OPPOSITE: Non-powered “owl” No. LOD9 trails a northbound load towards the APS Four Corners Power Plant in Fruitland, N.M. The car was built as an Alco C425 for the Norfolk & Western, but had been ordered by the Wabash. JAMES HICKEY PHOTO
LEFT: Alco C425 No. LOD8 (ex-N&W 1002) was part of the initial diesel fleet acquired in 1974. The second-hand diesels were later modified with more robust air filtration systems to help combat contamination from coal dust. RICHARD REIFF PHOTO
BELOW: The Navajo Mine Railroad is isolated from the national rail network. Taken at a rest area in Colorado, one of the new Maxon hoppers ordered ordered as a result of the 1984 line extension sits on a heavy duty flatbed drop deck trailer. RICHARD REIFF PHOTO
Mining Company obtained a permit from the Navajo Nation to start mining operations. Authorities gave their blessing in 1963 and a few months later, UC&M started mining operations and began deliveries by truck to the Four Corners Power Plant, which had just opened.
As the mine field grew, APS conducted a study and found that rail transportation would be a more economical way to move coal to the plant. Construction started on the railroad in late 1973, and in July 1974 the railroad went into operation on seven miles of track. Three ex-Norfolk & Western C425s were the primary power at start-up, painted in a dazzling red, white, and black paint scheme, and 22 Maxon belly-dump style coal hoppers completed the initial inventory of rail equipment. Two trains would operate with nine cars each, leaving four hoppers in reserve for any cars that needed repairs. Since the new line was not connected the
to national rail network, all
equipment was shipped to the railroad by truck. Bridges at the time would not handle the weight of the rail equipment on tractor trailers. The trip from Gallup was mostly made over dirt roads, usually with a bulldozer in front to create a path when these roads turned into nothing more than two ruts in the ground. It was soon discovered that dirt and coal dust were clogging the oil bath filters on the Alcos, causing the units to overheat and shut down, resulting in delays and interruptions of service on the single-track railroad. As a result, the locomotives were modified with a new exhaust and filter system. The modification changed the appearance of the units with the addition of a huge muffler on top of the three locomotives. The new system worked well, helping to alleviate the problems with clogged filters and making the engines more
Extensions and Electrification
In 1984 the railroad was extended another 7.5 miles to tap new areas of mining, and a review of the rail operations was conducted at the same time. Due to rising diesel fuel costs and a desire to increase tonnage, it was concluded that electrifying the operation would save money in the long run. By the end of 1984 the railroad completed the 25,000-volt overhead catenary system, and acquired two retired E60CPs from Amtrak. A third E60CP from New Jersey Transit would join the roster in 1995. Along with the electrics came an additional 20 Maxon hoppers, bringing the fleet up to six locomotives and 42 cars. No other changes were made to the roster until 2005, when three former Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (NdeM) E60C-2s, built for a proposed
reliable, but the filtration issue was never fully resolved.
electric operation, were purchased at bargain-basement prices from General Electric. They had been traded in by Ferromex, one of the new operators of the former NdeM when the country privatized its rail system.
Motive Power The Navajo Mine Railroad operates
an exotic mix of locomotives, the most interesting of which are the Alco C425s. Numbered LOD7-LOD9, the locomotives were purchased second-hand from the Norfolk & Western in 1974. An interesting side note to these units is that they were actually ordered by the Wabash as Nos. 582, 584, and 587, yet were delivered to the N&W as Nos. 1000, 1002, and 1005 following the 1964 merger. Upon my visit in September 2015, I observed the exhaust stacks and the radiator sections have been plated over, indicating these units have had their prime movers disconnected. Used as cab-control cars, the de-motored Alcos
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