of them in Arkansas, Texas (my home state), Colorado. I would love to take the copper canyon train!
By far the dopest trip report you’ve made 🔥
Long comment alert.
1) For those that don't know, the steam locomotive on display there at Williams runs every now and again at points in the year, and is actually *HEAVILY* rebuilt from how it looked originally. If you wanna know just how much it was rebuilt, look up images of "CB&Q 4960" and you'll see photographs of an engine with a top mounted headlight and a white or gray smokebox, and a smaller coal tender. That's the 4960's original look. The GCRY rebuilt her in the 90's shortly after acquiring her, and even got the tender behind the 4960 now from a museum that had it. It was in fact an original SOO Line 4-8-4 tender, and now holds recycled and cleaned vegetable oil that the 4960 and her companion locomotive the GCRY 29 now burn. I think the audio heard when the picture of the 4960 running is on screen is from a 2012 run when the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 3751 made another visit to the line, a decade after it's first preservation era visit to the line for the 2002 NRHS Convention.
2) 11:13 Boy oh boy do I ever recognize THAT paint scheme. 'Tis a shame the Greenbrier Presidential Express never happened. It would've been nice to have seen C&O 614 tackle the high iron again in that paint scheme, that she's still in surprisingly. There might've even been a few trip reports done about the train, one of which could've possibly have come from this channel.
3) 19:18 Man look at those 645 engines giving off good clag. Now, if the GCRY was using their ALCo PA's, those not in the know would quickly learn why ALCo's diesels were called "honorary steam locomotives."
4) Don't think I've ever seen an EMD 645 spitting fire, as I call it, like a GE 7FDL will. Shoot, I've seen a picture of a 7FDL that literally "spat" it's turbocharger out. Don't know what in the world GE did with those later end 7FDL's, but boy are they some temperamental machines here in their later days.
Drinking beer at 10 AM on a 100 year old coach. Just amazing! Really hoping to do this sometime soon, maybe this autumn if situations permit.
Superb, such a shame we missed our trip to the western USA last summer due to the pandemic. Back onto the upcoming trip list hopefully!
aaaaaaaaaand just like that you made me want to visit Arizona. Geez!
the best things I can say... I'm glad I subscribed & thanks for sharing. gracias
If you enjoyed that, then you have to try the Durango and Silverton, or the Cumbres and Toltec, both in southern Colorado.
12:55 Huh, "dossier" can also mean "backrest" (according to Google Translate). I did not know that.
We took that train to the Grand Canyon a few years ago. We were in the adult car we had a great time. We would do it again
Café was in regular service on Amtrak's Pennsylvania RR
Fantastic to see, thank you, I hope ones to do this...Greetings Ronald from The Netherlands
I rode this train back in the fall of 2002. The engine was the steam engine with a diesel B unit behind the tender. There was a separate throttle for it on the engineer’s console. The engineer was a cute blonde and she would not talk to anyone. I was able to talk to the fireman who was in his 70s and very willing to talk about the steam engine. He told me she would not talk to any of the passengers. Like me he was a retired engineer and we talked for a good while. The owners had spent close to $2,000,000 on its rebuild. Each of the engine’s wheel bearings had a temperature probe so they could monitor the bearings along the trip. I would highly recommend taking this trip if possible. Do the round trip which starts and ends in Williams. We caught it from the Grand Canyon and rode a van back from Williams to the GC. The price was the same.
Hoping to visit GCR in the future with my uncle and ride behind one of their steam locomotives which they operate 2 of them, 4960 their mikado which was seen in the vid on display at the museum, and their consolidation 29 that was pulled from service for a rebuild after 2019 but will be back in a few years once it's done. Hopefully, when I visit I'll get to see a Pullman car on the train which will be my second time seeing a former SP Pullman coach since I rode in one at a museum I visited in January 2020 with my dad and it was great except for how cramped it was.
I have ridden the train a few times (one with a steam engine) and it is amazing. try the dome car, not the luxury dome but the regular dome when you can (i.e. not during COVID) that is really the best. The reason for all the rolling stock is that in the summer they run 2 trains a day and that typically the trains are longer. since there is typically the dome cars on it as well.
The more modern “Coach Class” car connected to yours are de-engined Budd Cars that began life with the Boston and Maine, but were modified for the MBTA Commuter Rail operation to permit being used as locomotive hauled cars.
Man I miss doing stuff like this......I'm moving to South Carolina next month and planning on stopping by and hopping the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad in North Carolina on my way there
Damn another bucket list item. Great video.
Subscribed and patiently waiting for the return trip.
I was living and working at the Grand canyon when the railroad was rebuilt and put back in 1989.
Uh, those reversible seating style should be on all trains? So cool.
they were previously operated by Alco FA and 2-8-0 steam locomotive
If and when you get the chance, I'd highly recommend spending some time in Fort Bragg, California and checking out the California Western Railroad. To sum it up, they offer several different kinds of trips between Ft. Bragg and Willits through the scenic Redwood forests of the Northern California Coast.
Took this trip 30 years ago when the only rolling stock were the Pullman cars you rode in, the locomotive was stem, probably the one pictured at the beginning of the video, on the way back , the train made an unscheduled stop, I saw two guys dressed like cowboys get out of a pickup truck and got on the train announcing a “train robbery “ the lawman escorted them off the train, then one of the conductors handed out cold Coca Cola in small bottles, the car was hot and was appreciated. Your trip didn’t have the same feel as ,one because the 50s era cars and Diesel engines take away from the Wild West authenticity. But your ride looked like a fun experience.
Great video! I worked and lived at the GC in 1986 and saw a lot of the politics and work being done on the Depot at the GC. Wished you would have shown more of the GC Depot.
I like the way you wrote comments below and your video was well done and you could hear the train. The information was the best! I was on the train many years ago, you did not show the train robbery?
You definitely should have spent the night at the Canyon at one of the hotels, Well worth the time and money if you have a passion for the American West.
Flights booked. Vacation package sealed for 4 nights. Can’t wait to ride the train! See ya next month! Love from Seattle.
Splendid ride along. We don't have anything like this in the UK.
We got plenty of preserved lines here
We still have some splendid steam trains.
@@clovermark39 For example the scenic and iconic Jacobite Steam Train
Fantastic trip & video, can't wait to see the return trip ! :)
Gosh....I've never been so excited for you! The sense of anticipation is quite something....🤣