Boarding the "Balley-Claire"

Boarding the "Balley-Claire". A Getaway into the Clouds. Passenger trips began in 1899, delivering people from Alamogordo to the town of Cloudcroft. Cost of a round trip ticket was three dollars. Seeking relief from the heat, tourists would spend weekends in the serene and cool mountains. The Mexican Canyon Trestle was one of many tall trestles along the route, and although the trip may have been frightening, no passenger was ever hurt., "The last train over the picturesque Cloudcroft branch line of railway is said to be scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, September 12, 1947. No more will the denizens along the way hear the toot of the locomotive" , (Alamogordo News; September 11, 1947), "Oh, I am delighted. I think Cloudcroft grand. I think I shall spend my summers here or know the reason why." , (Miss Retta Corset; September 14, 1899 Alamogordo News), "An excursion car, built in Alamogordo and called a Balley-Claire, was about the size of a boxcar and open on each side. Each car could comfortably hold forty-five passengers but on holidays such as July 4th, when a regular passenger car was often added, as many as six hundred passengers squeezed into and on top of the trains." , (Neal 1966), Captions , Image courtesy of Sacramento Mountains Historical Society (SMHS) Image courtesy of SMHS , Image courtesy of Virginia Stanbrough , Image courtesy of John White , Image courtesy of David F. Myrick