Mexican Canyon Trestle - Cloudcroft, NM - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

"The Cloudcroft Railroad Trestle, also known as the Mexican Canyon Trestle, is located approximately one-half mile northwest of Cloudcroft, New Mexico. The structure is visible from a point on U.S. Highway 82 where a historical marker gives a brief description of "The Cloud Climbing Railroad." It is the most prominent remaining structure of the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway which operated under various names from 1899 to 1947. Built in 1899, the curved trestle has an overall length of 323 feet and rises 52 feet above the canyon floor. Vertical supports spaced 15 feet apart consist of 12" x 12" timbers. The rails (removed in 1948) and crossti.es were placed on 8"xl6" stringers held together with three-quarter-inch bolts and cast iron spacers. In order to form the curve, the top part was built in 21 sections with 8"xl6" timbers. There are 10 main timbers 15 feet in length in each of the 21 sections resting on footing blocks set 4 to 8 feet underground. Lateral, longitudinal, and diagonal wooden braces prevented sway and shifting of the trestle. A wooden guard rail ran along the track to keep the ties from bunching. Metal guard rails running outside the standard gauge rails prevented derailed trains from falling off the trestle. This structure was one of 58 trestles built on the mountainous 32-mile route which also required a switchback and numerous sharp curves. After the route was abandoned in 1947, the rails were taken up and salvagers removed a few of the timbers. The trestle is still essentially intact, however, and is a striking feature of the landscape near Cloudcroft."

Street address: NW of Cloudcroft off NM 83 Cloudcroft, NM USA County / Borough / Parish: Otero Year listed: 1979 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1900-1924, 1875-1899 Historic function: Transportation Current function: transportation Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/07/2023 The A-Team visited it