Nostalgia & History > SP Douglas Branch aka South Line Action

From 1990 when the trains were a lot shorter.The PD Smelter has been closed by now and Agua Prieta Interchange traffic is in decline. The first image of the West Douglas is west of Naco from the new overhead(SR 92).Note the old overhead embankment.The second picture is east of Bisbee Junction.The third shot is again the same train west of Bisbee Junction.When I first started railfanning the old South Line the trains were routinely over 100 cars.Bill Webb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/17 09:55 by spider1319.

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Thank you. South Line photos are somewhat rare.

You should have got your photos to John Signor in time for the last issue of “Trainline.” Even though they are north of Douglas, still rare. Shots east of Douglas are next to impossible to find.

What was the interchange traffic between Douglas and Agua Prieta in that era? The late 60's connection from The Cananea line to the Nacozari branch killed the remaining SP South Line (EP&SW)...

On the second shot you can still see the superelevation on that banked curve, probably from the days it hosted SP passenger runs all the way to El Paso... Awesome shots, rare indeed!

I'm finding this topic, and its photos, to be fascinating.  So interesting how long this line remained in use.  Hard to understand at times, but very interesting.

OutStanding

It appears the first photo is actually from West of Naco, looking northwest towards the Whetstones and the direction of Tucson.

https://www.google.com/maps/@31.3799618,-110.0488783,3a,33.1y,316.51h,87.4t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s5YaC_rydA4IkU6D9kfJkBw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Thanks for the correction.Help like this is always appreciated.Bill Webb

I have an Arizona state topographical atlas printed in 1993 and on page 74 it shows a tunnel called "Crook Tunnel". It was about 4 miles east of Bisbee Jct and probably no more than 1/2 mile north of the Mexican border.

At Bisbee Jct the Bisbee branch went north to Bisbee. But what many people don't know is that there was another branch, off the Bisbee branch, called the Don Luis branch that ran from Corta to Galena, about 3 miles or so. Not exactly sure why it existed.

Also the atlas shows a line, off the Douglas branch, from Lewis Springs west to Fort Huachuca. Don't know a thing about this line and its not listed in SP Tucson Division ETT 11 from 10/26/80.

In 1985 the Douglas Local, like the Hayden Turn, the Anamax Local and others didn't have letter symbols in the SP computer system. Instead they used numbers. The Anamax was 45252, the Hayden Turn was the 52751 and the Douglas Local was the 95353. Fairly sure SP changed those number symbols in later years...I think the Douglas became the TU23L.

From time to time SP would run unit trains off the Douglas Branch. I have some of Don Bain's old "Call Sheets" showing Tucson lineups and on 12/1/84 SP ran a slag train with the symbol DGEPY-01 (Douglas-El Paso) that had for power the 7944/1606/7959/6325/7948/1605/7956 with 61 loads, 1 empty 6935 tons, 2830 feet. There are others I've seen but can't find them right now...

Anyway thanks for the pics. It was a forgotten part of the SP system.



Allen

Hardyellow has the SPHS Trainline published the issued on the EPSW yet? If so what issues? My last issue was winter 2017

First, with apologies to Bill, I ran these through PS Elements and have included one here.
I hope I haven't offended anyone.

For Allen and all; here is the Douglas Sub. from Tucson-Rio Grande Div. TT #2 of 4-29-1962.
I believe the word Galena in Spanish is 'Lead' so I'm assuming the Don Luis branch served some
sort of lead mining operation. The Ft. Huachuca Branch served the US Army fort of the same name
and probably other mining operations throughout its history. Just a guess?

On the main line I notice the absence of train order offices east of Douglas all the way to where
tied into the CTC on the Lordsburg Sub a mere 7.3 miles from El Paso (Cotton Ave) a distance
of 203.4 miles. Seems like an extremely long distance between TO offices'
The entire sub had ABS in effect however. Again, heavy on the assumptions, perhaps
the line was, in effect 'mothballed' by 1962?

Indeed, the 'South Line' was a very interesting piece of railroad.

Charlie

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mococomike Wrote:
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> Hardyellow has the SPHS Trainline published the
> issued on the EPSW yet? If so what issues? My last
> issue was winter 2017

John Signor just did an article on the South Line in the latest issue of “Trainline,” Spring 2017. I guess back in the 1950’s, the Southline was too remote for railfans. Remember, we didn’t have Interstate Highways back then.

Not at all Charlie,my computer skills are limited.The last trains east of Douglas ran in 1961 I believe.As a condition of abandonment granted in 1961 tracks had to remain in place until 1963,I think.All traffic had been diverted to the North line ,except Douglas west which ran west ,even refinery traffic to El Paso.Bill Webb

Thanks for the TT info Charlie.

Just noticed in the atlas there was, at one time, a branch line that went east from Fairbank to Tombstone.

Also over in Douglas it shows a branch heading north through Pirtleville and ending up around the Bisbee-Douglas airport, about 6 miles.



