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After leaving Texline, the southern extent of the C&S, the line makes the transition from high plains running to a more challenging topography exemplified by the Capulin Volcano near Folsom. Following the line between Des Moines and Folsom, you can see evidence of curvature reduction realignments. Even with the realignments there are several large sweeping elevation gaining curves on the line as these photos attest.
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| Ex Frisco SD40-2 6847 leads a northbound freight around the big horseshoe curve at Folsom, New Mexico. Photo taken in June of 1987. |
Folsom, New Mexico, the namesake town of the Folsom Point, and the start of the big climb up to Alps Mesa and into Colorado. This is the grade that led BNSF to reroute loaded coal trains to the upgraded former Santa Fe line via Boise City, Oklahoma.
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| Spankin' Oakway SD60s lead empty coal back to the Powder River Basin, near Clayton, New Mexico, June 1987 |
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| BN Fort Worth - Denver "Zip Train" near Clayton New Mexico. June 1987. |
One SD40-2 and 1o trailers, don't know how this train could have been making much money, but hey! About this same time (1992), the Santa Fe was running a train between Belen, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas, which was called the QBEEP. I never could get a shot of this train, as it was an overnight schedule.
Great shots of those site faces and a former Frisco with the gyralight on. Very nice.
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