At Vaughn, NM, the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific cross.
Is the crossing a diamond? Single or dual tracks?
If not a diamond, which road passes over the other?
Do the two roads interchange there?
Any information appreciated. Thanks.
BNSF (on a high fill, ATSF Vaughn depot to the west about 1/2 mile) over UP’s Cotton Rock with a big Concrete Arch. Connecting track in the SW Quadrant. (A new one was planned, but never carried out…at least I don’t think it was ever placed)
Are you sure the connection is in the SW Quadrant? The last time I rode the head-end on the Cotton Rock, about three years ago, the connection was railroad-north of the Santa Fe, coming off the house tracks behind the depot, and railroad-south of the SP, and appeared to have been in that location since the 1960s, if not before.
Interchange has not occurred at Vaughn on anything but an exceptional basis.
Both railroads are single-track at this location. BNSF two main tracks ends at Vaughn and resumes at Carnero, with a long siding just west of the fill. BNSF plans to fill this 10-mile or so gap with second main track by 2008, at last word.
S. Hadid
Wrong quadrant, you’re right. Sounds like the same rickety old track out in the weeds though. SW quadrant was where the SPSF wye was supposed to go. (Devore and Colton got built in CA, the one at Vaughn apparently never got that far…and then JJ Schmidt pontificated in Traffic World and the “shouldn’t paint so fast” merger died)
Just think of how many abandoned motels and gas stations a connection in the SW quadrant would have wiped out. If you urban-renewed Vaughn, would there be anything left? [}:)]
Maybe the railroads could get a HUD grant for instant urban renewal? (Being that the ICETEA, TEA-21, NEX-TEA $$$$ was all wasted on bike trails and beautification, maybe a real transportation project can be funded by HUD[}:)][}:)][}:)])
Trains magazine had a pix of it some years ago the BNSF flies over the UPRR or SPRR whichever you are more happier with. If things work out for me I should be there 1st week Oct.
If you can provide the full reference to the Trains picture (Issue date, article title, author, page numbers), I could get a copy.
If being in Vaughn means you would have a digital camera from which you could shoot a few pictures that could be shared with us, that would be great. My interest is in the flyover and interchange.
There was the “Trains Hot Spots-Vaughn, New Mexico” on pages 62 and 63 of the Feb 1991 issue, written by Robert N Strein. It says the SP line (El Paso and North Eastern) arrived there first, in 1902. The site was known as Epris, short for El Paso and Rock Island. The town of Vaughn was established when Santa Fe’s Belen cutoff arrived in 1907, named for G W Vaughn, a civil engineer for the Santa Fe. (Grandpa Mudchicken ?)
I presume photos accompanied the article?
The ex-Rock Island terminated at Vaughn instead of Tucumcari?
The El Paso & North Eastern and the Rock Island met at Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa to Tucumcari was leased by the Rock Island to the SP.
S. Hadid
Yes it sure did in fact when I disposed of my old Train magazines to reduce the clutter I kept that article since I will soon be there. It shows a BNSF train on the flyover with the SPRR oops UPRR tracks below it
Look into my web site listed under my signature & then you will surely see I have a Dig camera & for sure will take pix of that crossing point. Try this link as well I think you will enjoy it.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4073792253150127534
Feb 1991 issue
spbed,
Did you make it to Vaughn? I would be interested in seeing your pictures. Of particular interest would be any pictures of the interchange yard and tracks if they still exist. I presume these to be east of the flyover.
I did get a copy of the Feb., 1991, Trains article on Vaughn, which was informative.
No sorry my wife came down with a sinus infection so we did not make the trip. Maybe this up coming spring as we are going to drive from TX to WA to catch a cruise liner to Alaska