That looks like one of the old H.D.Conner photo cards. George- How many depots were there in NM? Naravisa, Logan, Tucumcari, and? Did they actually own tracks west of Tucumcari? Or was that via trackage rights? Boxcab E50
Also the Cherokee line east from Tucumcari to Amarillo had depots at San Jon, possibly Bard, possibly Glen Rio. My info is not in front of me right now. Rock actually owned the tracks to Santa Rosa. SP forced them to give up trackage rights to Tucumcari where SP would have access to the coal from the Dawson branch mines. When SP bought the EP&SW (EP&NE in NM) the contract was in place to supply the coal at minimum quantities till 1948(+/-). The branch lasted only about 6 years after the contract ran out as SP converted everything back to oil at that point and the mine closed.
The Dawson mines were owned by PHELPS- DODGE, that also built and owned El Paso Southwestern prior to sale to SP. There were several pits and a large coking plant with many beehive ovens there. It is notable for the number of miners they slaughtered there. In 1913 almost 400 died in the largest single coal mine disaster to occur in America. A decade later they killed over 100 in a single explosion. Overall, they killed more men in a little over fifty years of operation than died in any other community on the continent. All of the coal was used by the copper company at their refineries, and much was shipped out as coke through World War Two. If it was used as locomotive coal, it would have been as a continuation of its role from when PHELPS-DODGE had owned the system. That would have been logical. The principal railcars used were drop bottom gondolas (among the first all steel cars produced in large numbers) and convertible stock cars. Good-Luck, PJB
George, obviously not in NM but close - Elk City, OK. Still standing and looked like someone was trying to renovate it.
Hopefully so. Too many communities eagerly flush their history. I always have liked those droopy RI lower quadrant train order signals. I see tracks still there. Is that line still operated? Boxcab E50
Reminds me of the D & RG depot in Aztec, NM. Rennovated but surrounded by an entire neighborhood of houses. Unless you know where it is it blends into the modern landscape... John
there was some industry in the background...here is a pull back shot of it... These were shot in late April this year. Also go to Google earth or maps for Elk City and you can see the trackage. Note just a few blocks south of this location is an old KATY depot that is now a restaurant.
This link provides some information and more pictures for a 2003 speeder trip (not by me) found on web. http://members.cox.net/t2signal/2003_11_09_Farmbelt_Ride/index.htm Stating Farmrail shortline interchange to BNSF.
That's a nice link! I envy them for making such a trip. Would have been great fun, to be along. :thumbs_up: Boxcab E50
Still looking for shots of San Jon and other NM depots that hopefully will include trackage to assist in determining building(s)placement and track arrangements. I have miles of footage of Tucumcari now I'm looking to fill in the gaps to the Texas border on the Cherokee line and the Golden State line.
I know some great shots of RI depots in NM. There's a fantastic book titled "New Mexico's Railroad's, A Historical Survey" by David F. Myrick. ISBN 0-8263-1185-7. I got it from Amazon. I HIGHLY recommend you get one. The book is fantastic. Anyway, there's two chapters you'll find useful: one on the SP and one on the RI. In the SP chapter there's pix of the Santa Rosa depot, the Pecos River bridge, the entire Tucumcari yard and others. In the RI chapter, there's pix of the Naravisa and Logan depots in 1969. There's also a nice picture of the Canadian River bridge. I am very interested in modeling the RI in NM in the late 60's. I'll probably do it in z scale. That's why I came to the RI section: to see what other information is out there. I'm having trouble finding track alignments for these cities and the types of traffic that was typical for this era. Any help/ideas would be great.
mikesf- Welcome to TrainBoard! By chance have you tried searching for any of the old Sanborn Fire Maps? You might find one or two, covering those towns along that line. Boxcab E50
Have you tried asking on the RITSlist on yahoo? I assume Ed Fairman would probably point you out in the right direction.
