Arizona Eastern Railway

Arizona Eastern Railway
Reporting mark	AZER
Locale	Arizona
Dates of operation	1988–present
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)

Legend 0.0 Miami 1.7 Claypool 10.4 Globe Apache Gold Casino 18.4 Cutter 30.9 San Carlos Gila River 40.9 Dili 47.2 Peridot 55.1 Calva Gila River 68.1 Bylas 67.7 Geronimo 72.6 Fort Thomas 78.9 Cork 85.2 Dublin 86.3 Pima 91.3 Thatcher future branch to Safford Mine 94.4 Safford 99.3 Solomon 106.8 Haeckel 114.1 Tanque 124.5 Escala 133.8 Bowie UPRR junction Vanar Steins Lordsburg, NM

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.

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.

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.

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.

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]

Current Operation

A Heisler locomotive in AZER's railyard in Miami, Arizona

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

Locomotives Operated

• Four EMD SD90MAC43
• Five EMD GP-20
• Seven 90 MAC
• EMD E8A #6070

Commodities Transported

• Chemicals
• Copper Concentrate
• Copper Products
• Fertilizer
• Lumber

Railroad Connections

Union Pacific Railroad at Lordsburg, NM

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.

• 

  An E-8 locomotive which was used on the Copper Spike train in 2010

References

1. ^ "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. 
2. ^ "Arizona Eastern Railway Company AZER #91" (uprr.com)
3. ^ "Globe tourist train will offer round trips to Apache casino". Arizona Daily Star. 2008-12-10. http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/270993 ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ 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 
5. ^ "Experience a Journey Back in Time". Copper Spike Railroad. http://www.copperspike.com/. Retrieved 2008-03-27. 
6. ^ "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. 
7. ^ "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. 

External links

• Official website