Event information
National Train Day
05/11/2013 - Community Events Grand Canyon RailwayNational Train Day
The Grand Canyon Railway in cooperation with the Grand Canyon Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, and the Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce will host a day-long event on Saturday, May 11th at the Williams Depot. http://www.thetrain.com/special-events/national-train-day/
The highlight of the event will be the Cataract Creek Rambler: 45 minute train rides in either First Class streamliner cars or our vintage Pullman coaches. This year the Rambler will be pulled by Diesel Locomotive 6793, built by the American Locomotive Company in the 1950’s. Trains depart every hour on the hour from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Tickets are sold only on the day of the event and are $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 2-15.
Several pieces of full scale railroad equipment will be on display, including historic Grand Canyon Railway steam locomotives #29 and #4960 – which will take part in a reenactment of driving “The Golden Spike” to commemorate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. Also, The NRHS’s own Santa Fe Caboose will be open for tours.
The Winslow Harvey Girls will also be on property, as it was originally a Harvey House in the early 20th century, with a display inside the “Max Biegert” parlor car on the platform. The City of Williams will be sponsoring a vintage tractor show featuring plenty of classic pieces of farm equipment around the Railway’s property, just a block from historic Route 66. The Polar Room inside the Williams Depot has been dedicated to model railroad displays. Many different scales will be on display, and the modules can be combined to form layouts of various sizes, configurations, and themes.
National Train Day was started by Amtrak in 2008 to commemorate the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, May 10, 1869. Amtrak sponsors major events in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, and Philadelphia. Local communities around the country are welcomed to host their own events. Visit www.nationaltrainday.com for more information on activities around the country. For information on the area, please visit the Williams Chamber.
