Today's railroad action in Arizona is largely confined to the Union Pacific across the southern part of the state and the BNSF "Transcon" across the north, along with branch lines from both to Phoenix. Long intermodal and merchandise freights power along with few stops, heading to California and the east. Freight yards, crew changes, roundhouses, and repair work that once bolstered railroad towns such as Ash Fork and Seligman have been eliminated or diminished. Arizona now posts some of the lowest levels of rail freight tonnage originating and being delivered in the nation.
It wasn't always that way. Railroads were essential to tapping the state's mineral wealth, especially copper, shipping produce from the Salt River Valley, and building towns that served as busy division and subdivision points.
Passenger trains ended the state's isolation, bringing new residents and tourists. Crack trains included Santa Fe's northern Arizona fleet of the Super Chief, El Capitan, Chief, San Francisco Chief, and Grand Canyon, and Southern Pacific's Sunset Limited, Golden State Limited, Californian, and Imperial among others traveling through Phoenix once the SP northern main line was completed in 1926. They delivered and picked up the mail, often sorted en route in Railway Post Office cars. Less-than-carload freight service with the Southern Pacific, Santa Fe and Railway Express Agency served scores of towns and cities, the FedEx and UPS of their day.
Railroads built Arizona.
Almost all of this is gone. But the ghosts linger. Here are a few:
• Around Flagstaff and Williams, the Flagstaff Lumber Co., Central Arizona Railway, Greenlaw Brothers, and Saginaw & Manistee Lumber built an extensive set of lines to load timber from the forests and bring the logs to mills in the two towns. There, the lumber could be loaded on trains running on the main line of the Santa Fe (this predecessor of the Transcon was built across the state in the early 1880s). These operations, hauled by small steam locomotives, lasted from the 1890s into the mid-1950s. Some of the spurs ran as far south as Mormon Lake and Hutch Mountain, as well as Oak Creek Canyon.
In northeastern Arizona, Southwest Forest Industries and the Apache Railway operated logging railroads from Snowflake through McNary to Maverick in Apache County.
• The Prescott and Arizona Central was the first railroad to reach its namesake town, then the territorial capital. It ran south from the Santa Fe connection at the main-line division headquarters of Seligman. Completed in 1886, it lasted only a few years because of competition from Santa Fe's own construction of a branch to the south in the 1890s.
• Winslow's enchanting La Posada hotel is a reminder of the town's importance as a division point. This was a masterpiece of architect Mary Jane Coulter. It was also one of several Harvey Houses, the legendary restaurants and hotels operated by Fred Harvey in conjunction with the AT&SF, where passengers could get sumptuous meals served by Harvey Girls. The Winslow yard was busy with freight movements, never more so than during World War II. Labor shortages resulted in the Santa Fe hiring women as station agents and telegraphers, as well as Navajos to operate track maintenance gangs. BNSF crews still change here. A much diminished yard remains, along with the turntable — but the immense roundhouse and other glories were demolished.
• The Peavine from Williams Junction to Phoenix still hauls freight south to Phoenix on the BNSF. It also once had passenger trains. And it was once much more extensive. Prescott was a major center for crew changes, maintenance, a switching yard, and passenger service — hence the handsome depot that still stands at the foot of Cortez Street. Trains entered from the north along a right of way that went by Granite Dells and today's Prescott airport.
But Prescott was also burdened on a tough grade from the west near Iron Springs. So the Santa Fe rebuilt the line with the Paulden Cutoff in the early 1960s, stranding Prescott as only a branch line that extended to the mines at Dewey, Humboldt, and Mayer. Freight service still operated when I was a little boy, and a jeweler downtown sported a sign for Hamilton railroad pocket watches. It's all gone now except for the depot.
In the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, Santa Fe spurs ran from Prescott as far as Crown King. Narrow- and standard gauge lines branched off the Peavine (hence it's name) into the Verde Valley. The United Verde and Pacific Railway was a line to Jerome, which boasted one of the richest mines in the world for a time. Most of these are only memories, except for the Verde Canyon Railroad, a tourist line.
