I don't live in or near Phoenix, but from what I know about the area there is very little regularly-scheduled train activity.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) has a line (the Peavine) that runs into Phoenix from the north, and Union Pacific (UP) has a line coming in from the south, but both are branch lines with very little traffic.
If it's still running, there's a regional line called the Arizona-California line that runs from the southwest side of Phoenix to Parker, Arizona, across the Colorado River, and then to a connection with the BNSF at Cadiz, California.
The BNSF transcontinental line runs across northern Arizona through Holbrook, Flagstaff, Williams, and Kingman, basically parallel to Interstate Highway 40, and the UP Sunset Route main line runs further south through Yuma, Casa Grande and Tucson, parallel to Interstate Highway 10.
.
I used to go to Phoenix frequently for training. In the evenings I would go south to Maricopa or Casa Grande to watch the SP. I tried to catch some action on the ATSF and SP in Phoenix but other than some switching there was no traffic that I ever saw.
There are no through trains in Phoenix as both BNSF and UP lines are essentially heavy branch lines. At one time, there was Amtrak service, but the UP line to the west is o/s at present, with no date for resumption of through service, if ever.
You can catch an early afternoon outbound stack train on the BNSF on US 60 (Grand Avenue), which parallels the line all the way to Wickenburg. And with a scanner, you may hear an inbound or outbound freight on the UP, that you can catch at any number of crossings in Tempe, Mesa and beyond. I'm guessing there are 2-3 in both directions daily.
But as DS4-4-1000 suggests, Maricopa and Casa Grande are the places to go. Lots of trains, most of them at track speed. There is an Amtrak depot at Maricopa, and I have always felt safe there.
John Timm
Earlier this summer we stayed at Grand Canyon RR's hotel adjacent to the station in Williams, AZ. It is on the Peavine line near its start. I was surprised how many trains there were on that line to Pheonix, mostly intermodal.
The BNSF yard from US 60 (Phoenix-Wickenburg Hwy.) and McDowell St. to the south on the western side of N. 19th Ave. sometimes yields some activity - or at least some interesting sights. There's even a turntable there, at the southern end: N 33 27.352' W 112 6.079'
I have seen ex-ATSF 'light' units crossing S. Rural Rd. in Tempe (southern part of N. Scottsdale Rd.), at: N 33 24.658' W 111 55.577' Not sure where they were bound for, though.
Don't forget the nearby McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, at the SE corner of N. Scottsdale Rd. and E. Indian Bend Rd., at: N 33 24.658' W 111 55.577' See: http://www.therailroadpark.com/
Or as tree68 has mentioned elsewhere, the Maricopa Live Steamers ("Free Rides Every Sunday!" one of the slides says): http://www.maricopalivesteamers.com/
Otherwise, head to either BNSF at Flagstaff and/ or Winslow, or to UP (SP) at Casa Grande, Picacho Peak, Tucson and beyond, etc.
- Paul North.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.