Excursion Train at Depot ca. 1902

Excursion Train at Depot ca. 1902. Village of Cloudcroft. An Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway excursion train has just arrived from Alamogordo. The four excursion cars were simply "ventilated" and gaily painted yellow and red 1880's boxcars that had benches bolted to the floors - a rough ride up the mountain! Carriages and a wagon await to carry new visitors and their baggage three blocks to the Lodge., The newly built freight house on the left will soon receive a coat of parent railway El Paso and Northeastern's light gray paint. A crisply painted EP&NE boxcar is spotted on the siding to offload and take on freight., The railroad main line was still under construction south to Russia Station until May 1903; note the crates of tie plates right in front of the camera., Another arrival (during a light rain?) about seven years later - the EP&NE is now a division of the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad. The open ends of the excursion cars now have real doors and sashed windows. A 62' wood passenger coach is used when needed. The buildings and rolling stock have been repainted with EP&SW colors and numbers., Made possible by the Evan and Esther Sheldon Trust, helping to preserve local history. , This sign was created and is actively maintained by volunteers from the New Mexico Rails-to-Trails Association - 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization - in partnership with the Village of Cloudcroft. For more information or to find out how you can help us maintain these important paths through nature and history, please contact us at nmrailstotrails.org or find us on Facebook at /NMRailstoTrails.