Another early-1960s realignment took Ash Fork and Williams off the Santa Fe's double-track main line and the daily/nightly parade of some of the nation's finest passenger trains. The new main went north, leaving the two towns on the Peavine, with the loss of many railroad jobs (the Peavine connects at Williams Junction). The grand Williams depot and former Harvey House still stands as terminus for the Grand Canyon Railway. Amazingly, the former Santa Fe branch to the South Rim and the rustic station there were saved.
• The state saw numerous branch lines to serve mines. Most of these were built by the Southern Pacific or big outfits such as Phelps Dodge or Kennecott. The majority are now ghost lines or severely downgraded in service.
Ajo, a "planned" company town for Phelps Dodge's New Cornelia mine, was linked by a 42-mile, company-built branch to the Southern Pacific main line at Gila Bend. Both freight and passenger service operated for decades in the first half of the 20th century. New Cornelia closed in 1984, followed a year later by its smelter. The handsome railroad station still anchors the town plaza, now used by the local chamber of commerce.
Many miles of railroads served the rich copper districts of southeastern Arizona. Chief among them was the El Paso and Southwestern, which ran west into Arizona after skimming the international border through New Mexico. It served Douglas and Bisbee — not only handling ore and ingots, but passengers. (The railroad, then controlled by Phelps Dodge associates, was the means of transportation in the infamous 1917 Bisbee Deportation labor dispute, too).
Southern Pacific acquired the EP&S in the 1920s and operated it as a secondary southern mainline, carrying many SP passenger trains. It hosted long-distance passenger trains,s the Sunset Limited and Golden State Limited, until December 1961.The EP&S depot still stands in downtown Tucson on Congress Street.
Except for a remnant of about 25 miles trailing down from Benson, the extensive spiderweb of rails in this region is gone — even the branch to Fort Huachuca.
• Chandler was once on the SP's northern main line, an important drawing point for the San Marcos Hotel. Unfortunately, in the late 1960s SP abandoned the rails from north of Coolidge to Sacaton, stranding Chandler on a branch, in favor of a partly parallel route through Queen Creek and Gilbert.
• The SP spur south through Tempe to Kyrene was once the first direct rail link to Phoenix. The Maricopa & Phoenix met the SP main line at the former town. Congress had to pass a bill allowing the railroad builders to trespass on Indian land, with the tribe receiving compensation. It was completed in 1887, but superseded by the northern main line in the 1920s.
Elsewhere in Tempe, the Phoenix, Tempe & Mesa Railroad branched east from the M&T to serve the flour mill and creamery, then go to Mesa (both roads became part of the SP). This required a yard by the junction at the Tempe depot. Most of the PT&M was abandoned, but much of the Tempe segment lasted into the late 20th century along Eighth Street, with a spur line serving the APS power plant built in 1958. A small portion was used as right of way for light rail.
• Perhaps the saddest ghost line runs from Roll, a farming village east of Yuma, to Arlington, near the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. This is an inactive portion of what was Southern Pacific's northern main line, which saw almost all its passenger varnish and for many decades freight trains to and from the West Coast. After Amtrak took over in 1971, it continued to carry the Sunset. But service ended in 1995 when the state refused to contribute to the line's upkeep (a common practice, even in such conservative bastions as Oklahoma and Kansas). Phoenix is by far the largest American city with no intercity passenger rail service.
Ghost Railroads Gallery (click for larger image):
The yard in Ash Fork, 1943, when the town was still on the Santa Fe mainline. Railroads carried more than 98 percent of the freight of "the Arsenal of Democracy" during World War II and a similar percentage of passengers, including troop trains (Jack Delano/Library of Congress).
An overhead view of Ash Fork with the railroad and switching yard on the right.
Ash Fork's Santa Fe depot and Harvey House, then on the ATSF main line.
Diesel locomotives in busy Winslow yard, 1943. Santa Fe dieselized early in Arizona to cut down on the water demands of steam locomotives (Jack Delano/Library of Congress).
The ATSF roundhouse at Winslow, where locomotives were serviced and stored (Jack Delano/Library of Congress).
Trackside view of the Santa Fe depot in Prescott. The building is still there.
This map shows the extent of operations in Prescott, including a roundhouse, before the Paulden Cutoff left Prescott on a branch line.
