In New Mexico, whatever became of the AT&SF line south of Belen to El Paso?
I know BNSF has now stop using the former AT&SF TRANSCON line between Albuquerque and La Junta, CO, with the State of New Mexico purchasing the line from Belen through to Las Vegas, NM. The State is expected to complete its purchase of the former main line through to La Junta in 2009.
However, I have read nothing of the line south from Belen to El Paso. Is that line still utilized?
Last year, while on I-10 near El Paso, TX, I passed over the line and the rails where shiny, i.e., the line was active, though I saw no trains per se.
That’s good news. I was afraid the rails may have already been pulled up.
BNSF’s new TRANSCON runs through New Mexico from Gallup to Clovis via Belen. Undoubtedly at Belen, traffic for points south and El Paso are cutoff and still sent over the line, but probably no more than one train a day in either direction.
The Belen to El Paso line is the connection to interchange traffic with Mexico and is fairly busy. Perhaps others can furnish specific statistics. The BNSF has sold the line north from Belen through Albuquerque, Las Vegas and Raton to Trinidad. They still own the line between La Junta and Trinidad as well as the former C & S line from Amarillo through Clayton and Trinidad to Pueblo. The BNSF reserved the right to operate (for a fee) between Trinidad and Belen in the event of weather or other problems on the TRANSCON.
Hope this isn’t too doofus a question, but was the reason BNSF sold the old Santa Fe line north from Belen through Albuquerque, Las Vegas and Raton to Trinidad so that the new commuter-transportation authority could own it? - a.s.
No question is too dumb. We are all here to learn.
My understanding is that the line through Glorieta Canyon (between Lamy and Las Vegas, NM) was single track and a major bottleneck. The line that ran east from Belen is largely flat and double tracked. BNSF can move more trains and freight over the newly designated TRANSCON than the old AT&SF one.
Although a minor point, signaling on the old TRANSCON would need to have been also upgraded. To my knowledge, it is (or was) the last stretch of track in the USA still using semaphore signals.
The State of NM was interested in acquiring the line and BNSF had alternatives which were created when the BN-ATSF merger was created. In fact BNSF had hardly used the line south from Trinidad except for detour moves as the TRANSCON double tracking was being accomplished. It apparently was a win-win for both parties as BNSF still has access for detours and the State has a signalized RR which was well maintained. It may be several years before the State utilizes the line north from where the now being built connection to the State capital exits, but they have a good RR and AMTRAK as a client.
BNSF manifest freight from Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo to the Southwest is now going across the Boise City Sub to a connection with the TRANSCON at Amarillo instead of south from Trinidad.
Smart move. Another reason why that stretch of track may have been abandoned or nearly so is that it is prone to closure due to snow, as was the case during the Winter of 2006-2007.
According to one news account:
Closure due to snow is pretty rare, like once every 20 years or so, if that. The last time it closed, BNSF had already pulled its forces (and equipment) off the hill west of Trinidad and NM-DOT showed how truly unprepared it was to run the railroad.
Belen to El Paso was part of the original transcon until ATSF (Atlantic & Pacific w/ frisco) and SP swapped lines. (Hint: Abo was an SP Location Engineer when he met his end.)
Friend MC is almost correct. The original transcon concept was Albuquerque to Rincon and then to Deming where Santa Fe had trackage rights over the SP to Benson, Az. Santa Fe built and operated a RR south from Benson to Nogales and then through the Mexican State of Sonora to Guymas on the Gulf of California.
Of course in the 1880’s many surveys were made with the line describded above being operated until the present TRANSCON was built from Isleta to the Colorado River under the name of Atlantc and Pacific.
I’m not so sure the above is an entirely accurate statement. True, after Albuquerque, the AT&SF did strike south towards El Paso, but at the same time it was building east from California. The various companies doing the building were all controlled if not wholly owned by the AT&SF, IIRC.
In Southern NM, I don’t recall when the AT&SF reached El Paso (or Deming) and if the SP was already there. If connecting with the SP at El Paso and/or Deming made the AT&SF a TRANSCON line, it was short lived.
Who is this railroader named Abo? How did he “meet his end?”
FWIW, Abo is a ghost town along the BNSF TRANSCON east of Belen, as well as the name of a Saint.
Santa Fe reached Deming on 3-1-1881 and El Paso on 7-1-1881. The line from Benson to Nogales was opened to operation 9-26-1882 and to Guymas on 10-25-1882.
Good sleuthing. I am not entirely sure what route the SP originally took to El Paso. If they did go to Deming, when did the SP arrive at Deming and later at El Paso?
How then did the AT&SF get from Deming to Benson? And what route did they take to Nogales?
El Paso is the home terminal with Belen being the AFHT on this sub division. Not quite sure on the traffic levels but here are a few numbers: currently the combo board 6 is full w/5 condrs, the pool board 21 is full w/6 condrs. Up to the north, the Raton line is not dead just yet. There is still a trickle of through traffic on it. The combo board 6 @ Raton is full w/5 condrs, the pool board calls for 2 and no one is on it. Today there was a Raton-Tacoma empty baretable called , with a brakeman. Somebody atleast got to do some work today.
David F. Myrick, in his book ‘New Mexico Railroads’, has the SP reaching Tuscon March 20, 1880; into Lordsburg on Oct.18, 1880; and into Deming on Dec.15, 1880. A bridge had to be built to reach El Paso which occured on May 19, 1881.
The Santa fe reached Deming in 1881, a silver spike was driven on Mar. 8, 1881.
Two gangs had started off from Rincon, the other was headed for El Paso. On June 11, 1881, El Paso had its second railroad.
Art
Whoa! I could you some help understanding your jargon.
AFHT? combo board 6? condrs = conductors? pool board? Raton-Tacoma empty? baretable?
AFHT = Away From Home Terminal
Pool = on call available ground monkeys and hoggers
baretable = empty (mty) tofc flatcars and cofc wellcars…
and ground monkeys and hoggers are …?
mty? tofc? cofc? wellcars?
Is there online a glossary of railroader’s jargon?
Right here on the website-
http://trains.com/trn/glossary/default.aspx?list=4&fl=a
Wikipedia has another long list.
Yep and if not for the A&P. ATSF would have reached California along the 32nd-33rd parallel, not the 35th that the A&P ran along. ATSF did conduct surveys over Beaumont Pass IIRC. In another scenario, ATSF would have had a better route to access Phoenix, and gather Tucson traffic. Also even with line improvements made by ATSF such as the Seligman Cutoff and realignment of EB over the Arizona Divide to 1%. Grades would be lower than going across the edge of the Colorado Plateau.