Arizona Eastern Railway
| Arizona Eastern Railway | |
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| Reporting mark | AZER |
| Locale | Arizona |
| Dates of operation | 1988– |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) |
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The Arizona Eastern Railway (reporting mark AZER) is a Class III railroad that operates 265 miles of railroad between Clifton, Arizona and Miami, Arizona, in the United States. This includes trackage rights over the Union Pacific Railroad between Lordsburg, New Mexico and Bowie, Arizona. The railroad serves the copper mining region of southeastern Arizona, the agricultural Gila River Valley and the east end of the Phoenix metroplex. Primary AZER commodities are sulfuric acid, copper concentrate, copper anode and cathode, and copper rod and other copper processing materials. AZER also handles minerals, chemicals, building supplies and lumber. AZER offers a transload location for lumber, building materials and other consumer commodities at Globe, AZ.
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[edit] History
What is now the AZER was chartered as the Gila Valley Globe and Northern Railway (GVGN) in 1885. Before completion to Globe in 1899, the GVGN came under the control of the Arizona Eastern Railroad (AE). The AE was leased by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in 1905 and merged into the SP system in 1924. SP sold the Bowie – Miami line to Kyle Railroad in 1988. Kyle was purchased by shortline holding company StatesRail in 1995. StatesRail was purchased by RailAmerica (RA) in 2001. RA sold the AZER to Permian Basin Railways on December 9, 2004.
Of historical note, the Gila Valley Globe & Northern’s first locomotive – appropriately GVGN number 1 -- was purchased from the Central Pacific Railroad, its number 1195. When new, the 1195 was named Jupiter .Jupiter was the Central Pacific locomotive that met cowcatcher-to-cowcatcher with Union Pacific number 119 at Promontory Point, Utah on May 10, 1869 for the driving of the golden spike commemorating the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Despite its historical significance, in 1909 the GVGN, by then controlled by Central Pacific successor Southern Pacific, sold number 1 for $1000 as scrap.
[edit] 2006
In 2006, Arizona Eastern announced the construction of a new 10-mile (16 km) spur from Safford to the new Safford Mine of Freeport-McMoRan Corporation, north of Safford.[1] The mine opened in 2008. Shuttle trains of copper ore will be transported by the AZER to the smelter at Miami-Claypool.
[edit] 2008
In 2008, AZER purchased the Clifton Subdivision from Union Pacific Railroad. The Clifton subdivision serves the Morenci Mine near Clifton, Arizona and interchanges with UP at Lordsburg, New Mexico.[2]
In December 2008, weekend excursion service under the name Copper Spike began operating from Globe to the Apache Gold Hotel Casino near San Carlos.[3][4] Trains operate four daily round-trips through the winter and spring, on Thursdays through Sundays.[5] Service is currently on hiatus through November.
[edit] 2011
On 2 August 2011, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. announced that it planned to purchase the Arizona Eastern from Iowa Pacific for US$90.1 million, with the deal expected to be completed by the end of the year.[6] The deal was closed on 1 September 2011.[7]
[edit] Current Operation
[edit] Cities Served
- Clifton, AZ
- Guthrie, AZ
- Duncan, AZ
- Lordsburg, NM
- Bowie, AZ
- Solomon, AZ
- Safford, AZ
- freight dock
- Pima, AZ
- San Carlos, AZ
- Globe, AZ
- Claypool, AZ
- freight dock
[edit] Locomotives Operated
- Four EMD SD90MAC43
- Five EMD GP-20
- Seven 90 MAC
- EMD E8A #6070
[edit] Commodities Transported
- Chemicals
- Copper Concentrate
- Copper Products
- Fertilizer
- Lumber
[edit] Railroad Connections
Union Pacific Railroad at Lordsburg, NM
[edit] E-8 Locomotive
Built for the Chicago and North Western Railroad (the original number was 5029B), it pulled trains between Chicago and the West Coast, and was later used in Chicago commuter train service. It has been repainted in a scheme reminiscent of the Southern Pacific "Black Widow" livery, since Arizona Eastern was owned by Southern Pacific. This E-8 type locomotive was built by the Electro Motive Division of General Motors in La Grange, IL, in June, 1953. Its two engines deliver a total of 2,250 hp, and it is geared for a maximum speed of 85 mph. As of August 2011 the locomotive has been transferred to the Saratoga & North Creek Railroad, the newest Iowa Pacific property.
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An E-8 locomotive which was used on the Copper Spike train in 2010
[edit] References
- ^ "Arizona Eastern Railway Files To Build New Rail Line" (Press release). Iowa Pacific Holdings. http://www.iowapacific.net/news/63-azernewrailline.html. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ^ "Arizona Eastern Railway Company AZER #91" (uprr.com)
- ^ "Globe tourist train will offer round trips to Apache casino". Arizona Daily Star. 2008-12-10. http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/270993[dead link]
- ^ Lockhart, Larry (2008-12-30). "Trip back in time: Excursion train offers look at travel of another era". Tri-Valley Dispatch. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20231677&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=222087&rfi=6
- ^ "Experience a Journey Back in Time". Copper Spike Railroad. http://www.copperspike.com/. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ^ "Genesee & Wyoming Inc to acquire Arizona Eastern Railway". Rail.co. 2 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2 August 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/60eKHbgET. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
- ^ "Genesee & Wyoming completes Arizona Eastern acquisition". Progressive Railroading. 6 September 2011. http://www.progressiverailroading.com/short_lines_regionals/article/Genesee-Wyoming-completes-Arizona-Eastern-acquisition--27857. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
[edit] External links
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