Last night, November 18, 2025, at approximately 6:50 PM, Verde Valley Fire District crews and the Clarkdale Police Department were dispatched to a rescue at the Verde Valley Canyon Railroad after a rock slide blocked the train tracks, making it unable to return to the train depot. Crews were transported to the scene by shuttle, where they accessed the train, began assessing passengers, and assisted with transporting them safely back to the depot. Several passengers required additional mobility assistance, including those in wheelchairs and one patient was transported to a local hospital by Verde Valley Ambulance Company.
Thank you to all Verde Valley Fire District members, the Clarkdale Police Department, Verde Valley Ambulance Company, and the Verde Valley Canyon Railroad Staff for your dedication, teamwork and commitment to ensuring the safety of everyone involved.

COTTONWOOD – The Verde Canyon Railroad was forced to evacuate a train of passengers after a rockslide damaged rail infrastructure on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

The train was heading back to the Clarkdale Depot when a VCR safety patrol vehicle operating ahead of the locomotive identified a rockslide about a mile away from the depot. It was determined the rockslide made it impossible for the train to return to the depot.

The Verde Valley Fire District dispatched two fire engines to the scene around 6:50 p.m. after receiving a call that the train was stopped on the tracks.

“At that point, we didn’t have any information about why it was stopped,” said VVFD Fire Chief Danny Johnson. “They requested help to just make sure the passengers were safely transported back to the train depot.”

One of the engines, an Advanced Life Support (ALS) engine, was placed on the train that was stopped on the tracks. There was also an ALS engine on the shuttle car the VCR was using to bring passengers back to the depot. ALS engines are staffed with paramedics and stocked with medical equipment like cardiac monitors, IV supplies and defibrillators, unlike a typical fire engine.

“This was just a Mother Nature event,” said Johnson. “With the amount of rain we’ve had, this happens a lot of places where there’s loose rubble or loose rock.”

Besides assisting those who needed to be accommodated due to mobility, a passenger was transported to a local hospital due to an injury by the Verde Valley Ambulance Company. The VCR said the passenger slipped while transferring to a relief car, appearing to injure an ankle. The ambulance company believes the passenger is now okay.

“We were able to interface with the staff there and come up with a plan,” said Johnson. “Work with the railroad crews, who are awesome, and work on getting our crews out there to make sure there were no medical emergencies and we could safely help get all those people back.”

The VCR issued a full refund to the passengers that were on the train during the evacuation. As of Wednesday, Nov. 19, maintenance crews are assessing the damage to the track and performing repairs. The VCR cancelled train rides on Nov. 19 and Thursday, Nov. 20. People who were scheduled to ride the train during these days are encouraged to call the reservations department at 800-293-7245 to get a refund or reschedule.