This special train is named the "Hassayampa Special" in honor of the Santa Fe Railway train which operated regularly between Williams Junction and Phoenix until April, 1969. Though shown in the timetables as "Trains 42 and 47," the branch line run is fondly remembered by old-time Arizonans as "The Hassayampa." The train's nickname was made famous by its "Cowboy Conductor" Lee R. Roberts. He was a gregarious host, and routinely narrated the trip, pointing out items of interest, even though such was not the practice of Santa Fe trains at the time. At Williams Junction passengers made connections with the "Chief" and other Santa Fe streamliners.

Operated by the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix Railway Company, the "Peavine" acquired its nickname from the route's path which winds through the terrain like a pea vine. Construction on the line began at Ash Fork in 1892 and was completed to Phoenix in 1895.

The Peavine traverses some of Arizona's most spectacular scenery, from the lush ponderosa forests at Williams to the Sonoran desert at Wickenburg. In between are rolling grasslands, cedar studded hillsides, and breathtaking mountain vistas, most of which are accessible only by traveling the Peavine. "Hell Canyon," south of Ash Fork, was a frightening obstacle to pre-rail travelers. The charming Santa Fe depot at Skull Valley is now a local museum, and Kirkland, Arizona, was founded by William H. Kirkland, who was the first person (in 1854) to raise the American Flag in the Territory. Nearby Hillside is the rail head for the mining town of Bagdad and is on State Highway 96.

The Hassayampa Canyon, south of Wickenburg, is the Nature Conservancy's most recently dedicated riparian habitat preserve. Between there and Wittman is Morristown, which used to be known as "Hot Springs Junction;" from here, train passengers transferred to stages for a rough 22-mile ride to the Castle Hot Springs Resort.

SOUTHBOUND

Hassayampa Special

Grand Canyon Railway

NORTHBOUND