Rail traffic north of Albuquerque is sporadic but on this fine Saturday morning in March, Northbound Lamy Local, led by BNSF 1906, a rebuilt EMD SD39-2 built in November of 1980 as ATSF 5134 and followed by BNSF 1890, an EMD SD40-2, built as ATSF 5116 (SD40-2), in October 1979, pulls a consist of two grain cars and 6 asphalt tank cars.
The train has a red signal on the main line as it awaits NMRX 105, the southbound Railrunner to depart the station at Sandoval 550 and take the siding at downtown Bernalillo.
After getting a green signal, the Lamy Local proceeds northbound to Rosario, NM.
While researching these two BNSF engines, I came across a couple pictures of them together in California.
Thanks for the link. It’s nice to see that at least a little bit of freight is moving over part of that line. Wouldn’t we love to see a couple of unit trains to/from Colorado having to go through there every day!
But there seem to be huge economic forces weighing against the long-term viability of the Raton Pass route. The passenger business just isn’t going to pay the bills to keep it viable up and over to Trinidad. It’s not hard to imagine some of it turned into another Tennessee Pass line–not torn up, just basically abandoned in place.
The Raton Pass mainline is a critical link for future rail passenger service between Denver and Albuquerque. What gets me is that predecessor ATSF offered reliable service between Denver and Southern California and yet BNSF can’t?
I’d venture to guess that there will never be rail service between Denver and Albuquerque. There’s no market for it and the stretch between Raton and Trinidad is so steep that even Amtrak takes an hour to cover those 20 miles.
ATSF offered rail service from Chicago to LA, via Albuquerque along the northern route in New Mexico and was considered to be outstanding passenger service. Having ridden on the Super Chief growing up, I can attest to that. ATSF never went through Denver.
Denver and Rio Grande Western operated the Rio Grande Zephyr along the route from Denver to Salt Lake, going through some of the most beautiful country in the US. In 1988 it purchased the Southern Pacific and eventually merged with the Union Pacific. The California Zephyr runs along that route from Chicago to San Francisco.
When ATSF and BNSF merged, it gave BNSF other trackage in eastern New Mexico, where it runs north/south freight over instead of the steep grades from Albuquerque to Raton. The only train that runs north of Lamy, New Mexico, is the Southwest Chief so there is no reason why BNSF wants to maintain that trackage for two trains a day.
The latest I’ve heard is that Colorado, New Mexico, and Kansas will probably figure out a way to pay BNSF to keep the line open but I don’t think it will be decided until next year. I’ll keep the group posted as news becomes available.
If my various resources are correct, through service or even good connecting service between Denver and Southern California on Santa Fe was pretty much gone prior to Amtrak.
I expect that several of us have aleady seen the announcement in the News-wire section this morning. But for those who have not yet read it, here it is: http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2015/03/amtraks-southwest-chief-route-safe.
Thanks for this update! I hadn’t heard the news. Here’s another link: http://www.kmbc.com/news/amtrak-to-continue-operating-southwest-chief-route/32075744
I think I am correct about this: the only CTC between Newton, KS and Albuquerque is the 22 mile La Junta to Las Animas Jct. segment which BNSF uses for their very busy freight operations to Amarillo.
Perhaps the New Mexico RailRunner has CTC for their operations between Belen and Santa Fe.
https://www.acm.jhu.edu//~sthurmovik/movies/New_Mexico_Rail_Runner_%20TT_n_GO_1_120608.pdf
Everything you wanted to know about the line.
Altamont Press’ Central West Timetable, published four years ago shows CTC from West Trinidad to Springer, with 2MT West Trinidad to Wooten; this may have been discontinued in the last four years. It also shows ATS between La Junta and Trinidad.
As a passenger route, won’t the line need PTC?
Thanks, Yard Limit, for the Rail Runner ETT. I had forgotten about their service between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.They can, indeed, make use of the CTC on the track they use.
Have you been on I-25 lately from Denver southward toward Colorado Springs and Pueblo? If not, I’d check it out and am guessing you might want to revise your statement.
Yes, I 25 is very busy between Denver and Colorado Springs but much less busy as you go on to Pueblo. South of Pueblo the 100 miles of I-25 to the New Mexico State Line is not close to being busy. And I-25 from the CO State Line to Santa Fe is almost a lonesome road.
It is 435 ± miles from Denver to Alb. via I-25 and the busy segments are the 60 miles between Alb. and Santa Fe and the 100 miles between Denver and Pueblo.
A railroad passenger operation would be both longer in distance and much longer in time. And it would not go through Santa Fe without a change of trains to the Roadrunner. If this could ever be justified it would be after those of us posting here are long gone.
I used to live in Denver and had family in Albuquerque so I’ve driven that stretch of I25 probably a hundred times. It’s awful! It’s one of the reasons I moved back to ABQ…, that and old parents.
I solved the I25 problem by going into a partnership with three other guys on a Mooney M20J. I could fly from BJC to ABQ in 1 hour and 45 minutes on a good day.
A better solution for the rest of us would be having the light rail in Denver being extended to Colorado Springs and then Pueblo. It should also be extended up to Boulder for that matter.
I stand by my statement but I agree that doing anything to take traffic off of I25 for that stretch would be a good thing.
Assuming you’re not talking about passenger service which BNSF and other freight railroads do not operate, what evidence have you that BNSF is NOT offering reliable service between Denver and Southern California?
What freight traffic is there between Denver and LA, other than Coors beer?
The only ATSF passenger service to Denver was the daily connection to the main line at La Junta. It was combined with tha C&S train between Denver and Trinidad until the end of C&S pssgr service in 1967. From '67 to '71 it was an ATSF-only train.
Closer to the truth, but you also left out the “Rowe Island”, from Rowe through Apache Canyon to Lamy. (Its reason for being long gone)
TCS (antiquated) still out there, status quo. Converting TCS to ABS isn’t cost justified given the situation and New Mexico’s littany of broken contract promises and hyper-reliance on Uncle $ugar. If premium speed intermodal ever makes a comeback, the thinking might change.
This bill was introduced into the NM legislature. It calls for evaluating the possibility of selling the assets of the Railrunner. http://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/15%20Regular/memorials/house/HM127.pdf