The SP once had a branch that ran from Tucumcari, NM, to Dawson, NM, (and beyond) through French, NM, where it crossed the AT&SF mainline. This Dawson branch was apparently abandoned in 1952.
My 1960’s maps show no line crossing the Santa Fe at French, but my current DeLorme maps do show a branch from French owned by the pre-merger AT&SF.
Can anyone provide any information on the history of this line?
How did the SP cross the AT&SF mainline? Was it a diamond, and underpass or overpass?
Was there an interchange between the two roads?
What cargo was carried over this line?
When did the AT&SF revive the SP line west of French?
SP abandoned the Dawson to French line during 1952, and the rest of the 114 miles south of French during 1962.
ATSF built on 18 miles of abandoned SP ROW for their Dawson line, which opened in 1966, carrying coking coal for the Fontana mill. This line was abandoned a couple of years ago, although the rails could still be in place.
York Canyon Coal CTC Board, August 1993
Santa Fe’s York Canyon Branch, the mine it serves, and the coal trains
( ATSF, BRANCHLINE, COAL, “EUDALY, KEVIN”, MINE, RAILROAD, PROTOTYPE, CTCB )
The railroad (119#CWR, 36 miles worth on good ties) is still there, but not for long…I know it well. (Walked it all, at least twice…Why ATSF bought the RSD-15 Alligators and pioneered RCE trains …where I learned train handling basics from the legendary Glenn Powers…)
It is tied-up at STB with competing OFA’s - One of which has already failed to happen. AB 6 428 X…I will miss it once it’s gone.
SP went over ATSF on a high trestle that continued over the Cimarron River to the plateau on the east side and on to Roy, NM. …two of the Concrete piers remain…ATSF used the SP concrete Arch culverts still left in place between French and Colfax/Dawson. Plenty of elk, deer, bear and now Ted Turner’s bison roaming around through there. York Canyon was the last big track construction project on ATSF until Star Lake (still unfinished and possible biger than PRB in scope)…
I thought with the deregulation of the American railroads, applications to abandon services or trackage were no longer required or a mere formality. Ditto for the laying of new track over existing ROWs. Apparently, that is not the case.
IMHO this is what some of those terms mean : 119#CWR means Continuous Welded Rail weighing 119 pounds per yard,RSD-15 Alligator was a road switcher built by Alco in the early 1960’s with 6 traction motors, It’s long short hood caused it to be nicknamed “Alligator”;STB is the Federal Surface Transportation Board,successor to the ICC. And PRB is for Powder River Basin in Wyoming. I am always willing to give an answer,somtimes they are actually right. Joe
Glenn Powers (Mister Powers to just about everyone on Santa Fe) mastered the remote control (master/slave) locomotive and distributed power schemes long before the others from his territory on Raton and Glorietta Passes. A lot of how things are handled now with DPU technology comes from his experience.
PROTOTYPE, CTCB )