Rockslide Disrupts Night Excursion on Verde Canyon RR

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed Nov 19, 2025 9:38 pm

Reported by the Verde Valley Fire District:

https://www.facebook.com/VerdeValleyFir ... 3xhJcv4gzl

Quote:

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.

Reports indicate the train was only 1.4 miles from their Clarkdale depot--a relief considering the normal trips cover up to 21 miles one-way.....

This reminds us all once again of having a good emergency plan and familiarizing local first responders with your operation and railroads in general. Has your operation taken appropriate proactive measures?

Photo by Verde Valley Fire District

nedsn3 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 20, 2025 1:02 pm

I wonder if the storm that caused that rock slide was the same that gave us a real gully-washer yesterday in Phoenix? Lightening, thunder and a real down pour. It was amazing. Streets were flooded here in Ahwatukee (Phoenix suburb).

MD Ramsey · **Joined:** Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:52 pm **Posts:** 192

Way back in 1994-95 when I was a new FRA Certified Operating Practices Inspector working for the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) the then Arizona Central (AZCR) aka Verde Canyon Ry had a similar situation with it excursion train.

Without getting into the details, the excursion train had a pretty serious derailment in a remote portion of the canyon. Fortunately there were no injuries but communication with the outside world was non existent. Very few cell phones in those days and fewer service areas. The railroad radio would not reach anyone due to the remote area and no one on the other end to answer. A crew member had to walk out as I recall to get help and it took both the railroad and Yavapai County Emergency Services all night to get all the passengers and crew evacuated.

The derailment itself and cause got the FRA's attention but the total failure of planning, communication and coordination with local emergency services got the ACC's attention. The county had little knowledge of the railroad at all other than it's freight operations and the railroad management at the time didn't really think about anything like this happening as they historically only dealt with freight. I was charged with working with both the County Emergency Management and the railroad with developing a basic communications coordination and emergency response plan.

The result was the railroad working with the county developed a basic Emergency Preparedness Plan that included coordination, communication and training with the local emergency services. This was long before FRA Part 239 (Passenger Train Emergency Preparedness) requirements for Intercity/Commuter operations. From what I can see based on this recent incident, it looks like this initial simple plan has been improved and works.

As pointed out, it is important that tourist/excursion operations have a minimum plan based on size and the environment of the operation. Several years ago I worked with Tennessee Valley RR (TVRR) and Heritage Rail Alliance (HRA) with the development of Tourist/Excursion Railroad Passenger Train Emergency Plan Templates. These templates were based on the key elements from Part 239 and included two separate templates, one for small operations and one for larger operations. I believe the template for the small operating is located on the HRA website. I have both available and will provide if desired.

Keep in mind just having a plan will not work unless employees/volunteers have basic training on how it works, occasional coordination with local emergency services and updating the plan as needed. If that isn't done, it is just a piece of paper.

Mike Ramsey

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Sun Nov 23, 2025 3:13 pm

Update/more info from the local newspaper--of note is the previously-unmentioned fact that the RR had a "safety patrol vehicle operating ahead of the locomotive" (presumably a hi-rail truck--which I don't think is standard procedure on the excursions in normal Arizona-dry weather:

https://www.verdenews.com/news/rockslid ... 5ab17.html

Quote:

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.