Guide to Arizona's Miniature Railroads
Featuring
The Flagstaff and Middle Verde Railroad
Defunct Railroad
Unfortunately the Flagstaff and Middle Verde Railroad is no longer in operation
Unfortunately the Flagstaff and Middle Verde Railroad is no longer in operation
The Flagstaff and Middle Verde Railroad is a private 16 inch gauge railroad located in Camp Verde, Arizona. A project of Martha and Malcolm Mackey, the railroad recreates a narrow gauge line of the 1880's as it appeared during the depression era of the 1920s and 30s.
The beautiful setting for the F & MV is high desert landscape. Mesquite trees, Creosote bushes and native grasses are abundant on the property. Great pains were taken to blend this railroad with the existing terrain and vegetation on the site. The famous "ghost town" Jerome clings to the mountain slope in the distance to the west and provides the backdrop for the railroad operation.
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Ambiance of the "old west" is everywhere. Scale telegraph poles with green insulators parallel the rail of the F & MV as it works its way through the natural vegetation. New buildings and structures have been built with painstaking effort to appear more than fifty years old and to have barely survived the ravages of time and the elements... Railway Express service is advertised at Eden Depot, wooden grave markers and occupants populate Hilltop cemetery, rusty stub switches, piles of rotted 4 x 4 ties, used rail stacked along the right of way and old gears and equipment all add to the feel of a Colorado narrow gauge railroad trying to survive the Great Depression.
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The traveler on the F & MV starts his journey at the open air Eden depot (elevation 3,187 feet). The rail passes the weathered headframe of the abandoned Story Mine and grass overgrown stock pens, traverses Gopher Gulch on a sturdy bridge and climbs through Mud Cut on its way to the high point on the line, historic Hilltop Cemetery (elevation 3199 feet). Passing Mulberry Spur on the downgrade, careful use of the brakes by Engineer "Velvet Throttle" Mackey prevents a runaway as the train drops down the 6% grade at Pullen Hill, passes the turntable and carbarn turn out, then travels through the maze of trackage in the rail yard before arriving back at Eden Depot.
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Other notable structures on the railroad include the gantry turntable cleverly crafted from an old garage hoist. The hoist not only allows the engines to "be turned", but can be raised to facilitate the loading or unloading of rolling stock from a trailer or truck of almost any height. The two stall carbarn, three stall engine house, compressor shed, track inspection car turntable, storage shed and other items of interest too numerous to mention line the railroad. Trackside signs announce the names of significant locations. The mainline is a quarter of a mile of 16 pound rail while the 600 feet of sidetracks and spurs are comprised of 12 and 8 pound rail.
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In the tradition of the self-sufficient narrow gauge railroads of a century ago, the Mackey Shops fabricate all the Flagstaff and Middle Verde's rolling stock, switches, switch stands, equipment and many of its specialty tools. The present roster of rolling stock consists of a flat car, tool car, tank car, drop bottom gondola, Jordan Spreader (for ditches) and soon to be completed deluxe passenger coach.
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Engine No. 1 of the Flagstaff and Middle Verde Railroad is the sister engine to No. 1 of the Arizona and Pacific Railroad and also entered service under the ownership of the Del Webb Corporation. In November of 1959 and again in January of 1960, Webb purchased S-16 "1865 model" locomotives from the Allan Herschell Company for operation at two of its sprawling Hiway House hotels in Arizona. The first unit purchased was used at the Phoenix location - see Arizona and Pacific Railroad and the second unit was installed at the Tucson Hiway House location at 1601 Miracle Mile (Oracle Road) in Tucson. The train traveled a large loop through the inner courtyard and passed the swimming pool and cactus garden, registration office, coffee shop and parking lot before completing its trip.
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In September of 1974, through an inquiry by his daughter Anna, Malcolm became aware the hotel was under new ownership (Hilton Inn) and due to the high cost of necessary repairs and maintenance and coupled with the desire to construct tennis courts, the railroad was going to be removed. Malcolm acted quickly and tendered an offer for the train, two crossing signals, rail and ties which was accepted. Early in the morning of Saturday, September 21, 1974, a nine person salvage crew consisting of family and friends arrived at the hotel. After a full day of backbreaking work, dismantling, cutting, carrying and cursing, they removed the engine, tender, crossing signals, one passenger coach and all the ties the trucks and trailer could carry. A later trip was made to transport the second coach and additional ties. With the exception of the engine, all the material remained in storage through March 1987.
At the time of purchase, the engine was not operational and it appeared it hadn't run for several years. The exhaust stack was filled with rocks, glass on the gauges was broken, the gas tank was full of gravel, whistle was missing - you get the idea... The sheet metal, however, was in remarkably good shape considering it had always been stored outdoors. From October of 1974 through October of 1978, the locomotive and tender went through a gradual process of restoration. It re-entered service on the afternoon of October 22, 1988 on the partially completed F & MV and was officially designated as Flagstaff and Middle Verde Railroad engine No. 1865.
Engine No. 1865 is currently joined on the F & MV locomotive roster by two other S-16s. One which was acquired in Cincinnati and another which was originally in service in New Mexico. Both were a mess when purchased and have required tremendous creativity and patience in their restoration. The former has been restored in a logging railroad theme and is in service; the latter awaits completion of its restoration at this time. The balance of powered equipment on the line is a track inspection car.
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Construction on the roadbed and track of the Flagstaff and Middle Verde railroad began in the Spring of 1987. Four years of construction resulted in the "completion" of the railroad and the "Golden Spike" ceremony on September 22, 1991. Malcolm, however, is like all the rest of us afflicted with the "train bug" and there is always another sidetrack or car or building in the back of his mind. Our railroads are never finished, only time, money and imagination are our obstacles...
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Engine No. 1865 and the Flagstaff and Middle Verde Railroad were featured on the cover of Live Steam magazine in April 1990. Please remember this railroad is a non-scheduled 16 inch gauge railroad on private property; drop-ins (uninvited guests) are not welcome. The operating guidelines in place on the F & MV are very straight forward "My railroad - my rules". Inquiries may be sent here and will be forwarded to the Mackey Shops.
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Before gracing the cover of the April 1990 issue of Live Steam magazine, the restoration of
engine #1 of the Flagstaff and Middle Verde Railroad was featured in the December 1988 issue
of Live Steam magazine.
Click on photo to enlarge |
Click on photo to enlarge |
A great deal of progress has taken place at the F&MV RR since the writing of this article in 2002. A third line now reaches the engine house. A first class passenger coach named "Verde Vista" has been constructed and put into service. Construction continues on engine #3 which is being patterned after a Denver and Rio Grande Western locomotive & tender in Bumble Bee livery. Here are a few pictures taken in late 2007.
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