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Arizona Eastern Railway

photos courtesy: Nate Muhl

The Arizona Eastern Railway (AZER) operates 265 miles of railroad between Clifton, AZ and Miami, AZ, including trackage rights over the Union Pacific between Lordsburg, NM and Bowie, AZ. The railroad serves the copper mining region of southeastern Arizona, the agricultural Gila River Valley and the east end of the Phoenix metroplex. Primary AZER commodities are sulfuric acid, copper concentrate, copper anode and cathode, and copper rod and other copper processing materials. AZER also handles minerals, chemicals, building supplies and lumber. AZER offers a transload location for lumber, building materials and other consumer commodities at Globe, AZ.

History

What is now the AZER was chartered as the Gila Valley Globe and Northern Railway (GVGN) in 1885. Before completion to Globe in 1899, the GVGN came under the control of the Arizona Eastern Railroad (AE). The AE was leased by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in 1905 and merged into the SP system in 1924. SP sold the Bowie – Miami line to Kyle Railroad in 1988. Kyle was purchased by shortline holding company StatesRail in 1995. StatesRail was purchased by RailAmerica (RA) in 2001. RA sold the AZER to Permian Basin Railways on December 9, 2004.

Of historical note, the Gila Valley Globe & Northern’s first locomotive – appropriately GVGN number 1 -- was purchased from the Central Pacific Railroad, its number 1195. When new, the 1195 was named Jupiter .Jupiter was the Central Pacific locomotive that met cowcatcher-to-cowcatcher with Union Pacific number 119 at Promontory Point, Utah on May 10, 1869 for the driving of the golden spike commemorating the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Despite its historical significance, in 1909 the GVGN, by then controlled by Central Pacific successor Southern Pacific, sold number 1 for $1000 as scrap.

Maps

At a Glance

Reporting Marks	AZER
Miles of Track	265.1 (60 miles of rights on UP)
Cities Served/ Transloading Facilities Available All stations have siding(s) for liquid and/or bulk transfer.	Clifton, AZ Guthrie, AZ Duncan, AZ Lordsburg, NM Bowie, AZ Solomon, AZ Safford, AZ freight dock Pima, AZ San Carlos, AZ Globe, AZ Claypool, AZ freight dock
Counties Served	Cochise, AZ Graham, AZ Gila, AZ
Locomotives Operated	Four EMD SD90MAC43 Five EMD GP-20 Three EMD GP-35
Freight Cars Operated	21 flatcars, 8 hoppers, 32 boxcars
Service Frequency	Six days per week
Car Storage Capacity - Visit Car Storage	235 total spaces at Separ, NM
Railroad Connections	Union Pacific Railroad at Lordsburg, NM
Commodities Transported	Chemicals Copper Concentrate Copper Products Fertilizer Lumber

Tariffs

Transloading & Business Development

Contact Information

Operating Office
P. O. Box 2200
Claypool, AZ 85532
Voice: 928-473-2447
Fax: 928-473-2449

Business Office
118 South Clinton St., Suite 400
Chicago, IL 60661
Voice: 312-466-0900
Fax: 312-466-9589