This Eerie And Fantastic Footage Takes You Inside Arizona's Abandoned Train Graveyard

Arizona is a beautiful state with a rich natural landscape and cultural life. But it’s also rife with spooky abandoned places, and this one just might be the weirdest of all. It’s an abandoned train graveyard in the middle of the desert, with more than 300 Union Pacific cars not currently in use lined up end-to-end. Abandoned railroads in Arizona speak to another time when travel was very different than it is now and trains were the primary vehicle connecting the United States.

Editors Note: It has come to our attention that this train graveyard no longer exists, but that doesn’t make it any less fascinating to read about.

Flickr/Don Barrett

Believe it or not, a train car graveyard is a real thing. This train junkyard is a result of shifting travel practices in the country. Unlike Europe where train travel rules, most Americans drive their own cars reducing the need for train travel.

Flickr/Diann Bayes

It brings you back to another time when train travel would have been the primary mode of transportation other than horses and buggies.

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YouTube/Aerial Aperture DPS

A recent downturn in manufacturing is to blame for the surplus of engines. Most goods are imported from countries where they are cheaper to produce. With less being manufactured and transported throughout the U.S. by train, there's no current use for these vehicles.

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YouTube/Aerial Aperture DPS

Seeing those numbers adds a startling civic layer to this scene. These abandoned trains in Arizona are costing taxpayers a small fortune.

YouTube/Aerial Aperture DPS

If the trains really will be put back into use then these concerns are important, saving money on repairs and care for the vehicles long-term.

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YouTube/Aerial Aperture DPS

Since this is something of a working train yard, or at least a moving one, it's for everyone's safety that you don't try to investigate the train cars at a closer range.

Check out this YouTube video by Aerial Aperture DPS to get a closer look:

Did you know about this eerie roadside wonder? Are there any other strange abandoned places in Arizona that deserve to be featured? Know of any creepy abandoned railroads in Arizona? Let us know, and check out our previous article for one we find particularly spine-tingling: There’s An Intriguing Airplane Boneyard In Arizona That You Need To Visit.

Are there any hikes, businesses, or other attractions in Arizona you think the world should know about? Head over to our nomination page and give them a shoutout — you just might see your submission featured in an upcoming article!