An 1899 map of the Peavine including branches to Jerome, Mayer, and Congress.
A Baldwin 2-6-0 locomotive of the Verde Tunnel & Smelter Railroad bringing ore from Jerome to the smelter at Clarkdale (Y. F. Yates photo).
The Clarkdale station on the branch to Jerome.
A train being loaded at the Jerome Hopewell Tunnel (Y. F. Yates photo).
With the completion of the Santa Fe Railroad into Prescott-Chino Valley, U.S. Sen. William Clark, owner of the United Verde mine in Jerome, established the first rail service to Jerome. The new narrow gauge line, the United Verde and Pacific Railway, joined rail with the Santa Fe in Chino Valley. The new U.V.& P., nicknamed "the crookedest line in the world" with 186 curves, climbed and twisted its way over the Black Hills serving Jerome from 1895 to 1917. (Y.F. Yates photo).
Maricopa is where the first branch line to Phoenix originated from the Southern Pacific. Today, Maricopa is served by Amtrak while Phoenix is not.
Ajo's station, facing the town square, is still standing.
Here's the Ajo depot circa 1920. Ajo was the terminus of the Tucson, Cornelia and Gila Bend Railroad. Phelps Dodge built the railroad to serve its New Cornelia copper mine. The TC&GB connected to Southern Pacific's Sunset Route at Gila Bens. It carried passengers to Ajo into the 1950s. Although the tracks remain, the mine is closed (Arizona Memory Project photo).
One of many mining roads was the Arizona Southern between Red Rock and Silver Bell. This is from 1909.
A panoramic view of the roundhouse and passenger and freight stations in Douglas. Railroads were major employers in Arizona.
Bisbee's passenger station circa 1920.
The restored El Paso & Southwestern (Southern Pacific) depot in Douglas. There's no longer passenger trains or even rails.
The E&SW depot in Tucson, now used for offices.
A Southern Pacific passenger train stands at the Nogales depot in 1948.
The Southern Pacific depot in Globe, still standing. SP provided passenger service through the 1950s.
The Southern Pacific depot in Miami.
The preserved SP depot in Clifton in far eastern Arizona. The Arizona Eastern Railway still operates the former SP line from a connection at Lordsburg, N.M.
The SP depot in Safford in southeast Arizona. This line was also spun off to the Arizona Eastern.
The Apache Railway back from near-death. Built to serve logging and sawmills from Holbrook to Snowflake and McNary, the short line was almost torn up when the mills closed. A heroic community effort saved it. Today its primary business is rail car repair, with plans for a poultry operation.
The Southern Pacific's impressive station in Yuma, which handled all the SP passenger trains to Los Angeles, as well as those going to San Diego via the treacherous Carrizo Gorge. The depot was lost to a fire in the 1990s.
RELATED:
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My book, A Brief History of Phoenix, is available to buy or order at your local independent bookstore, or from Amazon.
Read more Phoenix history in Rogue's Phoenix 101 archive.
Great post for a hot summer afternoon. I learned a lot.
Maybe someday somewhere the ghosts will revive.
Posted by: Gary O'Brien | August 03, 2018 at 03:20 PM
The map shows the "Peavine" connecting Prescott to PHX through Wickenburg. I'm surprised you didn't mention the AZ - California Short Line RR (Now Genesee Wyoming) which once provided passenger services from Wickenburg to Parker and California connecting again with BNSF and making a much better western connection from PHX to Southern CA than the BNSF route through high terrain through Prescott to the main line in Williams.
Posted by: John Cote | August 03, 2018 at 05:08 PM
Thanks for commenting, Mr. Cote. I didn't mention it because it remains a going concern. Wish we still has passenger service.
Posted by: Rogue Columnist | August 03, 2018 at 05:38 PM
I enjoyed this brief history of railroads in Arizona.
I understand that the Peavine segment that ran through Prescott was permanently closed in the early 1980s after a flood washed out portions of the track. It was determined to not be worth the money to do the repair work.
The tracks were removed from the old railroad right-of-way many years ago, and it is now a popular walking and bicycling trail with beautiful views of the Granite Dells and Watson Lake.
