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Alamogordo to Cloudcroft (the railroad line that climbed)
Introduction
The age of the steam logging railroad in the Sacramento Mountains was very brief by most measures, barely over forty years. During that period, however, the railroads brought about many changes affecting the land and our view of it. For the first time, extensive mechanized logging took place over a large area. During the same period, the tourist and resort business was developed and vigorously promoted. The tourists came by the thousands, first by rail, then by road. The district's economy was transformed from one of frontier farming and ranching to one with a capital-intensive industrial base closely tied to the regional and national trends. The evolution of the lumber industry left its own mark on the mountains in the form of rail beds, skidways, and campsites. Decades after their abandonment, these signs of human activity are, for the most part, forgotten and unknown to most of the present users of the National Forest. Vernon Glover wrote in the definitive text on the subject, Logging Railroads of the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico
Trestles & Turns 
Most railroads in the 1880's used prodigious amounts of labor and materials to
reach new markets across the West. By the time the Southern Pacific line reached
El Paso there were severe shortages of lumber for fuel and construction.
Supplies of wood had to be hauled at great expense from as far away as Oregon.
After some initial surveying, developers planned a branch line from El Paso to
Alamogordo and from there to Cloudcroft: a
rise of 4,600 feet in 26 miles.
A pool of investors with interests in railroad, lumber and coal operations formed the Alamogordo & Sacramento Mountain Railroad in 1899.
It took 500 men, 27 trestles, tight (20o) curves and grades up to 6 ½ percent to reach the new depot at Cloudcroft in June 1900. Logs ran in rivers down skidways, along greased chutes, to railheads, and on down the treacherous descent to Alamogordo. The lumber boom took its toll in lives lost, derails and runaway trains. By 1947 when the operation closed down; the rolling stock had to be cut up in place and sold for scrap. The end of the line.Ways and Means:
To match the challenge of terrain, weather and lack of water the logging companies developed some unique solutions.
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The trade-off for the ambitious enterprise was high maintenance on steam engines, boilers and drives. Rails twisted and wore out. Equipment failed and could seldom be repaired locally. Extravagant amounts of wood were consumed for fuel or construction purposes.
Places to go, things to see
:There are a number of spectacular switchbacks and trestles that jut up between the trees of the Lincoln National Forest.
 | Route 82 allows a glimpse of several trestles vaulting over Bailey's canyon and Mexican Canyon. |
| A 52-foot structure announces the western edge of the town of Cloudcroft. |
| Hubbell Canyon, Wills Canyon and Hay Canyon (off Forest Road 257), feature sites nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. Look for, vestiges of switchbacks, sidings, timber landings, log chutes and logging campsites on the steep canyon slopes. |
| Take a hike. New Mexico Rails to Trails offers a map of the Cloud Climbing Rail Trail. You can walk the line, or at least part of it. Bring binoculars and good shoes. http://www.zianet.com/okra/rails.htm |
The Cloudcroft Museum offers these displays and tours:
http://www.cloudcroft.net/museum/museum.html "Historic buildings built in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Old time farming and ranching tools and equipment. Display of Cloud-Climbing Railroad, The Lodge, Pavilion, and Baby Sanatorium Memorabilia. Research Center with audio tapes and written histories, microfilmed newspapers, maps, books, and photographs."Learn more about the history of the Sacramento Mountains and Cloudcroft: http://www.mountainmonthly.com/history/
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