SUMMER 2002 AMTRAK TRAVELOGUE

SUMMER 2002 AMTRAK TRAVELOGUE

PART III OF V

NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY CONVENTION

"CANYON RAILS 2002"

(08-19-02 - 08-25-02)

by Carol Larsen

This segment of the travelogue is a chronicle of my experiences and impressions during the week, rather than being a report on the NRHS Convention.

When it was first announced a couple of years ago that the 2002 convention would be in Williams, AZ, I was especially excited at the prospect. It would be an opportunity for a long distance ride on Amtrak again; I love National Parks and looked forward to another visit to the

Grand Canyon; I had yet to ride the Grand Canyon Railway or the Verde Canyon Railway; I had followed news on the building of the new Fray Marcos Hotel and looked forward to staying there; Williams is on Route 66, which peaks my interest for its nostalgic aspects and is a trip I would like to make in its semi-entirety someday.

I mailed my pre-registration in December and the ticket order as soon as the registration forms arrived a few months later. It was also important to beat the rush for hotel reservations since I always like to stay at the convention headquarters hotel. Around a dozen different hotels and motels were to be used by conventioneers, due to the available space in each. I later learned that approximately 800 people attended the convention.

MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2002

When the passengers for the Fray Marcos Hotel finished boarding the shuttle and the driver had loaded our luggage into another vehicle, we were on our way. Included in our group were Helen and Smoky, another man and his wife I met on the platform at LaJunta, and others I had already

determined on the train were coming to the convention.

My Amtrak tickets had been written with an included ticket slip for a Thruway bus from Williams Junction to Williams, but the driver hadn't checked for tickets. I asked if he needed to collect a ticket, but he said he didn't. Apparently this was a free shuttle provided by the Fray Marcos and one of the vehicles taking passengers to other points in Williams was considered the Thruway bus.

With windshield wipers slapping in the light rain, the shuttle bumped along on a side road for a fairly short distance and then proceeded down a highway. It was pitch black outside except for the headlights, so all I could see was woods on either side of the road. Just as I was wondering if Williams was as close to Williams Junction as I had thought, some buildings and the street lights of the town came into view. Even looking forward through the shuttle windshield, I wasn't able to distinguish much about the town of Williams, other than some

darkened store fronts and a restaurant. Since it was now around 11:00 PM and wet, any outside activity had long since ceased. I could feel our crossing of several sets of railroad tracks, after which we swung into a driveway. The driver announced that we had arrived at the Fray Marcos and should go on into the lobby to register. Our luggage would be delivered shortly.

As we exited the shuttle, we could see that the Fray Marcos was a sprawling two-story medium green-colored building with white trim around the windows, doors, and columns at the entrance. The new Fray Marcos Hotel was designed to correspond in appearance to the original hotel building that is connected to the GCRY train depot and adjacent to the new hotel property.

In the lobby, we lined up at the registration counter where the clerks were prepared with registration materials laid out. Included were cards to sign and maps of the hotel layout indicating our room locations. When I made my reservations, I had explained that I wanted a second floor room rather than one on the first floor. The person I spoke to had assured me that it wouldn't be a problem. When in my room, I like to be able to keep my drapes open as I do at home, a practice that isn't desirable on the first floor. Also, I have better reception on my radios from a higher location. When staying in a hotel for only one or two nights, it's not that important. If staying for an entire week, it becomes an issue.

When I called the hotel from the train to confirm my arrival, I hadn't thought to confirm the room location. Looking at the registration materials, I discovered that I had been assigned to a room on the first floor. Helen, standing next to me, had 225 on the second floor and offered to switch rooms. The clerk said all the rooms were the same, regardless of being for couples or singles, and quickly made the change. Helen and Smoky seemed happy with the more convenient first floor location.

While we were signing our cards and paying for our rooms, the luggage was delivered to the lobby. Those of us headed to the second floor claimed our luggage, crowded into the elevator, and were soon in our rooms. I found that 225 was at the end of the hall in one of the wings, hopefully facing the depot or tracks. I can't see trains at all where I live, so when I come to the conventions, I consider the room view as part of the overall experience. I had a marvelous room view of rail activity during the convention and Railfair in Sacramento, the last convention I attended. There wouldn't be nearly that much activity in Williams, although freight trains would be using the rail line adjacent to the GCRY tracks. As I looked out my window, even in the darkness I could tell that I would be able to see part of the depot complex and tracks.