Another flood a few weeks ago took out a large segment of the trail, including a 130-year-old railroad bridge:
https://www.williamsnews.com/news/2018/jul/24/rescott-closes-main-peavine-trailhead-after-storm-/
Posted by: Kevin in Preskitt | August 04, 2018 at 07:08 AM
If you want to delve deeply into Arizona railroad history, I recommend David F. Myrick’s three-volume Railroads of Arizona. Out of print, but held by most larger public libraries in AZ.
Jim Turner (jimturnerhistorian.org) retells this often-repeated anecdote from Arizona railroad history:
The railroad first came to Tucson on March 20, 1880, and Mayor R.N. “Bob” Leatherwood was so proud that he wanted the world to know. He sent telegrams to the mayors of Los Angeles and San Francisco, the President of the United States, and even the Pope. The records show that he said:
“The Mayor of Tucson begs the honor of reminding Your Holiness that this ancient and honorable pueblo was founded by the Spaniards under the sanction of the Church more than three centuries ago [actually only one century], and to inform Your Holiness that a railroad from San Francisco, California, now connects us with the Christian World.”
Legend has it that somewhere down the line a smart-aleck telegraph operator intercepted the message and sent back this phony reply:
“His Holiness, the Pope, acknowledges with appreciation receipt of your telegram informing him that the ancient city of Tucson at last has been connected by rail with the outside world and sends his benediction but, for his own satisfaction, would ask Where in hell is Tucson?”
Posted by: Joe Schallan | August 04, 2018 at 08:30 AM
I've spend the better part of my adult life documenting the rail history of the Cincinnati area (see my web link), and what's interesting in comparison to Arizona is that it was dominated by mainline (or wannabe mainline) steam railroads and electric interurbans. The short-haul lifeline type of steam railroads in Arizona as well as many western and southern states is a much rarer beast here.
I think the denser settlement of the northeast and midwest led to a preference for the electric interurbans to take on this "in between" service because of higher tributary populations and greater comfort and speed for passenger service. A well-established network of steam railroads also lessened the market for freight business, so luring passengers with lower fares and more frequent runs was the way to go.
In places like the south and west though, there were comparatively few electric railways, but not necessarily fewer railroads. Especially in regions with extractive industries (mining, oil, lumber, etc.) railroads were the only viable way to transport these resources where roads were poor to nonexistent over rough terrain, but there also wasn't the population density to justify hourly electrified passenger service.
I noticed a history of ephemeral shortline steam railroads in central North Carolina, where my parents live, linking many small towns through what remains a region dominated by the timber industry. Many of these routes lived a similar life as the electric interurbans, building in the late 19th century to about 1910 and collapsing by roughly 1930. There were similar roads in the oil producing regions of Oklahoma, and for various mining operations in Colorado (there they tended to be more narrow-gauge, but still non-electrified).
Of course, once paved highways started becoming a thing in the 1920s then all bets were off. It's sad that this part of our history is so thoroughly unknown today, due in no small part to just how fleeting it was, and how completely most of its remains have been wiped away. It's hard to even imagine what it would have been like living in these places at the time, and just how important even a once-a-day train could be.
Posted by: Jeffrey Jakucyk | August 04, 2018 at 06:58 PM
Jeffrey, Very interesting site info that comes up by clicking on your name.
Thanks
Posted by: Cal Lash | August 04, 2018 at 09:20 PM
My wife was born in Jerome and raised in Prescott. One of her favorite memories, is of going to the station on Saturday night to watch the train arrive. They would then go for ice cream. Many people in Prescott would do this. I am sure that many small towns did something similar.
Posted by: Ramjet | August 05, 2018 at 05:48 AM
Great article. I just watched the 1972 movie Junior Bonner, starting Steve McQueen. There is a beautiful father and son scene at the old depot in Prescott. In fact, the entire movie is about change and the old West being turned into a suburb. Watching the movie made me sad for a time gone by...and I'm referring to 1972!
Posted by: Noel West | August 05, 2018 at 06:13 PM
What really killed the train was the coming of powerful trucks that allowed the moving of heavy freight over long distances.
