The depot includes a gift shop,
museum and the Copper Spike Café,
where we grabbed a sandwich before
boarding the train.
The Verde Canyon Railroad is a very
popular outing in the Sedona area.
The parking lot was full when we
arrived and people were streaming
into the quaint depot to buy tickets.
The train leaves at 1:00 p.m. daily,
so passengers should be there by
12:00 — as 400 passengers will be
boarded 20 minutes prior to
departure. Reservations are strongly
recommended as the trains often sell
out. Our reservations were made by
the railroad’s public relations
representatives, and,when we picked
them up, we realized we were in the
First Class car. We had no idea what
First Class included or what the car
would be like, but we knew that First
Class is always a good thing.
We soon found out that the First
Class cars accommodate 24 to 40
passengers on plush, upholstered
furniture. Full bar service is available
and a wide array of appetizers are
complimentary. The Coach cars
accommodate 74 passengers on
traditional two-person seats on each
side of a center aisle, with snacks
for sale in each car.
The train tracks follows the Verde River
north and west of Clarkdale to the
deserted ghost town of Perkinsville and
back on a four-hour journey.
We boarded our car and I was
immediately in heaven. I settled
down on the plush love seat, and
decided that train travel was the
best sort of travel. Especially if you
are in First Class. No tiny airline seat
with someone fighting me for the
arm rest, no elbows in the head as
other passengers shoved their
luggage in the overhead bin, no seats
reclined into your lap, no dry and
tasteless cookies. This was the way
to travel.
The soft and comfortable love seats
had a low coffee table in front of
them, and there were also cushioned
seats with a higher table. Bowls of
potato chips and bottled water were
already set neatly on our table along
with napkins and silverware.
One of the first announcements was
that there would be a food spread
once we got going. Even though we
had eaten lunch, we somehow still
managed to pack away samples of the
fresh veggies and dip, cheese and
crackers, chicken drumsticks, and
brownies. Drinks, including bottles of
wine were available to purchase.
18