Albuquerque Eastern Railway
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Albuquerque |
| Locale | New Mexico |
| Dates of operation | 1901–1908 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Length | 8 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] The entire line was graded with a railbed, 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]