Rail did not compete well, because of the rise of semi trucks- that is quite simply what ate the lunch of the rail industry. Ironically, if the big rail companies had gone in the ltl and efficient movement of the last few miles, they would have cut the nascent trucking industry down to a few trucks.
Instead, rail stagnated, and did not build enough fast capacity for freight, and did not survive Eisenhower's decision to build the Interstate highway system.
That was the true marker of the end for railroads- high speed truck and car traffic- which ended railroads advantages with one big blow.
It also ended the advantage of a dense city core, after all, without needing to use rail, one was freed from the railroad depot.
Even today rail should be cheaper, but the lack of competition, and the need to build large infrastructure has hampered rail system use. See the https://business.financialpost.com/welcome-to-chokepoint-usa
The problems date from the 19th Century- the bridges under the Hudson are another donkey level point.
Why do so many trucks still pull containers from Long Beach?
Huge pension costs were incurred from the regulated heyday- and the number of employees started dropping with the end of steam. And with the end of passenger service. And with the entire system of railroads basically sent to the scrap heap en masse, welllll.
The above article describing how a container can take 33 hours to get through Chicago shows how the systems were never rationalized or upgraded.
In 33 hours, you can take a container from Long Beach to New Jersey by truck.
Why did rail die? Because it was obviously inefficient compared to big trucks, and cars.
The nostalgia is poignant, but futile.
America is not Europe, and never desired to maintain urban density necessary to make passenger rail and transit feasible.
As for why rail died in Arizona, look at how many of the small destination places are even in economic operation today? One should ask why so much cement is still trucked, given the advantage rail has over a truck in costs....
For places like Williams, diesel was literally the end of the line- the City of Williams had nearly 5000 people living in it at the end of the war, running the mills and the steam engines full blast- but with the end of steam, the roundhouse goes along with the big units used to climb the grade from Ash Fork, and the City never had anything to replace ATSF or the lumber mills. When they left, it only had the motel and Route66 trade.
Then came the I40 Bypass in the mid-80s and the town nearly died.
Ash Fork essentially did die as a result of the bypass.
As did Seligman.
Economic efficiency is brutal.
Posted by: Concern Troll | August 05, 2018 at 09:11 PM
The Teamsters Union also had a great deal to do with the rise of trucking over rail. The best congressmen money can buy.
Posted by: Ramjet | August 06, 2018 at 05:24 AM
I really don't want to get off topic, which is these historic railroads, but...
Among the biggest things hurting railroads for much of the 20th century was government lavishly building highways and airports while taxing and regulating railroads at draconian levels. Also, there was no ethos to support passenger trains. All transportation is subsidized, none more than airlines, but passenger trains were expected to make money. Another blow was when D.C. ended railroad movement of mail, an important source of revenue.
With the 1980 Staggers Act, the remaining freight railroads made a remarkable comeback. I think the mergers went too far, but the turnaround was undeniable.
America once had the finest passenger-train system in the world. Now we're stuck with a 1975 transportation system, adding to climate change, while Europe and much of Asia have high-speed rail and other extensive electrified rail. We're so backward.
As for trucks, they are competitive under 300-500 miles. If railroads are on the ball, they have the long-distance advantage -- even as government continues to subsidize the trucking industry.
Posted by: Rogue Columnist | August 06, 2018 at 10:12 AM
Troll, not to disagree overall but your comment that a truck can take a container from Long Beach to NJ in 33 hrs is way off. I regularly travel from W. Mass to PHX and to my wife's dismay, have actually made the trip nonstop - about the same mileage. My best time was 42 hours including food, gas & rest stops with 2 drivers. Truckers are regulated too and this would be totally illegal, even for a 2 driver team. A more realistic time for a typical trucker cross country would be well over 60 hours. In my opinion, rail has an advantage in long distance freight but as a cross country traveler (with animals) rail would be an oh so welcome option!
Posted by: John Cote | August 11, 2018 at 02:26 PM
Thanks for this piece, Jon. In the 1950s and 1960s, our family took the train to visit relatives in the Midwest, directly from Prescott when there was connecting service and a drive to Flag when the connection was lost.
