I was in Lamy, NM today and talked with the Amtrak agent there. She said that recently freight has dropped to ZERO on Raton Pass. Is this accurate? I know that BSNF prefers their routing through Texas due to easier grades and that the line is now owned by the state of NM, but is freight dead for good on Raton Pass?
Accurate - Not even storing cars out there anymore. There is currently no online industry that uses rail service in that stretch either. What little there was went to trucks.
(NM is in deep doo-doo also for failing to follow through on parts of its agreement with BNSF)
MC, why would you and I be surprised about anything happening in NM. Will you email me with any details you are priveliged to have.
MC
I am shocked, SHOCKED, SHOCKED!, that any soverign state would fail to live up to an agreement. Can you tell us more??
Mac
The BNSF does not use the pass any longer from what I read.
This is a picture of the 648 coming down the pass in 1994. The unit was only about three weeks old at that time and I used the pictures for detailing some Kato models.
A month or two ago a BNSF move across Raton Pass got some notice here, as I recall. I believe it was a ‘work train’ of MOW tie replacement equipment loaded up on flatcars - but on its way to someplace else . . . [sigh]
- Paul North.
I would also love to know what NM did not hold up to…