It felt good to be able to unpack all my clothes and equipment and really settle in. That's a luxury I don't usually have in my regular travels, when spending one or maybe two nights in each place. I was excited with anticipation of the days to come, but managed to turn out the lights and fall asleep sometime around 1:00 AM. I needed a good night's sleep so I could be up and exploring in the morning.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2002

I must have been really tired after the late hours, as I slept longer than I had planned. When I awoke, the sun was already streaming in my window. Looking out, I could see some early morning activity in the area of the depot complex. Now I was in a hurry to begin exploring.

The first scheduled activity of the convention was a two-day excursion from Los Angeles to Williams called the "3751 Canyon Limited." This train was pulled by the 75-year-old ex-Santa Fe steam locomotive 3751 that I had seen at Railfair '99 in Sacramento. This train would also provide the final activity of the convention, with the return trip to Los Angeles. Because their direction of travel train didn't coincide with my direction of travel, I had chosen to forego the 3751 trips. Aside from the arrival of 3751, the only other scheduled event for the day was convention registration/check-in, planned to begin at 12:00 noon in a red caboose displayed on a short track on the depot platform. Thus, I had the entire day to check out the depot complex and find my bearings around town.

The historic Williams depot complex includes the original Fray Marcos Hotel (one of the Harvey House restaurant/hotels), now used for a Grand Canyon Railway/Williams, AZ museum. Attached is the GCRY train station with ticket windows and shopping area. Adjacent to that is a newer building of similar style, housing the 300-seat Max & Thelma's Restaurant (named for the GCRY

owners) and a large gift shop. From a GCRY brochure, I had learned that the train left daily at 10:00 for the Grand Canyon. Preceding this departure is a wild west shoot-out staged in a western set at the far end of the complex. Train passengers were already congregating on the platform, along with railfans photographing the vintage steam locomotive that would pull the consist and the one on static display. At 10:00 with whistle tooting, bell ringing, steam puffing, and in a cloud of smoke, the train departed on its northbound trip.

While awaiting the start of registration/check-in, I spent the remainder of the morning exploring the museum and other facilities in the depot complex and taking photos around the depot and hotel grounds. What started out to be a bright, sunny day, soon began to turn grey with a light rain sprinkling down. Since this was the time of year for the monsoon season in the southwest, I had expected the possibility of typical rain storms every afternoon. The dark

clouds and showers seemed to confirm my suspicions. However, much to the dismay of the locals but luckily for the convention, this was the last time for clouds and rain the entire week. During the remainder of my stay, we had nothing but sunny, blue-sky days and pleasant temperatures.

As noon approached, the time for the beginning of registration, I learned that it had been rescheduled to later in the afternoon. The sky was beginning to clear again, so I headed for the downtown area. The Williams/Kaibab National Forest Visitor Center was my first stop, where a banner welcomed the NRHS Convention. This was obviously a former freight depot building, which I later learned had been moved from across the tracks at the passenger depot area. After studying the informational brochures and interpretive displays, I continued on to downtown Williams' main street, Route 66.

In 1984, Williams was the last town located on Route 66 to be bypassed by Interstate 40. The turn-of-the-century (1900) era downtown district is a six square block area listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The street is lined by brick sidewalks and old fashioned concrete lamp posts, with quaint buildings housing antique, gift, and Native American jewelry shops, restaurants, etc. Most of these carry out the Route 66 theme to varying degrees in merchandise, decor, 1950's cars, and menus. I spent most of the afternoon walking up and down the street, reading the historic plaques on the buildings, browsing in the shops, and photographing several blocks of buildings along the street. I also found a convenience store where I purchased some donuts and other food items to keep in my room so I wouldn't have to waste time eating breakfasts in the restaurant.

By 5:00 PM, I returned to the depot complex to find a line had formed by the red caboose. The check-in having begun, conventioneers were receiving their packages of information contained in canvas tote bags decorated with the colorful "Canyon Rails 2002" insignia. Although the 3751 excursion had yet to arrive, more conventioneers had come during the day by other means, so the line was steadily increasing in length. I was lucky to have joined the line when I did, so didn't have long to wait.

