McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park
Encyclopedia
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is a 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) railroad park located in Scottsdale, Arizona
. It features a 15" gauge railroad, a Magma Arizona Railroad locomotive, a railroad museum, three model railroad clubs and a 7.5" gauge live steam railroad.
to the City of Scottsdale stipulating that it be used as a park for all people to enjoy. The son of Anne and Fowler McCormick, Guy Stillman, assembled his 15" gauge narrow gauge railroad replica in the property. He called it the "Paradise & Pacific Railroad" and was offered to the city in 1971. The U.S. Marines and Senator Barry Goldwater
contributed in the railroad expansion. With their apportions to the railroad route expansion, the park
officially opened the morning of October 4, 1975.
The park's original name was McCormick
Railroad Park, but in 1996 the park was renamed McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in recognition of its founder, Guy Stillman. The City of Scottsdale sold 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of the donated land to a developer several years ago,
. The track is 3000 feet (914.4 m) long and has a loading platform, a train shed, turntable, a tunnel and two trestles. The layout has two main loops: the outer loop passes over the tunnel and the inner through it. Each loop has a trestle.
The following three railroad clubs are housed in the McCormick Ranch Bunkhouse:
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
. It features a 15" gauge railroad, a Magma Arizona Railroad locomotive, a railroad museum, three model railroad clubs and a 7.5" gauge live steam railroad.
History
In 1967, the Fowler McCormicks donated 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of McCormick RanchMcCormick Ranch
McCormick Ranch, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, can today be recognized as one of the largest planned residential communities in Arizona.Its history begins in 1942, when the land was owned by Merle Chaney. This ranch, the largest ranch in the City of Scottsdale , was sold to the McCormick family...
to the City of Scottsdale stipulating that it be used as a park for all people to enjoy. The son of Anne and Fowler McCormick, Guy Stillman, assembled his 15" gauge narrow gauge railroad replica in the property. He called it the "Paradise & Pacific Railroad" and was offered to the city in 1971. The U.S. Marines and Senator Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
contributed in the railroad expansion. With their apportions to the railroad route expansion, the park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
officially opened the morning of October 4, 1975.
The park's original name was McCormick
McCormick
McCormick, McCormack or MacCormack may refer to:People with the surname McCormick or McCormack:*McCormick *Cyrus McCormick, inventor*Robert R. McCormick, newspaper publisher*Lynde D...
Railroad Park, but in 1996 the park was renamed McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in recognition of its founder, Guy Stillman. The City of Scottsdale sold 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of the donated land to a developer several years ago,
Attractions
- Paradise & Pacific Railroad: Created by Stillman, the Paradise & Pacific Railroad is the oldest and the first attraction to operate in the park. This 15" gauge trainTrainA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
has a route of 3800 feet (1,158.2 m) of track and 1,400 of sidetrack, including two trestles, a tunnel, water tank, loading platform, turntable, two crossing signals and an extensive train shed and workshop. The railroad has three steamSteamSteam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
engines, three diesel engineDiesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s, two cabooseCabooseA caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
s, a coach car, a trolleyTramA tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
car, two boxcars and a large number of gondolaGondola (rail)In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...
cars. - Charro Carrousel: This merry-go-round was built in 1950 by The Allan Herschell CompanyThe Allan Herschell CompanyThe Allan Herschell Company was a company that specialized in the creation of amusement rides, particularly carousels and roller coasters. The company manufactured portable machines which could be used by traveling carnival operators...
and was purchased and restored by the Scottsdale Railroad & Mechanical Society. - Playgrounds: The park has two children's playgrounds, one of them southwestern-themed in an adobe construction.
Exhibits
- Magma Arizona Railroad Engine #6: This locomotive was built in 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive WorksBaldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
and operated in the Magma Arizona Railroad in a period of fifty-four years. It was purchased by the Scottsdale Railroad & Mechanical Society in 1977 and is the only ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
& New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
engine remaining in Arizona. - Railroad Museum
- Roald Amundsen Pullman Car: Donated to the Scottsdale Railroad and Mechanical Society by Mr. and Mrs. Franz Talley, it is one of six cars built by the Pullman CompanyPullman CompanyThe Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
in 1928. It was constructed at a cost of $205,000 and used by Presidents Herbert HooverHerbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Dwight Eisenhower. President Eisenhower used the car exclusively during the whistle-stop campaign in 1952. It was on this car on August 18, 1940, that President Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister W.L. McKenzie King met and mutually agreed to the Ogdensberg Declaration, a declaration that provided for the joint defense of North America in the event of foreign invasion. That was the beginning of the North American Air Defense also known as N.O.R.A.D. It was donated to the park in 1971. - Gabre Brooks Machine Shop: Built in 1930 by Gabre Brooks, who was considered the finest machinist in the United States during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It still contains original machining equipment. - Navajo Hogans: These are two of the only three Indian hogans that exist off the Northern Arizona Navajo Indian Reservation. The other hogan is located at the Heard MuseumHeard MuseumThe Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
in Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. - Xeriscape Arboretum: This desertDesertA desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
arboretum has been growing since 1980 and has different species of plants from different regions.
Railroad clubs
Scottsdale Live Steamers: The Scottsdale Live Steamers is a 7.5" gauge miniature railroad which surrounds the Xeriscape Arboretum and was the former home of the Maricopa Live SteamersMaricopa Live Steamers
The Maricopa Live Steamers Railroad Heritage Preservation Society is a live steamer club in Phoenix, Arizona. Their 7.5-inch gauge "Adobe Western Railway" has fourteen miles of track. They also offer free train rides to the public....
. The track is 3000 feet (914.4 m) long and has a loading platform, a train shed, turntable, a tunnel and two trestles. The layout has two main loops: the outer loop passes over the tunnel and the inner through it. Each loop has a trestle.
The following three railroad clubs are housed in the McCormick Ranch Bunkhouse:
- Scottdale Model Railroad Club: This club features a HO scale model train layout.
- Paradise & Pacific Tinplate Club: This club features an O scale model train layout.
- Sun-N Sand Club: This club features an N scale model train layout.