Allen



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/17 17:14 by bradleymckay.

One more bit of trivia; from the book "Sunset Limited" by Jarel, Ryan and Signor, apparently the last passenger
schedules on the South Line ran on December 20, 1961 when trains No.2, eastbound Sunset and No.3, westbound Golden State
began operating Tucson-El Paso on the North Line via Lordsburg joining Trains No.1 and No.4 and No's. 39-40, already routed that way.



Charlie

It's fun to follow the old ROW of the South Line on Google Earth.

What a shame to see such a large line abandoned relatively so recently.

Was the engineering on this line inferior to the main line to the north that survived? Or was it abandoned because it didn't pass through any towns of significance that could generate traffic?

Thx.



-j

spider1319 Wrote:
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> Not at all Charlie,my computer skills are
> limited.The last trains east of Douglas ran in
> 1961 I believe.As a condition of abandonment
> granted in 1961 tracks had to remain in place
> until 1963,I think.All traffic had been diverted
> to the North line ,except Douglas west which ran
> west ,even refinery traffic to El Paso.Bill Webb

A 3-panel Federal judges placed a restraining order on dismantling until all appeals had been exhausted, which happened in 1963. Salvaged rail from the South Line was cropped, welded, and re-used from Coolidge to Mesa in the 1964 rationalization of the Phoenix Line.

As a way to get PD to agree to the abandonment, SP billed all east traffic at the same tariff as the South Line.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/17 03:10 by BCHellman.

bradleymckay Wrote:
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> I have an Arizona state topographical atlas
> printed in 1993 and on page 74 it shows a tunnel
> called "Crook Tunnel". It was about 4 miles east
> of Bisbee Jct and probably no more than 1/2 mile
> north of the Mexican border.

It's still there. There was a siding at the east end of tunnel, also named Crook.

>
> At Bisbee Jct the Bisbee branch went north to
> Bisbee. But what many people don't know is that
> there was another branch, off the Bisbee branch,
> called the Don Luis branch that ran from Corta to
> Galena, about 3 miles or so. Not exactly sure why
> it existed.

It's rather complicated because of a patch work of mines and mine owners (finally consolidated by PD), and railroads. The original line to Bisbee via Don Luis was considered the main branch and was signaled from Don Luis, where there was a yard, to Bisbee. What made the signaling unusual is that it was powered by 110VAC (as opposed to the normal 12VDC). I talked to a Rio Grande Division maintainer who hated working on it due the possibility of electrocution. The EP&SW, and later the SP, ran a number of ore runs between Bisbee/Lowell/Corta and the smelter(s) at Douglas. Sacramento hill eventually became Sacramento pit, and when Lavender pit started 1951, the line into Bisbee city center abandon and Bisbee station moved west. All mining in the Bisbee area ceased in 1975.

>
> Also the atlas shows a line, off the Douglas
> branch, from Lewis Springs west to Fort Huachuca.
> Don't know a thing about this line and its not
> listed in SP Tucson Division ETT 11 from
> 10/26/80.

Primarily to serve the Army base. I believe it lasted into the mid-70s. I'll check the exact dates.

in late 1954 "Violent Saturday" was filmed in and around Bisbee. There's a fabulous color shot of No. 39 with 3 E7s taken at what I believe was the west approach to Calumet, between Bisbee Jct. and Douglas.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/17 03:11 by BCHellman.

cewherry Wrote:
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>
> For Allen and all; here is the Douglas Sub. from
> Tucson-Rio Grande Div. TT #2 of 4-29-1962.
> I believe the word Galena in Spanish is 'Lead' so
> I'm assuming the Don Luis branch served some
> sort of lead mining operation.

Most of the mines were copper, though other metals were recovered in the smelting operation


>
> On the main line I notice the absence of train
> order offices east of Douglas all the way to where
> tied into the CTC on the Lordsburg Sub a mere 7.3
> miles from El Paso (Cotton Ave) a distance
> of 203.4 miles. Seems like an extremely long
> distance between TO offices'
> The entire sub had ABS in effect however. Again,
> heavy on the assumptions, perhaps
> the line was, in effect 'mothballed' by 1962?

Yes. The line was embargoed east of Douglas to Anapra and between Mescal and Benson Jct. South Line trains used the branch from Benson to Benson Jct. via Curtiss to access Douglas. For a very brief period, maybe two years, trains to the South Line at Mescal and Anapra were controlled by CTC.

bradleymckay Wrote:
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> Just noticed in the atlas there was, at one time,
> a branch line that went east from Fairbank to
> Tombstone.

Abandoned at the same time the branch to Patagonia (the original ATSF to Mexico) was abandoned, 1961.


> Also over in Douglas it shows a branch heading
> north through Pirtleville and ending up around the
> Bisbee-Douglas airport, about 6 miles.

The line one time extended to Cochise, and was part of the A&E and the EP&SW.