Apr 5, 2021
Abo Canyon Action
We see here an eastbound train climbing up through the canyon. The rail line, of course, is the Belen Cutoff, built by the ATSF, which opened in 1908. This newer, modern line, avoided the steep grades of Raton and Glorieta on the original main line built across northern New Mexico in the 1880s.
And there are two lines here: the train is climbing up on the original cutoff, while the second track (on the left side of the image) was carved out and opened in 2011. The canyon had been a major bottle neck prior to this.
Image by Richard Koenig; taken October 27th 2018.
