YUMA VALLEY RAILWAY

The 'Yuma Valley Railway' is an Arizona heritage railway that operates passenger train excursions along the Colorado River levee between Yuma and Gadsden.
As of 2005, the line has been embargoed by the Bureau of Reclamation (see below), and the excursion train is not currently operating.

Contents

Motive Power and Rolling Stock

Route

History

References

Motive Power and Rolling Stock

★ 1943 USMC GE 44-ton switcher Center Cab Diesel

★ 1957 GE 44-ton switcher Center Cab Diesel

★ 1952 U.S. Army Davenport-Besler

★ 1922 Pullman chair car (Apache Railway)

★ 1923 Pullman club car/U.S. Army ambulance car

★ 1950 Pullman chair car

Route

★ Yuma

★ Steam

★ Willets

★ Spillway

★ Somerton

★ Gadsden

History

The YVRY was originally owned by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation. It was part of the Interior Department's irrigation and flood control project along the levee of the Colorado River.
The U.S. Government's railroad was known as the Yuma Valley Railroad and operated from 1914 and into the 1980's. The Yuma Valley Railroad originally extended 25 miles from Yuma to the Arizona/Mexico border town of San Luis. In 1947 the Yuma Valley Railroad was leased to and operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad, at which time the 9 miles from Gadsden to San Luis were idle and later abandoned.

References

★ Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History: The Desert States: Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Robertson, Donald B., , , The Caxton Printers, 1986, ISBN 0-87004-305-6

★ Tourist Trains 2006, , , , Kalmbach Publishing, 2006, ISSN 1546-2730

★ Steam Powered Video's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America - Arizona & New Mexico, Walker, Mike, , , Steam Powered Publishing, 1995, ISBN 1-874745-04-8