SUNDAY JULY 1: (L-D) Our charter motorcoaches will pick up the group at the Garden Railway Convention Hotel (Riveria Hotel) in Las Vegas at 7:00AM. We will go directly to Boulder City where we have arranged to have a private charter train on the Nevada Southern Railroad, a division of the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Our charter train departs at 8:00AM sharp! After our train ride we will then visit nearby Hoover Dam. We then board our two charter motorcoaches and head south to Laughlin where we will cross over the Colorado River into Arizona. Loaded buses with luggage are not allowed to cross over Hoover Dam. At Kingman, Arizona we get on historic route 66 and follow the mainline of the Santa Fe, now BNSF eastward. Mid-day we will have a picnic lunch along the railroad. This is considered the busiest railroad line in America with over 100 trains a day. We will make several photo stops to catch the train action. In the afternoon we will escape the summer heat with a special underground guided tour of Grand Canyon Caverns. After our cool cave tour we will turn off of route 66 at Ash Fork and head south to the Phoenix area. We have been invited for a special late afternoon and early evening operating session on the famous "Maricopa Live Steamers" and their Adobe Western Railroad. Enjoy riding on five miles of track...Yes, that is correct...Five real miles! We plan to arrive at the Maricopa Live Steamers in Northern Phoenix around 6:00pm..Trains and crews will be waiting for our arrival to take you on a grand tour. Also a special Bar-be-que dinner will be hosted by the club for your enjoyment. After dinner we will go to our nearby hotel for check-in. For those fans wanting a taste of night operations we will bring you back to the layout and you are welcome to play with the trains into the evening.
NEVADA SOUTHERN
RAILROAD |
HOOVER DAM |
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PHOTOS OF THE MARICOPA LIVE STEAMERS
THE ADOBE WESTERN RAILROAD
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MARICOPA LIVE STEAMERS
MONDAY JULY 2: (B) Morning departure from Phoenix as we head north into the Tonto National Forest and the high country of Agua Fria National Monument.
We will make a stop at Jerome Ghost Town, called the "Wickedest Town in the West" during it's hayday. You will have enough time to explore this interesting old mining community before continuing to nearby Clarksdale.
Here we board our private charter train on the Verde Canyon Railroad running through remote Verde Canyon. The railroad has even agreed to allow us a photo run-by. This is a 4 1/2 hour ride
through some very remote and rugged countryside. After our train ride we then travel to Sedona for hotel check-in. The evening on your own to explore this very popular town in the Oak Creek Canyon region of Arizona.
JEROME-CALLED THE WICKEDEST TOWN IN THE WEST
VERDE CANYON RAILROAD
TUESDAY JULY 3: (B-D) We depart Sedona in the morning for a drive through spectacular Oak Creek Canyon
and then on to Williams to board Grand Canyon Railroad's 10:00AM train headed north for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Arrive at the rim is at 12:15PM and this will give you more than 3 hours to explore the breathtaking views of the canyon. We reboard the train for a 3:30PM departure with arrival back in Williams at 5:45PM. We then board our charter motorcoaches and head east on Interstate 40 across Arizona. A stop will be made for dinner at Flagstaff in the old historic district next to the train station. You will have time to explore this area before we continue on east to Winslow for hotel check-in. Southwest Lumber Mills steam locomotve No. 25 is on display near the train station. We are going to Winslow, Arizona for hotel check-in. We are going to Winslow so that you will not have to get up so early in the morning to catch Amtrak's Southwest
Chief.
