Cloud-Climbing Railroad

Cloud-Climbing Railroad. . The train climbed 26 miles and 4,000 feet into the mountains. For the people aboard, spectacular vistas unfolded, accompanied by moments of exhilaration while crossing wooden trestles. The railroad was known as "the cloud-climbing route" because at this high altitude the train often passed through the clouds., Devised by Charles Eddy as a means to harvest timber from the Sacramento Mountains, the construction of the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railroad demanded many structures and track modifications to traverse the canyons and steep grades. The railroad climbed an average 5.2% grade on its way to Cloudcroft, and went across 122 wooden box bridges, 58 timber frame trestles and around 330 curves. Down the canyon from this point, the train had to maneuver a switchback, which required the train to travel in reverse for a portion of the track. Travelling up such steep ter terrain was unusual for a standard-gauge railroad and called for extreme caution by railroad workers. Train wrecks were common, due to heavy loads, often slippery tracks and weather which could wash out entire lengths of the railway, causing injury to people and the loss of equipment., Since the closing of the railway in 1947, the A&SMR trestles have been falling into decay. Recently, efforts were made to restore the Mexican Canyon Trestle., This is the tallest of the trestles built on the route from Alamogordo to Cloudcroft. Constructed in 1899, the trestle is 323 feet long and 60 feet high at it highest point above the canyon. All of the trestle's original timbers, including posts measuring 12"x 12" were cut from local Douglas-fir., "Well, if I go too slow the logs jump off, and if I go too fast the cars jump off." , Tom Shorten engineer (Neal 1966), Captions , Image courtesy of Weasel Production