At 5:45 the GCRY train returned from its daily round trip to the Canyon. However, most of the interest among those lingering on the platform was the arrival of 3751, which finally took place around 7:00 PM. It backed in on the main line track, on the opposite side of a chain link fence separating the main line from the GCRY track. There apparently is a wye further down that permitted the train to then pull into the station on the GCRY track. Following the 3751 locomotive and its tender were two Amtrak P-42s in Phase IV color scheme, numbers 4 and 7, and a consist of private railcars from various sources. It was exciting to see the tired but eager conventioneers detraining, some headed for the Fray Marcos and others to shuttles that would take them to their various motels. Their luggage had been delivered earlier by truck and was dispersed on the opposite side of the depot.

I was particularly interested in observing those arriving because I hoped to see Charlie, the one person I remembered most from the 1999 convention. He was a nice, older gentleman from New York who I met on the Zephyr that year and kept encountering at the various events during the week. I had thought that if he was attending this year's convention, he might be on the Southwest Chief the same day as I was. Since he wasn't, I considered that he might have come out earlier to ride the 3751 train. However, there were way too many people detraining to pick out one individual.

At that time of year and without Daylight Savings time in Arizona, it was already becoming quite dark, so I returned to the hotel. What a mob scene it was in the lobby with so many more people at the registration desk than on the previous night when we arrived. With all the excitement of becoming acquainted with my home town for the week, I hadn't taken much time for eating during the day and was now quite hungry. Spenser's Lounge in the hotel had a pub-style menu, so a frosty glass and a pizza were just the ticket for a quick meal after a long day of walking, photographing, and train viewing. Then I decided to turn in early since my first excursion of the convention would begin at 8:00 AM the next morning.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2002

I was awake early, full of enthusiasm for the day's activities. As is usual, there were several events planned. I had signed up for the Verde Canyon Railroad excursion during the day and the Western Railroad Multimedia Presentation in the evening. There were also two seminars during the day, "Logging Railroads of Northern Arizona" and "When the Railroad Leaves Town." In the evening, there was a night photo session.

The shuttle buses were scheduled to depart from the Williams Depot at 7:30 AM for the two-hour ride to Clarkdale, home of the Verde Canyon Railroad. I ate some of the donuts I purchased in town the day before and was in the line for the buses by 7:00 AM. Tony and Roberta, who I met on the train coming out, were already there, too. We visited while we waited to board the buses. The shuttles were standard motorcoaches that were provided all week to transport conventioneers between their motels and the pick-up points or other locations for convention events. While waiting in line, I still had my eye open for Charlie, since I thought he would select this excursion if he was attending the convention.

By 9:40 we were in Clarkdale, having taken a scenic route through beautiful Oak Creek Canyon. A special photo run-by was staged for us at the VCRR depot, instead of having one anywhere in the rugged, dry areas along the route. Concern for wildfires was a consideration. The VCRR train is pulled by vintage FP7 engines in a turquoise and white color scheme decorated with the head of an eagle. There are coach and first-class cars with open-air viewing cars between each for anyone's use. I had chosen coach class but spent much of my time in the open-air car for better viewing and appreciation of the pleasant weather. Laura and Jim, who I met on the Chief, were assigned to the same coach car as I was. Lunch, included in the excursion package, was served shortly after our departure.

The train wove its way through Verde Canyon on a four-hour forty-mile round-trip, enroute to Perkinsville, AZ. The scenery through that remote area was spectacular. Where the route followed the Verde River, it's possible to view Great Blue Heron and other wildlife. We crossed a long trestle, 150 feet above the canyon floor. The commentary that accompanied our trip pointed out Indian ruins visible in the canyon sides. It was also mentioned that people exploring the area along the tracks have found relics left behind by the crews who laid the tracks in 1911-12. As we neared Perkinsville, we passed through a 680-foot tunnel and over another trestle.

Perkinsville is a ghost town of sorts, originally settled in 1912. The remaining structures are all railroad buildings, although there was previously a school, general store, post office, and homes for around a dozen families. Their livelihood was provided by a smelter that closed in the early 1950s. In the 1960s, scenes from the movie "How the West Was Won" were shot there. Although the tracks continue another eighteen miles to Drake, the VCRR engines

turn at Perkinsville to begin the return trip.

We returned to the Clarkdale depot at 2:00 PM, with time allotted for shopping in the gift area. There I met Helen and Smoky, who I hadn't seen earlier on the trip. By this time, I was convinced that Charlie was not at this year's convention, or I probably would have seen him by then. I also hadn't seen another person I knew from before, John Cowan.

