Rails Building America

Rails Building America

Andrew J. Russell’s “East and West Shaking Hands at Laying Last Rail,” 1869.

Embark on an exploration of the transformative power of railroads in shaping the Southwest.

Western Spirit contracted with members of the train clubs of Scottsdale’s McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park to undertake the design, fabrication, installation and ongoing management of the exhibition. The display will feature period HO and G scale train sets that will operate hands-free and will include images and sounds appropriate to the various vignettes, including the driving of the Golden Spike, Harvey Houses, the Harvey Girls, the El Tovar Hotel (Grand Canyon, AZ), the La Posada Hotel (Winslow, AZ), and Los Angeles Union Station. Monitors will scroll through presentations of the stories represented in each of the modules.

The exhibition is sponsored by Frankie and Howie Alper.