The Arizona Central Railroad is an Arizona shortline

ShortLine

Short Line is a brand name for three different Coach USA companies, Hudson Transit Lines, Hudson Transit Corporation, and Chenango Valley Bus Lines that provide local, commuter and intercity bus service in lower New York State, primarily along the Route 17 and Southern Tier corridor.-Service...

 railroad that operates from a connection with the BNSF Railway

BNSF Railway

The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

 at Drake, Arizona

Drake, Arizona

Drake is an unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States, and a station on the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway. Drake is also the junction and western terminus of the Verde Canyon Railroad...

. The AZCR runs 37.8 miles (60.8 km) from Drake to Clarkdale, Arizona

Clarkdale, Arizona

Clarkdale is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 3,836.Clarkdale, formerly a mining town, is now largely a retirement community with an eye for the arts.-History:...

. An excursion train

Excursion train

An excursion train is a chartered train run for a special event or purpose.Examples of excursion trains:* A train to a major sporting event* A train run for railfans or tourism...

 also runs on the line through Verde Canyon and is operated by the same owners under the Verde Canyon Railroad. The AZCR is owned by David L. Durbano (The Western Group).

Traffic

The AZCR handles 1,500 cars per year (1996 figure) of inbound coal

Coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

 to the Phoenix Cement Company and shipping outbound cement

Cement

In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...

.

The Verde Canyon Railroad carries 100,000 passengers per year (2005 figure).

Verde Valley Railway

From 1913-1989 the line was operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...

 (Santa Fe Railway). On November 17, 1911, the Verde Valley Railway was charter

Charter

A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...

ed as a non-operating subsidiary of the Santa Fe Railway. Construction from Cedar Glade (west of Drake) to Clarkdale was immediately commenced on February 13, 2012 and was completed on February 1, 1913, at a total cost of $1,286,061. It was built to support the copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

 mines at Jerome, Arizona

Jerome, Arizona

Jerome is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 353.-History:...

. On December 31, 1942, the Verde Valley was conveyed to the Santa Fe Railway by deed

Deed

A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...

.

On April 14, 1989, the Santa Fe Railway sold the Clarkdale branch to David L. Durbano's "The Western Group." The new railroads were named the Arizona Central Railroad for freight and the Verde Canyon Railroad for passenger service. Passenger service resumed in November 1990.

Motive power

The AZCR has four locomotives that were all built in the 1950s. The railroad has one EMD GP7

EMD GP7

The EMD GP7 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel between October, 1949 and May, 1954. Power was provided by an EMD 567B 16-cylinder engine which generated . The GP7 was offered both with and without control cabs, and...

 (AZCR 2279), one EMD GP9

EMD GP9

An EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in the United States, and General Motors Diesel in Canada between January, 1954, and August, 1963. US production ended in December, 1959, while an additional thirteen units were built in Canada, including...

 (AZCR 3413) and a pair of EMD FP7

EMD FP7

The EMD FP7 was a , B-B dual-service passenger and freight-hauling diesel locomotive produced between June 1949 and December 1953 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant, excepting locomotives destined for...

s (1510 and 1512, used to power the excursion)

Route

The route is nestled between two national forests

United States National Forest

National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...

 and adjacent to a designated wilderness area, follows the Verde River

Verde River

The Verde River is the north and northwestern watershed of the Salt River–Verde River Watershed that co-join and enter the Gila River at Phoenix, Arizona, located in the U.S. state of Arizona...

 the entire way and features a 680 feet (207.3 m) long tunnel and many bridges.

• Drake, Arizona
  Drake, Arizona
  Drake is an unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States, and a station on the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway. Drake is also the junction and western terminus of the Verde Canyon Railroad...
  
   - BNSF
• Mack
• Bear
• Perkinsville - A ghost town
• Sycamore
• Clarkdale, Arizona
  Clarkdale, Arizona
  Clarkdale is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 3,836.Clarkdale, formerly a mining town, is now largely a retirement community with an eye for the arts.-History:...
  
  

External links

• Clarkdale Arizona Central Railroad, official website
• Verde Canyon Railroad, official website