We left Clarkdale at 2:55, following a different route back to Williams, where we arrived at 4:20. It was so nice to return from an excursion at a time closely approximating our planned return. This isn't always the case with these events. I stopped at the depot to see if anything was going on there, but skipped waiting for the return of the daily GCRY train in order to return to my room. I had some phone calls to make and dined on more of my snacks. The lunch on the excursion was enough of a meal for the day since I was still recovering from having eaten way too much food on the Chief.

The shuttles to take us to the evening program were to leave at 7:30 for the Williams Middle School auditorium where the convention seminars and audio visual programs were being held. The bus was full, so a man from El Cajon, CA shared a seat with me. There was a good turnout at the Middle School for the entertaining program by Vic Neves of "Winterrail" fame. We saw slides on the Grand Canyon Railway, the history of railroad mergers, an Interurban line in

California, and narrow gauge rail in Colorado. Due to time constraints, he had to skip a segment on Albuquerque. Upon returning to the Fray Marcos shortly after 10:00, I declined an invitation to have a drink in Spenser's Lounge. Mmm. That was rather anti-social of me.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2002

Once again, I arose early and munched donuts in my room while preparing for the day's activities. Four events were on the list for that day: an AM tour of the GCRY Locomotive Shop, an all-day non-rail bus tour to Flagstaff to visit the Museum of Northern Arizona and the Riordan Mansion State Park, a seminar on the "Harvey Girls" from 9:00-10:30 AM, and a Grand Canyon Sunset Excursion behind Alco FP4s from 12:30-10:30 PM. I had chosen the last two and at 8:15 was on my way to the shuttle to the Middle School for the "Harvey Girls" seminar. Reaching the corner where the shuttles departed, I was surprised to find a long line already formed and boarding taking place. The man in charge of transportation, Bill Baughman, told me that those people were going to the GCRY Locomotive Shop tour and the buses to the Middle School for the Harvey Girls seminar would be along shortly.

While waiting, I was joined by Helen and some other friends of hers. I had thought perhaps this seminar might be attended mostly by women, with the men all at the shop tour. However, this wasn't the case. In the group at the auditorium, I recognized Gene Poon who writes for Rail Travel News and Dan Chazin whose rail travelogues I have enjoyed reading on TrainWeb. When I had the opportunity, I introduced myself to Dan and we chatted for awhile. I was glad to see he was making notes for another travelogue.

I sat with Helen and her friends during the program. The seminar was staged by a group from Winslow, AZ, some of whom had been Harvey Girls and others who were descendants of Harvey Girls. Dressed in Harvey Girls uniforms from various periods, they gave a history of the Fred Harvey restaurants along the Santa Fe, explained how the girls were hired and trained, and told some personal anecdotes. They also had a selection of railroad and restaurant memorabilia

displayed on a table for our viewing.

The shuttle returned us to the Fray Marcos in time to clean up and think about lunch. Armed with the gear I wanted to take on the Grand Canyon excursion, I decided on lunch at Max & Thelma's, part of which I could take as a carry out. At 12:05 I was waiting in line on the depot platform to board my assigned coach, the Powhatan Arrow. The cars were the ones from the 3751 consist, with the lead engines being the GCRY Alcos. Amtrak P-42s 4 and 7 served as trailing engines. My seat partner in the car was David Elliott whose friend, Richard Tapper, was seated across the aisle. Both David and Richard are from England. I was aware of a number of Canadians and perhaps some other Europeans in the registration line on Tuesday.

Soon we were on our way along the GCRY tracks to the Canyon. A photo run-by was scheduled on this northbound trip. This was without a doubt the best photo run-by I've participated in at a convention. Others entailed clambering up a slope out of a ravine or scuffling through desert sagebrush in blistering sun. I even skipped a run-by in California when the temperatures had reached 102 degrees in that area. This time, the terrain was level. There was a road angling away from the tracks, along which we could line up. It made for a very orderly procedure.

The Harvey Girls were riding the train, handing out candy kisses and packets of information provided by the Winslow Chamber of Commerce. Representatives of the committee for the 2003 NRHS Convention were also on the train, with information on "Star Spangled Rails" to be held in Baltimore, MD the first week in July. It will be another joint convention between NRHS and R&LHS, as was the 1999 convention. In celebration of the 175th Anniversary of Railroading in the United States and our nation's 227th Independence Day, there will also be a "Fair of the Iron Horse" festival, which might be similar to Sacramento's Railfair '99.

