SHM Lecture Series: 6/6/2026 - "The History of Railroads in Prescott"

Lecture Series – Saturday, June 6th @ 2pm – Tom McColloch – “The History of Railroads in Prescott”

In the early days of Prescott’s history, two different railroads served the small, but rapidly growing region. The first railroad was the Prescott & Arizona Central which operated from 1887 to 1893. The second was the Santa Fe railroad, serving Prescott & Phoenix, which started in 1895 and is still in operation today - though the route has since been redirected and no longer runs through the city of Prescott. 

The Santa Fe, P&P, was nicknamed the “Peavine” due to the many track curves needed for the railroad to follow mountainous terrain. In this presentation, we will follow the routes of these railroads, see historic photos of various bridges and stations in comparison with current photos that showcase the many landmarks that remain today which serve as reminders of the railroad that was once in Prescott.

Tom McColloch is a retired mechanical engineer with a lifelong interest in railroads and model railroads. He and his wife moved to Prescott in 2013, relocating from western New York state. Tom has conducted extensive research of railroad history in the Prescott area, including hiking all of the abandoned Peavine railroad right-of-way from Paulden to Skull Valley. Tom regularly facilitates a class for OLLI at Yavapai College about Prescott railroad history. He is an active member of the Central Arizona Model Railroad Club and is building an HO scale model railroad at his home. 

Photo courtesy of Sharlot Hall Museum Archives