Texas & New Mexico Railway
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2011) |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Wolfforth, Texas |
| Reporting mark | TXN |
| Locale | Texas, New Mexico |
| Dates of operation | 2015–present |
| Predecessor | Texas - New Mexico Railroad (1926 - 2015) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Length | 111 miles (179 km) |
The Texas & New Mexico Railway (reporting mark TXN) is a class III short-line railroad operating in west Texas and southeast New Mexico. The railroad line operates on 111 miles of track from a connection with the Union Pacific Railroad at Monahans, Texas, and terminates at Lovington, New Mexico. The railroad primarily provides freight service for the oilfields and related industries in the region.[1]
History
Lovington, New Mexico is the terminus of the TNMR.[2] Before 1930, the planned Gulf, Texas and New Mexico Railway proposed to construct a branch running westward from Seminole, Texas via Lovington, NM and terminating at Roswell, New Mexico. However, the tracks were never constructed, and for a time the nearest rail line was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in nearby Seagraves, Texas.
As a result of the oil discovered in the Permian Basin in 1927, the Texas–New Mexico Railway was incorporated on November 19, 1927. Within a year the railroad fell under the control of the Texas and Pacific Railway. Construction commenced in 1928 and the line was completed on July 20, 1930.
In September 2011, Iowa Pacific Holdings, which owned the TMNR, announced a major rebuilding of the railroad, including track upgrades and new locomotives, at a cost of more than $20 million.[3]
In May 2015 Watco Companies purchased the assets of the Texas – New Mexico Railroad from Iowa Pacific Holdings, and renamed the railroad the Texas & New Mexico Railway.[4]
Ownership of the line
- 1930–1976: Operated as a subsidiary of the Texas and Pacific Railway (TP), which was a subsidiary of the Missouri Pacific Railroad (MP).
- 1976–1982: Operated by the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
- 1982–1989: Operated by the Union Pacific Railroad.
- 1989–1999: Owned/operated by RailTex.
- 1999–2002: Owned/operated by RailAmerica.
- 2002–2015: Owned/operated by Permian Basin Railways.
- 2015–present: Owned/operated by Watco Companies.
Route
- Monahans, Texas (interchange with Union Pacific Railroad mainline)
- Cloyd, Texas (no longer shown in timetables)
- Prairie Spur, Texas (no longer Shown in timetables)
- Wink Junction (no longer shown in timetables - abandoned branch to Wink, Texas)
- Kermit, Texas
- Magwait, Texas
- Cheyenne, Texas (no longer shown in timetables)
- Jal, New Mexico
- Combest, New Mexico
- United Carbon
- Eunice, New Mexico
- Kornegray, New Mexico (no longer shown in timetables)
- Warren, New Mexico
- Climax, New Mexico
- Hobbs, New Mexico (yard/office)
- Permco (Airfield) (no longer shown in timetables)
- Kimbrough, New Mexico (no longer shown in timetables)
- Southern Union Oil
- Lea County Oil
- Lovington, New Mexico
See also
References
- ^ "UP: Texas New Mexico Railroad TNMR #815." Union Pacific Railroad. Web. 02 Aug. 2011. http://www.uprr.com/customers/shortline/lines/tnm.shtml
- ^ New Mexico Office of the State Historian : Lovington." New Mexico Office of the State Historian : Digital History Project. Web. 02 Aug. 2011. http://www.newmexicohistory.org/filedetails.php?fileID=4826
- ^ "Iowa Pacific Holdings to upgrade Texas-New Mexico's track, motive power". Progressive Railroading. September 19, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
- ^ "Watco to acquire two west Texas short lines". Progressive Railroading. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.