The 2003 convention sounds like a good time, but having grown up in Chicago, I'm not enthusiastic over events in large metropolitan areas. As of now, I don't plan to attend

another convention until 2004 in Minneapolis, MN. That will be almost "in my back yard," so won't provide another opportunity for riding Amtrak unless I drive to Columbus, WI and take the Empire Builder.

After our train turned in a wye, we pulled in at the vintage log station below the El Tovar Hotel at 3:30. After taking photos of the train and visiting the El Tovar and Hopi House, I spent time absorbing the beauty of the adjacent Grand Canyon. Having been to the Grand Canyon twice before, I was familiar with the free shuttle buses, so rode them to various locations including a Visitors Center where I had my National Park Passport Book stamped. Then I caught a quick supper at Canyon Village before returning to the rim. As the sun began to set, I positioned myself near Bright Angel Lodge for photos before walking back to the El Tovar and the train. There was to be a full moon that night, but I could barely see its glow in the sky where a grove of trees blocked my view.

At 8:15 we were all back on the train for our return to Williams. The trip seemed to go faster this time. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but heard afterwards that we hit a cow along the way. At one point we were in a good position to see the full moon, now high in the sky. We were back at Williams at 10:30, right on schedule. Back in my room, I lost track of time while browsing through literature accumulated during the day.

FRIDAY , AUGUST 23, 2002

After staying up too late the night before, I felt a bit lazy and didn't leave the hotel as early as I might have. I had originally considered attending the seminars that morning, the First Hundred Years of the Grand Canyon Railway and vintage slides of the Santa Fe Railway. However, it was such a beautiful day that I somehow lost interest in being cooped up in the Middle School auditorium all morning. Instead, I headed for the depot where the GCRY train was preparing to leave on its daily trip to the Canyon. It was getting to be a habit with me to view its departures and arrivals when I wasn't involved in another activity. With the vintage locomotives, passenger cars, and depot, I could mentally step back in time to an experience of earlier days.

The rest of the day was free, before the 3:00 PM membership meeting and the convention banquet that evening, so I decided to spend my time just enjoying being in Williams. There were additional Route 66 theme businesses I had learned of since Tuesday, so I headed downtown for more exploring and photos. One, Twisters Back to the 50's Soda Fountain, had a mint 1955 Ford and early 50's Pontiac parked in front.

After wandering back from downtown, I thought I should write the postcards I purchased earlier in the week, although it didn't matter if my friends around the country received them before or after I returned home. One of several tables in front of the Fray Marcos provided a pleasant location for doing the tedious job. Eyeing Max & Thelma's Restaurant across the way, I settled on having a delicious soup and sandwich lunch there.

After lunch, I was cutting across the depot platform on my way to the post office downtown to mail my postcards when I encountered a reporter and cameraman from TV-2 in Flagstaff. They were doing a bit on the NRHS convention, but had chosen a bad time to find any of us loitering around the depot. The woman reporter jumped at the chance to have the female perspective on the convention and trains by interviewing me. I was considerably less than enthusiastic over

the idea, but finally consented. With all the speaking I've done both professionally and in Ham radio, I thought the interview went very poorly. Had I been prepared, I would have taken the reins and addressed more appropriate topics. I don't know how much she knew about the NRHS, but I was being steered away from what I enjoy about the conventions. After asking me how I became interested in trains, she brought up the topic of model railroading. I tried to

explain about the 3751 excursion and something about rare mileage, but I think that was lost on her. I did manage to add a few plugs for riding Amtrak. Overall I felt the interview leaned more toward tourist and model trains, perhaps leaving the impression that the NRHS is largely comprised of model railroaders. I hoped that I discounted that idea and that her interviews with a couple of men she found had gone better. Actually, I hoped even more that her interview with me would end up on the cutting room floor!

The 2nd Annual Williams Railroad Days festival was taking place that weekend. In 2001, this event was held in the parking lot by the Visitor Center, but this year was at Cureton Park, over near the Interstate. This was to be a three-day event, including vendors of western and rail-related crafts and railroad items; live entertainment; crafting demonstrations; evening barbecues, concert, and dance. Since I would be gone on a convention activity the next day, I wanted to have time to visit the festival before catching the shuttle to the membership

meeting.