The railroads seem to be recovering some of the traffic lost to trucking. Take a look at the webcam at the Flagstaff rail depot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImOiKMrH7D4 It won't take long to see a lot of intermodal trains hauling FedEx and UPS trailers (and the odd Amazon trailer).
Posted by: Chuck Albertson | August 11, 2018 at 07:33 PM
Okay, slight exaggeration, lol.
Posted by: Concern Troll | August 11, 2018 at 07:36 PM
Fascinating article, Jon. Thanks for posting about a subject I've always enjoyed learning more about. Here's a detailed map of Arizona's railroads, past and present, by a guy I went to college with.
http://www.azrymuseum.org/Information/Arizona_Railroad_Map_2002.pdf
Posted by: chrisindenver | August 17, 2018 at 02:53 PM
Here's a link that worked for me:
http://www.azrymuseum.org/Information/Arizona_Railroad_Map_2002.pdf
Posted by: Rogue Columnist | August 17, 2018 at 05:02 PM
The David Myrick Arizona rail history series previously mentioned is up to six volumes over 35 years, with a seventh volume's manuscript in the hands of a potential publisher/editor.
Vol. 1 and 2 deal with Southern Pacific and the Phoenix area, Vol. 3 with the southern copper mining roads (Clifton/Morenci), Vol 4 the Santa Fe route across northern Arizona and connecting lines (out of print and selling for $300-400 online), Vol. 5 the Santa Fe line from Williams to Phoenix and connecting lines, and Vol. 6 the lines to and around Jerome. The last two are still considered available at retail price from selected sellers.
Posted by: Alexander | October 01, 2018 at 07:40 AM
I worked with a local historical society on a documentary on Herome Junction. Chino Valley had Farms supplying the Santa Fe RR and Fred Harvey up to the late 1950's. Dairy farms were common. When the water table dropped to the point that large surface pumps could no longer be used to pump water, the dairy farms started to disappear. With the Pauldin cut off, produce could not be shipped due to railroad service being weekly. That did in the remainder of the farms and some industries. The Pauldin cutoff saved time and fuel, but also removed the need for helper engines, maintenance shops, and many employees. A major savings for the RR.
Posted by: Ralph Gould | November 04, 2018 at 03:04 PM
Good read,
Don't forget the Amtrak derail in Arlington in '95
And during the floods of early '80s when we lost all but 2 car and 1 rail bridge and Amtrak did commuter service tempe to Phoenix for many months.
Posted by: Kevin | January 19, 2019 at 09:57 PM
Very well written. Too bad that a person cant take a passenger train from Phoenix to Williams, then on to the Grand Canyon
Posted by: PeteSki Sabre | August 04, 2019 at 07:35 AM
absolutely fascinating article and comments. Our freeways have become gridlock in many places because of the staggering number of big rigs on them. Long distance goods and cargo would be better off being sent by train, I'm thinking. I'm grateful I was around to see steam and topnotch passenger trains, and those great little "milk run" trains, but sad too. Railroads did not thrive on sentiment, but many of us sure do! Can't help but think that passenger service and branch lines would still be useful,even in this day and age. I'm from BC Canada...
Posted by: Jean Humphreys | October 28, 2019 at 06:40 PM
I once rode The Last Train ride to Maverick!!!
Posted by: Virginia Stradling | February 22, 2020 at 10:18 AM
Jon, a very informative blog. Arizona's train network was denser than I'd thought.
My wife and I stayed at La Posada recently. When my parents and I, age 6, came to Arizona in 1958 on the wonderful El Capitan, we passed through Winslow and transferred to an ancient train (it seemed to me) at Ash Fork for the all-night ride down to Phoenix. As I was falling asleep, I heard one of them say, looking out the window, "The stars are so bright it seems you could reach out and touch them."
Posted by: Daniel L Kincaid | November 27, 2020 at 03:00 AM
The information on the Apache Railway said it run from Snowflake to McNary, when it actually interchange with the ATSF/BNSF in Holbrook AZ. And then operated over the Southwest Forest Industry line from McNary AZ. To Maverick AZ.
Posted by: Robert Teel | May 26, 2021 at 08:25 PM