WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel’s No. 4960 was at the head of Sept. 2’s round trip from Williams to the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The busy Labor Day weekend resulted in a 16-car excursion train that maxed out the platform length at the Williams Station, according to Eric Hadder, chief mechanical officer of the Grand Canyon Railway. “F40 diesel No. 4128 was again used as the helper [for No. 4960], and both locomotives were working at full capacity to get the train up the grades.”
The “First Saturday” steam excursion marked the official send-off to the summer season that saw six operating days for No. 4960 – including an unassisted charter for the National Model Railroad Association in June, followed by three consecutive Saturdays in August to commemorate the locomotive’s centennial. Two more excursions with the 2-8-2 remain on the 2023 schedule as Sept. 16 is next to commemorate the Grand Canyon Railway’s anniversary.
“Before the next trip, we need to address an issue with the feedwater heater system with something we call ‘peg steam,’” Hadder explained. “We send a small amount of steam to the feedwater heater tank to preheat the feedwater when there is not any exhaust steam available.
“This steam is set for 2 psi by a regulator. We expect that the regulator has gone bad and will need to be cleaned or replaced.”
No. 4960 was built in 1923 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. In the late 1950s, it was selected to pull “fan trip” trains on the railroad until the end of the steam excursion program in 1966. Purchased by Grand Canyon Railway in 1989, the locomotive has been in active service since 1996 after undergoing an extensive rebuild and being converted to burn oil. No. 4960 currently burns waste vegetable oil.
For more information, visit the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel website.
On April 23, 2022, following the passing of Trains Magazine editor Jim Wrinn, No. 4960’s tender was painted with the message “Steam on, Jim Wrinn”, with the locomotive pulling an Earth Day excursion in Wrinn’s honor.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün