Albuquerque Eastern Railway

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Albuquerque Eastern Railway
Overview
HeadquartersAlbuquerque
Locale New Mexico
Dates of operation19011908
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Length8 mi (13 km)

The Albuquerque Eastern Railway, sometimes called the Albuquerque Eastern Railroad, [1] was chartered July 22, 1901, [2] by the same parties interested in the Santa Fe Central Railway which was completed in 1903 between a rail junction at Torrance, New Mexico and Santa Fe, New Mexico. [3] [4] The plan was for the Albuquerque Eastern to branch from the Santa Fe Central at Moriarty, New Mexico and run 43 miles west through the Tijeras Pass to Albuquerque. [4] However, construction was halted in 1905 after only the first 8 miles of track out of Moriarty had been built, due to the Comptroller of the Currency closing the doors of the bank financing the construction. [4] [3]

Other routes were surveyed, including a branch running northwest toward the coalfields around Hagan, New Mexico and on to Algodones or San Felipe; but, none were brought to fruition. [4] [5] The Albuquerque Eastern was consolidated with the Santa Fe Central in 1908 to form the New Mexico Central Railroad. [4]

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Originally chartered December 7, 1900, as the Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Pacific Railway Company, this line became the Santa Fe Central Railway in July of 1901. Its 116-mile route was completed in 1903 between a rail junction at Torrance, New Mexico and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Governor of the New Mexico Territory called it “(o)ne of the most important railway projects for New Mexico in recent years….” The principals behind the line also intended a branch called the Albuquerque Eastern Railway running 43 miles west from Moriarty, New Mexico through the Tijeras Pass to Albuquerque. However, construction on that line was halted in 1905 after only the first 8 miles of track out of Moriarty had been built, due to the Comptroller of the Currency closing the doors of the bank financing these railroad construction projects.

References

  1. Governor, New Mexico (1903). "The Santa Fe Central Railway, Report of the Governor of New Mexico to the Secretary of the Interior, 1903" . Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  2. "History of New Mexico: Its Resources and People, Volume II". 1907. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Receivership of the New Mexico Central Railroad Co., Extension of Tenure of Government Control of Railroads, Volume 3". 1919. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Myrick, David F. (1990). New Mexico's Railroads: A Historical Survey. ISBN   9780826311856 . Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  5. Sherman, James E.; Sherman, Barbara H. (January 1975). Hagan and Coyote. ISBN   9780806111063 . Retrieved September 23, 2021.