Resource Type
Years
The City of Scottsdale completed a $2.5 million makeover of the railroad park. A new, two-story, 5,000-square-foot replica of the 1913-vintage Clifton Station in Clifton, Arizona was built to serve as a park headquarters and provide a souvenir shop, and was named Stillman Station. A new train-loading platform was constructed to allow staff to operate a longer train and to help reduce wait times. New restrooms and a clock tower were also built. The Snackstop food concession, new carousel and playground were also relocated, as were several other park amenities. The rededication ceremony was held Friday, October 10, 1997. Mayor Kathryn
“Sam” Campana, City Manager Dick Bowers, Patricia Stillman and Bill Soderquist representing the Scottsdale Railroad and Mechanical Society spoke at the dedication. At the time of the renovation and re-dedication, Bob McNair was the city’s manager of the park. Within two months of reopening the park, attendance and revenue were up as much as twice that of November 1995.
DATE: October 10, 1997
The Scottsdale Live Steamers (once the Maricopa Live Steamers club) was established in 1972 and has been growing as the park opened in 1975.
DATE: November 10, 1994
Pegi and Bob Sanders of Scottsdale, carousel collectors, brought the park’s first carousel from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, then restored it and supervised its installation at the park. It was dedicated on September 26, 1987, charging 50 cents a ride. “Under a lease agreement, the city and the Sanders Carousel Company share the proceeds from ticket sales.” The carousel, built in 1929 in Tonawanda, NY by Allen Herschell (or was it Alfred Spellman?), had 30 horses and two ‘chariots’ that were outfitted as stagecoaches. “The ornately decorated and mirrored rounding boards that conceal the gear mechanism above the horses are from a Carlsbad, New Mexico carousel built by another famous carver, Gustav Dentzell, in the early 1900s.
DATE: November 18, 1980
Thanks to the Scottsdale Railroad and Mechanical Society, the Magma Copper Co. steam locomotive was moved to the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in 1977. It cost about $7500, which was about the same price Magma paid the El Paso & South-Western Railroad (EP & SW) for the engine in 1922. This engine was constructed by Baldwin Locomotive Works (No. 31880) in October 1907 as the Arizona & New Mexico Railway #26. It was transferred to the El Paso & South-Western Railroad as their #130 when that railroad absorbed the A&NM. It was then sold to the Magma Arizona Railroad as their #6 on December 11, 1922. It hauled copper from the mine at Superior to the southern Pacific interchange at Magma for 38 years.
DATE: December 28, 1977
#10 Steam engine
In 1967, 100-acres of land was donated to the City of Scottsdale by the McCormick’s. Also at this time, Guy Stillman, a local businessman, announced he will turn over his miniature railroad as a long-term lease – purchase agreement with Scottsdale. Mr. and Mrs. Fowler McCormick had operated an Arabian horse ranch for many years upon these many acres. Guy Stillman donated his steam engines and rolling stock, with hopes that everyone could enjoy trains for years to come. This was indeed the start of something magical for Scottsdale.
DATE: February 25, 1974
The 1895-vintage Peoria Depot was acquired, and moved to the park on March 22, 1972, just as it was about to be demolished by its owner, the Santa Fe Railroad. It had been a station along the route of the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway, which was nicknamed the “Peavine.” The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company closed the Peoria Station effective August 4, 1969, then transferring operations to the depot in Glendale, Arizona. E.V. O’Malley donated materials to restore the station after it was moved to the railroad park.48 Over the years at the park, the building has been used as a model train ‘knick knack’ and repair shop called Gerry’s Trains & Tools (run by Jerry Klei), and as a railroad museum.
DATE: March 22, 1972The French Gratitude (Merci) Train carried more than 3,200 gifts from the people of France in appreciation of American generosity in the postwar years. This boxcar was moved to the park from the Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum north of Phoenix by the 259th Engineering Company of the Arizona National Guard. It arrived in need to total refurbishment, but was welcomed at a public ceremony on Saturday, November 7th, 1987 at the park where Mayor Herb Drinkwater, French consul Claude Prosnier, Arizona National Guard Commander Major General Donald L. Owens and chief champion and fundraiser for the restoration Zina Kuhn each spoke.
In addition, after years of fundraising and getting help with restoration, community volunteer Zina Kuhn was proud to have the French Gratitude/Merci Train car dedicated at McCormick Railroad Park on Veteran’s Day, Saturday November 11, 1989. French Consul-General Gerard Coste was an honored guest at the dedication ceremony. In conjunction with the dedication of the French Gratitude Boxcar, Zina Kuhn started an annual City of Scottsdale tradition – hosting a Veteran’s Day Ceremony in front of the historic boxcar, where veterans, residents, students, as well as local government officials gather to pay tribute to Scottsdale’s veterans, past and present.
Zina Kuhn passed away August 15, 2005 at the age of ninety-one.
In 1989, the Scottsdale North Rotary Club donated $3,000 for a ramada to shelter the Gratitude Train Car at the park. The City matched the club’s donation. Club members also donated labor to build the ramada.
DATE: November 11, 1949