The pleasant day had become very windy, with dust blowing off the dry fields around the tracks and also at the dusty location at the park. The vendors were set up in an area with bleachers on one side, apparently used for sports and other outdoor shows. There were much fewer than the "over 60 vendors" advertised and not much else of interest taking place, so I didn't spend much time there. I bought an inlaid turtle necklace pendant for a souvenir and then headed back to the hotel. The park proved to be further away than I thought, so it had taken me longer to walk there and back. By then it was past time for the shuttle to the membership meeting and I was mainly interested in washing off the dirt I had accumulated. After writing more postcards, it was time to dress for the banquet.

The shuttle buses were once again provided, this time taking us to the Mountain Side Inn located along Route 66 near the east end of town. I had walked almost that far when I went to Twisters that morning. The banquet social hour was to begin at 6:00, with dinner following at 7:00. I planned to take a shuttle that would arrive there around 6:30. After spending most of the day walking around various parts of town, it felt good to sit down on the shuttle bus, where I shared a seat with the 2001 convention chairman.

Upon arriving at the Mountain Side Inn, I found the cocktail lounge and adjacent areas fully packed with conventioneers. In the crowd I encountered Helen and some of her friends, so chatted with them until it was time to enter the dining area. The banquet hall was arranged with long tables running perpendicular to the stage. There was also a balcony where additional tables were set up. Helen and her friends planned to sit in the balcony, but I preferred the main floor. From previous years, I was accustomed to signing up for the table seating earlier

in the week. This time there was no advance table sign-up, so I didn't know where I would be sitting.

The tables closer to the stage seemed to be filling fast, but just inside the door there was a table with several empty seats. I asked the men already there if the seats were open and they said they were. I was soon joined by John from Jacksonville, FL, Jeff from Portola Valley, CA, and Rick from the Chicago area. Rick and I had a lot in common, both of us having lived and attended school on the north side of the city. I was glad after all that there wasn't advance

table sign-up, since I was lucky enough to have such congenial table partners. Additionally, this was a good location near the door where fresh air was circulating. From a choice between beef, chicken, and vegetarian, I had chosen the prime rib dinner which was large but delicious. The meal was followed by an audio visual program on growing up around Walt Disney and Walt's fascination with trains, presented by Michael Broggie, author of the book “Disney's Railroad

Story.”

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2002

There were two convention activities that day: the 3751 train would travel to the Grand Canyon for the day and a Sedona and Red Rocks Non-Rail Bus Tour. I had been in Sedona when I was in Arizona early in March. In late March when I was registering for the activities, I thought I would rather return to the Sedona area than spend more time on the same route and scenery as Thursday's Grand Canyon excursion, even though that wasn't pulled by 3751.

Leaving the hotel that morning, I crossed to the depot to view the 8:45 departure of the 3751 train to the Canyon. That gave me enough time to return to the corner where the bus was waiting to take us to Sedona. I was barely seated on the motorcoach when a couple sitting a few rows back asked me if I was the "TV star." Darn! That interview was shown on TV-2 after all. It might even have been on at both 6:00 and 10:00 PM. I had one consolation, that most

of the conventioneers were at the banquet during those viewing times.

I enjoyed riding through Oak Creek Canyon again, as I was now sitting on the opposite side of the bus for a different view. We arrived in Sedona at 10:30 and had free time until 3:15 either at uptown Sedona or the outlying Tlaquepaque area. Having been at trendy Tlaquepaque in March, I chose to stay in town. I enjoyed the freedom of more time to spend browsing than I had on my earlier visit, walking up and down the streets, and relaxing with lunch while

overlooking the spectacular red rocks setting.

We were back in Williams a little after 5:00, in time for me to watch the 5:45 arrival of the GCRY train. I sat on a bench in the sun, making some calls on my cell phone and listening to

the GCRY frequencies on my radio while I waited. The 3751 train was expected back around 6:30, but it was running late—-very late, as it turned out. David Elliott was also waiting for its return, as was Jean, one of Helen's friends. I had been admiring Jean's attractive denim

blazer, decorated with embroidered patches from the conventions she attended and trains she has ridden through the years. I learned that she's familiar with my home town, her first husband having been from my area.

