It isn’t often that you see a train car cruising along Main Street, but that is exactly how Verde Canyon Railroad’s newest addition first made its appearance in the Verde Valley. The latest car to join the train consist, christened “Jerome,” arrived in Clarkdale in an unusual fashion, rolling over pavement right through lunchtime rush in Old Town Cottonwood, leaving diners dumbfounded as they looked up from their meals or wine samplings at the rare sight of a railcar atop a semi-tractor trailer.
The Jerome, car #106, was originally ordered from the Budd Company in May 1941 by Atlantic Coast Railroad, but delivery was delayed because of World War II. Finally completed in 1947, the car spent many decades running along the Eastern Seaboard between New York and Florida. Due to the pre-Civil Rights era when it was introduced, the car was segregated with a compartmental configuration. Railroads had to comply with Jim Crow laws in the states through which they passed, so 22 coach seats in one section met the compliance. Fortunately, 1963’s desegregation law meant that seating could be integrated, and everyone began to ride together.
Amtrak purchased the car in 1971 and ran it continually before making its way to the southwest in 1995, where it was mothballed by Grand Canyon Railroad in Williams, Arizona. In 2022, the Jerome car became part of Verde Canyon Railroad, but it took three years to make it part of the Railroad’s luxury fleet.
There aren’t a lot of mechanical teams that can do what the Verde Canyon Railroad crew did to make this mediocre train car shine, not only as a passenger vessel, but as a coach that doubles as a generator car. The compartments that were once used to segregate people are now used to separate people from power. Rehabilitating these 75-plus-year-old jewels into viable operating passenger cars has quickly become a lost art, so the inhouse restoration team had to train themselves during the renovation to make sure that the weight of the generator was supported, it was ventilated properly, and passengers would be in a comfortable environment that was insulated and soundproof. The team has perfected their craft and become a rare breed in railroad car restoration.
“Having this new power car accomplishes a couple of different things for us,” said Verde Canyon Railroad lead mechanic Joe Rosenthal. “First and foremost, the previous power car, which had no seating capability, will become a back-up in case of any unforeseen mechanical failures. That power car worked hard for us for many years, so it deserves a sideline rest.”
“Also,” added Verde Canyon Railroad General Manager Daniel Adair, “in this new car, the two smaller generators that power the entire train are more fuel efficient. Using multiple generators will allow us to normally use one generator and only utilize the second one to power up the train and run only when more power is needed. It is a very significant savings and much more eco-friendly.”
The new car is a perfect addition to the rest of Verde Canyon Railroad passenger cars that all have been renovated from their mid-century configurations to luxury class for this authentic Arizona adventure. The new Jerome seats 28 passengers in stylish accommodations with car-length murals of vintage photographs of the car’s namesake. Like the rest of the consist, the car has living room-style seating, a full-service bar and access to an open-air viewing car. It joins eleven other vintage coaches that also have interesting pedigrees derived from the historic rails on which they rode. Today, their heritage continues because they’re being pulled by handsome, 1953-built diesel-electric FP7 locomotives with eagle paint schemes that have become iconic emblems of Arizona tourism.
Traveling a historical rail route completed in 1912, Verde Canyon Railroad has been operating as a scenic wilderness excursion since 1990. The train has long been a proponent of conserving history and immersing it with nature. In addition to restoring and preserving the consist of vintage railcars and locomotives, Verde Canyon Railroad maintains its classic train route, a rare riparian ribbon between the high desert and Verde River, constructed for the United Verde Copper Company well over a century ago. On rails through a canyon that once treasured copper, it now treasures people.
Mindful of its storied past, Verde Canyon Railroad also has an eye on the future with updates and improvements to enhance the guest experience. In the past few years, the excursion operation has undergone extensive renovations with an expanded depot that has two spacious covered pavilions, a new welcoming center, an enlarged gift shop, and lip-smacking meals served by the Copper Spike Café. Verde Canyon Railroad always strives to improve comfort, safety, ride options and special event presentations with valued visitor and employee interaction.
