GRAND CANYON RAILWAY OFFERS FREE RIDES FROM WILLIAMS, ARIZ. TO GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

02-26-2009

 FOR PEOPLE CELEBRATING 50TH BIRTHDAYS AND 50th WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES

WILLIAMS, Ariz. – February 25, 2009 – Guests who were married or born in 1959 – the same year The Grand Canyon Railway‘s diesel locomotives were built – can celebrate 2009 with special offers from the Railway.

 

“You don’t have to be a toddler or celebrating your ‘Sweet Sixteen’ to deserve special recognition,” said Angela Berrigan, vice president of sales and marketing for the Grand Canyon Railway. “We created these offers to honor our special guests as well as the workhorses of our fleet.”

 

Guests turning 50 in 2009 may ride in coach class for free within seven days of their 50^th birthday. These savings are worth $70 and may be applied toward a hotel or RV package. Couples celebrating their golden wedding anniversary in 2009 may ride coach class free at any time during the year. Both offers are available only by calling 1-800-THE-TRAIN (1-800-843-8724).

 

The Grand Canyon Railway’s Locomotives No. 6773, No. 6793, No. 6776 and B-Units No. 6871 and No. 6860 are all FPA-4, built by ALCO (American Locomotive Company) in 1959. The FPA-4 model was designed to be longer for holding a steam generator in the back. The steam generator was utilized for heating cars. The train is now heated with electricity which is more environmentally friendly by reducing our consumption of water. Locomotive 6793 is the last of the series the FPA-4 model locomotives built. The FPA-4 locomotives originally belonged to Canadian National Railway and were purchased by Grand Canyon Railway in the 1990s.

 

Grand Canyon Railway packages feature roundtrip train travel to Grand Canyon National Park, accommodations at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel and/or inside the park and meals. Some packages include narrated motorcoach tours at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

 

The Grand Canyon Railway Hotel was designed to resemble the historic Fray Marcos Hotel and Williams Depot structures that stand nearby. The hotel is comprised of 288 standard rooms, 11 luxury suites as well as two spacious meeting rooms available for wedding receptions, seminars and other functions; a large courtyard with barbecue and wet bar; a game room for children; a large enclosed crescent-shaped pool and hot tub and an exercise room.

 

Grand Canyon Railway is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. For more information, www.thetrain.com or call 1-800-THE-TRAIN (1-800-843-8724).

 

The Grand Canyon Railway is operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts. Xanterra also operates lodges, restaurants and accommodations at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. For reservations inside the park and for more information go to www.grandcanyonlodges.com.

 

###

 

Xanterra Parks & Resorts® (consisting of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc. and Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C.) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the country’s largest park concessioner. Xanterra operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.; and eight Ohio State Parks. Its affiliate Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C. operates concessions at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Xanterra operates the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Ariz.

 

Long committed to the preservation and protection of the environment, Ecologix, Xanterra Parks & Resorts’ environmental program, includes a variety of proactive environmental stewardship programs in each location. Xanterra has been repeatedly recognized for its environmental leadership in the hospitality industry and is the recipient of many honors, including major awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Travel Industry Association, Colorado Department of Public Health, State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

 

For more information about Xanterra, links to individual properties and reservations numbers, visit www.xanterra.com

 

[Back to Press Releases Main]