Historic Route of the Alamogordo & Sacramento Mountain Railroad

Historic Route of the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railroad. . , 1 Cloudcroft Depot , The railroad arrived in Cloudcroft in May, 1900. The Cloudcroft Depot was the terminus for the famous "Cloud Climbing Route"., 2 The "S" Trestle , Probably the most unique of the trestles along the route, the "S" trestle had two combined thirty-degree curves., 3 The Mexican Canyon Trestle , You are on the site of the Mexican Canyon Trestle, the tallest of the trestles along the A&SM Railroad., 4 Bailey Canyon Trestle , At Bailey Canyon trains navigated a 30-degree curve with a 198-foot trestle and then a 261-foot trestle on a 28-degree curve., 5 The Switchback , Due to the steepness of the terrain, a switchback was constructed that required the train to travel in reverse for a portion of the track., 6 Wooten Water Stop , Run on steam power, the engines needed a constant source of water. On the B.F. Wooten property a spring fed a sixteen foot diameter water tank to supply the trains. A replica of the tank is seen along the historic route today., 7 Mountain Park Station , Home of the famous cartoonist-author Bill Mauldin, the village of Mountain Park was also known for its orchards and fruit growers., 8 High Rolls Station , About fourteen miles from Alamogordo the train reached High Rolls, a village and depot where passengers could buy fruit grown in local orchards., 9 Pinto , Winding through Fresnal Canyon, the train traveled through farms, ranches, and visitors got a spectacular view of Bridal Veil falls. On the way to Pinto the railroad crossed two trestles and made a U-turn that was so sharp that it allowed passengers to catch a glimpse of the engineer., 10 Salado Canyon Trestle , One of the 58 timber frame trestle along the A&SMR crossed Salado Canyon. The Salado Canyon Trestle was recently repaired and converted into a trail bridge., 11 Alamogordo Saw Mill , Much of the timber cut in the Sacramento Mountains was transported aboard the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railroad (A&SMR) to be cut at the Alamogordo saw mill., 12 Alamogordo Depot , Constructed first in 1898 as a tent with a wooden floor, the Alamogordo Depot building was finished in 1907. It served as the terminus of the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad from El Paso to Alamogordo, and the starting point for the A&SMR.