When the 3751 train finally arrived close to 8:00 PM, the sun was setting and the air much cooler. Then we learned what had caused the delay. They had done a last photo run-by north of town, and what a run-by it must have been. Pulling into the Williams station was a spectacular triple-headed steam train. First came GCRY 18 and 4960, followed by 3751. What a sight! After waiting for the passengers to detrain, I stepped into the restaurant/gift shop for a few minutes to warm up. Upon leaving there to return to the hotel, I encountered John, one of my table partners at the banquet. He was leaving shortly for Flagstaff to fly home to Florida.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2002

This was a day that I always hate to see arrive, my last day in a place I have particularly enjoyed. For me, the convention was all but over, with my last activity having been the previous day. When I made my plans in March, I considered leaving on Sunday morning, but had decided to stay over the one extra day. That would allow me to see the departure of the 3751 train, more time for packing up after a whole week, some final time in the setting without feeling I was being rushed off, and the Southwest Chief wouldn't be as crowded. As it turned out, I had a couple of days between my return home and any commitments there, so I was glad I wasn't leaving until Monday. Reflecting now on my Monday departure, that chance decision set in motion a chain of events with an extraordinary outcome that I couldn't have predicted in my most vivid imagination.

Most of the friends I made during the week had already left or were leaving. If they hadn't left on Sunday's Chief, they were leaving on the 3751 train. I was on the platform at the depot by 8:00 AM, amidst the excitement prior to 3751's 8:30 departure. Roberta hurried up to me to say that she and Tony had learned there was still space on the 3751 train and decided to splurge on taking that trip. I saw Jean in line, too, waiting to board. When the train left the station, it followed a southerly direction for a different route than when it arrived on Tuesday.

With the departure of 3751 and also the GCRY train on its daily trip to the Canyon, I especially felt that everything was ending. I began to see strangers replacing familiar faces around the hotel/depot complex. This made me recall my last convention experience, in Sacramento in 1999, when I stayed over an extra day past the convention events to attend the final day at Railfair.

For the remainder of the day, I planned to make the rounds one last time of the museum in the Williams depot complex, the downtown area, the Visitor Center with its museum, and to begin packing my luggage. I knew that would be quite a chore after having everything in the closet and dresser all week and accumulating convention literature, a couple of new videos, and some other souvenirs. My stop at the Visitor Center museum was interrupted by a call on my cell phone, requiring me to go outside for better reception. Upon my return, the Forest Service Ranger on duty, Bob Lighter, teased me about the duration of my call. Talking to him reminded me of something I had wanted to do during the week, that I hoped to still have time for that evening.

By later in the afternoon, I just wanted to sit at the depot, although the GCRY train wouldn't be in until 5:45. I owed a letter to a friend in California and had thought I would write either while on the Chief or during the convention week. What extra time did I think I would have? I knew better than that! Now this was the perfect opportunity to sit there peacefully, jotting off a few lines.

Wanting to have dinner out of the way early, I went to Max & Thelma's at 4:00 PM. That allowed time to see the GCRY train and its passengers return from the Canyon once more and to hurry over to the Fray Marcos for a special program. When I arrived in my room on Monday, I found a notice on the dresser that at 6:00 PM on certain days of the week, in the Santa Fe Room at the hotel there would be a program sponsored by the GCRY and the Kaibab National Forest. The program would cover the history of the Williams area and the railroad and tell what to expect when visiting or staying at the Grand Canyon. The days this program was offered were Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. It would have been a good program to see earlier in the week, but better late than never. Obviously, I wasn't there in time on Monday, on Tuesday I was involved in convention check-in and waiting for the arrival of 3751, on Friday I was leaving for the banquet, and on Saturday I was waiting for 3751 to return from the Canyon.

When I hurried into the hotel at almost 6:00 PM, I found the Santa Fe Room filled with people, but was directed to an empty chair in the front. More people were still arriving, with "standing room only" in the rear. It was a mixed crowd including families with children, who were soon enthralled with the presentation. The program was conducted by Bob Lighter, the ranger I met at the Visitor Center that afternoon. He was very entertaining, including interesting anecdotes and involving some of the children. I was glad I had remembered this last opportunity to attend the program. In a way, it meant more to me after experiencing the area all week.

Upon leaving the Santa Fe Room, I went outside with my camera, hoping to see a spectacular sunset to photograph as the final touch to my stay in Williams. Sunsets usually require clouds to reflect the last rays in a dramatic pattern. The sky was too clear, so the sun set quietly, without drama. And so, too, ended my week.