Ballasting, the old fashioned way. With the track in place, and securely spiked, the task of applying ballast begins. Here, the WW&F crew is seen ballasting the southern approach to the ne... (more)

"Swingin' the hammers and drawin' up pay". The lyrics to Gordon Lightfoot's "Canadian Railway Trilogy" come to mind as I watch the WW&F Spiking Crew in action behind the... (more)

"Insta-Track" (TM). At the WW&F Railway Museum, track-laying definitely follows a very scripted process. Once a pair of rails are in place, crews immediately begin attaching tem... (more)

Joining the rails. With the rail in place on the tie-bed, WW&F crew members go about the task of attaching joint bars to couple the new section to the previous one. Note the small track c... (more)

"Elmer" in action - Laying down rail. The WW&F Gantry Car "Elmer" delivers a length of rail to the crew working in front of the train. A traveling crane with chain fal... (more)

"Elmer" in action - Tie Placement. Beginning a rail-laying cycle, the WW&F Gantry Crane "Elmer" has just delivered a tie bundle to the ground in front of the work train. Each bundle conta... (more)

WW&F Track Construction Gantry Car: "Elmer". Here's a clean view of the WW&F's recently-developed track construction gantry car, affectionately known as "Elmer". This car, and its accompan... (more)

A long way from home. As I was exploring the local area around the Grand Canyon Railway Depot in Williams, AZ, I came upon something I really didn't expect to see. There, right in front o... (more)

Grand Canyon Railway #29, up close and personal. Here's an in-your-face look at one of the finest-looking, standard-gauge Consolidation locomotives left in existence, Grand Canyon Railway #... (more)

Mid-afternoon charge over Miller's Wash. Sporting one of the classiest paint schemes in all of tourist railroading, Grand Canyon Railway Consolidation #29 continues her mid-afternoon dash t... (more)

Southbound at Willaha. Trailing a dark plume of oil smoke, Grand Canyon Railway #29 charges through Willaha (approx MP 37.7) with a Trains Magazine Photo Charter, headed for Williams, AZ at... (more)

Smokescape: Land of the 40 mph run-by. Some 15 miles south of Coconino Canyon, GCR Locomotive #29 and her Passenger Special are now out on the high plains, where the tracks are super-straig... (more)

Steamscape: Coconino Canyon. Just about 7 miles south of the Grand Canyon Village, Locomotive #29 finds herself deep in in the piney forests of Conconino Canyon. This canyon features a win... (more)

AT&SF Archaeology. Framed by the ruins of a decaying Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Section House at Willaha Siding, Grand Canyon Railway Locomotive #29 highballs north to the Grand Canyon V... (more)

Grand Canyon Special. Grand Canyon Railway Consolidation #29 is making track speed with a 5-car special train as she rounds the bend 2 miles south of Willaha Siding, on the northbound run t... (more)