i am looking for information on long abandoned New Mexico shortlines such as New Mexico Midland, Rio Grand Eastern, and New Mexico Central. is there anyone out there that has lived in the communities these shortlines passed through that could give me an idea of what businesses the lines would have served?
No, I’ve not lived there, but information on primary traffic sources for two of these lines is found in New Mexico’s Railroads: An Historical Survey by David Myrick (1970). Myrick reports that the Rio Grand Eastern was “initially planned as a private coal railroad, it was built about 1923-24, when it was decided to become an interstate carrier… It commenced business to handle coal plus the products of a neighboring tile and brick plant. Traffic could hardly be described as booming.” The mine soon became unprofitable.
Similarly, the New Mexico Midland was formed as a coal hauler in June 1904, and indeed was built as a subsidiary of the Carthage Fuel Company. The company was profitable until the mines were exhausted in December of 1925.
Myrick does not provide much information on the New Mexico Central, other than to say it operated “through a desolate, sparsely-populated region”. A Mack railbus was used for passenger service, which suggests that passenger numbers weren’t excessive. A photo of the station area at Estancia does not reveal an identifyable industry, although there does appear to be a sizeable warehouse or freight house.
Bill