SPECTACULAR OAK CREEK CANYON
THE GRAND CANYON RAILROAD ABOVE AND GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK BELOW
WEDNESDAY JULY 4: (B-L-S) Early morning we transfer the group to the Amtrak station in Winslow. You will have sometime to explore the former Santa Fe Fred Harvey House next to the station that has now been
reopened as the "El Posada Hotel" and the entire lobby area has been made into a fantastic historic museum of Fred Harvey days with wonderful railroad displays. When we hear Amtrak's Southwest Chief arrive all you need to do is step outside to the station platform to board the train. If No. 4 is running on-time it is due at 7:00AM. Once onboard we will treat you to a full breakfast in the dinning car and later in the day lunch. The entire group will ride the Cheif to Lamy, New Mexico where the Santa Fe Southern Railroad will be waiting with our private charter train to take us up the hill to Santa Fe. Snacks and drinks will be served on our run to Santa Fe. The buses will run empty directly to Santa Fe to unload all luggage so when you arrive we just give you your hotel key and you can enjoy the balance of the evening in downtown historic Santa Fe including the fireworks. Our hotel is only a short walk to the historic downtown section.
AMTRAK'S SOUTHWEST CHIEF
SANTA FE SOUTHERN RAILROAD
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
THURSDAY JULY 5: (CB-L) Morning departure from Santa Fe for Chama, New Mexico. Steam workshop tour for the group at Chama.
Board the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic railroad for the ride up to Cumbres Pass and on to Oiser, Colorado and return.
Built 126 years ago and little changed since, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a fully operational steam railroad jointly owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico. This railroad is recognized around the world for its spectacular scenery and unspoiled vistas, as well as the historic rolling stock and railroad structures that are preserved on the line. This is America's highest
narrow gauge railroad reaching Cumbres Summit at 10,015 feet. Today you will ride from Chama at 7,888 feet up to Cumbres Summit and then down to Osier where a buffet style hot lunch will be served. Both the Chama and Antonito trains will meet here for the lunch break. After lunch you will board the Antonito train which will take us back to Chama.
Upon arrival back in Chama buses take the group to Durango, Colorado and hotel check-in.
CUMBRES & TOLTEC SCENIC RAILROAD
FRIDAY JULY 6: (CB-D) A step back in time and history! Durango was founded by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway in 1879. The railroad arrived in Durango on August 5, 1881 and construction on the line to Silverton began in the fall of the same year. By July of 1882 the tracks to Silverton were completed and the train began hauling both freight and passengers. This historic train has been in continuous operation for over 120 years, carrying passengers behind vintage steam locomotives and rolling stock. Your trip from Durango to Silverton and return today is a step back in time and history running through the rugged and remote Animas River Canyon. Once the train arrives in Silverton you will have enough time to explore this colorful old wild west town before reboarding for the return journey to Durango.
DURANGO & SILVERTON RAILROAD ABOVE
THE OLD WILD WEST TOWN OF SILVERTON, COLORADO BELOW
PHOTOS OF DURANGO, COLORADO BELOW
SATURDAY JULY 7: (CB-L-D) Morning departure from Durango to go visit Mesa Verde National Park. Afternoon visit and drive through
Monument Valley in Utah and Arizona. Then continue on to Page, Arizona. Visit the yards and workshops of the Black Mesa & Lake Powell
coal railroad and Glen Canyon Dam. Continue westbound to Kanab, Utah for hotel check-in. We then have arranged a special all you can eat buffet dinner at the rustic "Stage Coach Depot". This will be our farewell dinner. This building is very historic, being built in 1891 by early settlers. Then in 1927 Union Pacific purchased the property, revovated and erected additions for the purpose of serving meals to travelers between Utah's natural parks. It was then called the Utah Parks Company. In 1938 the Union Pacific converted the structures into laundry facilites for the parks. Over the years since, many families have taken the Union Pacific property under their wing. Now the Fracaro family is in the process of restoring it back to the original Union Pacific era for all to enjoy. We think this is a very fitting location to have our farewell dinner.
MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK
MONUMENT VALLEY IN UTAH AND ARIZONA
BLACK MESA & LAKE POWELL RAILROAD
GLEN DAM AND LAKE POWELL
SUNDAY JULY 8: (B) Before we depart Kanab we will treat the group to an "All you Can eat" breakfast buffet.
We then head for Zion National Park to spend most of the day before contining on to Las Vegas. Arrvial back at the Hotel Riveria in Las Vegas will be around 6PM.....End of our tour.
ZION NATIONAL PARK
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