Western Railroad Discussion > The Last Mixed Train In America

On Nov 1980 I rode the last mixed train in America on the Tuscon, Cornelia and Gila Bend Railroad in southern Arizona. It was 25 miles from ajo to the SP connection at Gila Bend and they had 17 miles of branch line mostly in "the pit."

1) The beautiful depot in Ajo.

2) The pit with several trains in it.

3)We're ready to depart Ajo with No.53 an SW-7 with a steam engine style pilot.



Long Bell Bob
Bob Bassett
Missoula,MT

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Thanks for the photos...

Big holes in the ground have always amazed me.

Check out that "cowcatcher" on the front of the SW! I was attending ASU during the early 1970's and regret not getting down there to ride that funky mixed.

It's wonderful for me seeing these pics and interest on Trainorders. I get to see #53 everyday, though sadly it sits on a piece of isolated track now waiting for who knows what in her future. I was able to ride the mixed to Gila Bend several times as a child and those memories are very dear to me. In fact on one of those occasions I had the honor of 'running' engine for several miles just north of Ajo.

Very happy to see these photos of the railroad and especially the Ajo depot.

I assume that the train was the last regular train advertised as a mixed train to operate in the USA, however the California Western operated a mixed train during the non-tourist season between Fort Bragg and Willits, Ca. I was reminded of this when I wrote an article on mixed trains in Mexico in the later 1980s stated that mixed trains had vanished from the USA.

Cliff

I believe the Georgia Railroad's mixed train ran (at least) as late as 1982, so it would be in very limited company

Rode one on the Santa Fe Southern in the Late 1990's...

Even made a couple setouts...

I can not remember the exact date but the Weatherford , Mineral Wells, and Northwestern owned by T&P and later MP forgot to take the mixed out of the offical guide. Long after the MOP had killed all passenger trains, some time in the late 1970's or 1980, a fella showed up at Centennial Yard in Ft Worth Tx requesting a ticket to Mineral Wells and return. He was told there no longer was any such train. The fella pulled out the Offical Guide and demanded a ticket.

Shocked supervisors arranged for him to ride in the caboose and told the St Louis home office of the MOP to get it out of the guide. I think the man rode for a dollar. No telling what it took to process the paper work.