Steam locomotives were not exactly the Priuses of the frontier. The big iron beasts had an insatiable need for fuel and water, and they emitted billowing clouds of coal-fueled black smoke. So it seems an odd thing that Grand Canyon Railway rolls out the steam train to celebrate Earth Day, April 22.
Then again, maybe not so strange
Since it was purchased by Xanterra Parks & Resorts in 2007, Grand Canyon Railway, quietly and without much fanfare, has gone aggressively green.
The centerpiece of its initiative has been to convert coal-fired steam engines to run on 100 percent-recycled waste vegetable oil for a handful of trips a year. The oil, originally used for cooking at Xanterra's Grand Canyon restaurants, is converted into a clean-burning fuel. Instead of black, sooty smoke, the converted engines produce a few white wisps and -- no joke -- the aroma of french fries.
Hard-core rail fans, or "foamers," take delight in Canyon excursions aboard the retrofitted vegetable-oil steamers. For other trips to the South Rim, diesel trains running on low-sulfur fuel are used.
Additionally, rainwater and snowmelt are gathered through the year to operate the steam trains. This saves more than 11,000 gallons of water per trip, water that doesn't need to be pulled from the aquifer.
"Xanterra's mission statement says it all: 'Legendary hospitality with a softer footprint,' " said Morgan O'Connor, the company's director of sustainability. "Since 2008, Grand Canyon Railway has reduced fossil-fuel consumption by 34.6 percent, water consumption by 61 percent and hazardous-waste generation by 98percent. We've teamed up with a local paper mill to close the loop on our paper-waste stream. In 2011, Grand Canyon Railway diverted 20.14 tons of paper waste to the mill for the manufacturing of the 100percent recycled-content paper towels and napkins we purchase for our operations."
The same effort is made at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, where an Energy Star roof liner moderates room temperatures. A solar thermal system heats the water, Green Seal-certified cleaning and laundry products are used, and traditional lightbulbs have been converted to CFL and LED styles.
"Our company wholeheartedly embraces sustainability," O'Connor said. "Every employee participates in monthly sustainability training covering topics such as energy conservation, water conservation, universal waste management and green purchasing, just to name a few."
Trains first chugged the 65 miles from Williams to the Grand Canyon in 1901. For the next two decades, most visitors arrived via the rails. But during that era, automobiles began to seem less like newfangled contraptions and more like must-have items. As the American love affair with the car blossomed, train service declined. In 1968, three passengers took the last train to the Grand Canyon, and the line went dormant.
The track was being torn up for salvage materials when Phoenix businessman Max Biegert stepped in. He and his wife, Thelma, purchased the railway in 1989 and began redeveloping the route. After Xanterra bought the operation, it began updating equipment and implementing eco-friendly policies.
In the high desert, where water is a scarce commodity, running a steam locomotive day after day wasn't practical. Xanterra began using more-efficient diesel engines. These were fueled by ultra-low-sulfur diesel five years before that fuel was mandated by law.
Today, riding the rails to the Grand Canyon attracts people from all over the world. The train leaves the Williams depot at 9:30 a.m. daily. Attendants in each car give a talk on rules, safety procedures and recycling protocol aboard the train.
"Our passengers are great. They're very enthusiastic about the program," says Lorraine Oresko, an attendant. "When Max and Thelma owned the railway, the amount of trash we unloaded after each train was just tremendous. Now what's not biodegradable gets recycled. We process 500 pounds of glass each week. That's 500 pounds of material that doesn't end up in the landfill."
Xanterra's commitment to eco-friendly practices holds special significance for Oresko, who has lived in Ash Fork for 10 years and uses wind turbines and solar panels to generate power.
"We live in a place where the stillness is part of the landscape. You can hear your heart beat," Oresko said. "What we did is for the future of our grandkids. Maybe it will influence the choices they make."
A ride on the Grand Canyon Railway is a soothing, back-in-time journey. The standard-gauge tracks traverse rolling prairie for the first hour, then climb through mixed timber en route to the Canyon.
Keep an eye peeled for wildlife. Prairie dogs, elk, pronghorn and mule deer are among the animals often spotted.
Along the way, singing cowboys wander from car to car crooning folk, blues and campfire tunes.
The train pulls into the Grand Canyon Depot on the South Rim at 12:15 p.m. It departs for Williams at 3:30 p.m., giving day-trippers three hours for a taste of the sights.
"I never take time to do this, and it's allowed me such a relaxed view of the countryside," said Steve Vingelis, visiting from Long Island, N.Y.
"Normally when driving, I have one eye on the scenery and one on the road, which occasionally leads me to miss one or the other. The train has been a great way to meet people from all over. And the staff has been very educational and informative."
via az rebublic
