Rock Island and SP, Tucumcari to Santa Rosa

[NP Eddie]

This post is about the Rock Island and the Southern Pacific between Tucumcari to Santa Rosa.

If the Rock Island owned the trackage between Tucumcari to Santa Rose, why the interchange take place at Tucumcari instead of Santa Rosa?

Did the Rock Island and SP diesels go through or change?

Thanks,

Ed Burns

Happily retired NP-BN-BNSF clerk from Northtown and an ATCS host in Anoka.

[FlyingCrow]

The Rock Island, indeed, owned the trackage between Tucumcari and Santa Rosa where they met up originally with the El Paso & Northeastern.     The yards and facilities were located at Tucumcari; however, where the Choctaw Route met the Golden State Route.    Therefore, the interchanges of railroads, so to speak, took place there.   It is a little puzzling, but that's the fact.

For the most part, engine changes were always made at Tucumcari...except for the Arizona Limited, RI-SP #29 & 30.    The Rock Island "DL" diesel units would sometime run through to Tucson....for a reason lost to the ages.    However, the SP steam locomotives did not run through east bound.