Santa Fe 3751 in La Paz

The sights and sounds of a steam locomotive in action were in La Paz County May 14 and 15 as the Grand Canyon Limited made its way along the Arizona & California Railroad. This special train was powered by Santa Fe 3751, a fully restored “Northern”-type steam locomotive. The train consisted of restored 1950s-era railroad passenger cars.

The train was an official event of the Arizona Centennial Celebration, and was organized by the Central Coast Railway Club. The locomotive was restored by the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society.

The train left Los Angeles Union Station on May 14. It traveled the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe mainline to Cadiz, Calif., and a junction with the A & C. From there, it headed to Parker for an overnight stay. It left Parker May 15 and headed to Matthie, a junction with the BNSF “pea vine” line near Wickenburg.

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Two Amtrak diesel locomotives provided electrical power for the train. Aside from an “Amcafe” car owned by Amtrak, all the cars on the train were privately owned, restored cars from the 1950s. The car on the end of the train was a “dome observation” car lettered for the California Zephyr, a deluxe train that ran from Chicago to Oakland, Calif., from 1949 to 1970.