Chili Line
Encyclopedia
The Chili Line, officially known as the Santa Fe Branch, was a narrow gauge branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
(DRG&W). It ran 125.6 miles (202.1 km) from Antonito, Colorado
, to Santa Fe, New Mexico
, United States
. The Denver and Rio Grande Railway (D&RG) began construction of the line in 1880 and completed the line from Antonito to Espanola, New Mexico
, but could not build any further because of an agreement with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF). The Texas, Santa Fe and Northern Railroad was incorporated to complete the line, and the line between Espanola and Santa Fe opened in 1886 and was transferred to the Denver and Rio Grande shortly thereafter. The D&RGW closed the Chili Line in 1941 because of competition from road transportation, and the line was abandoned shortly thereafter.
s, and to the gastronomy of its patrons.
route from Denver to Mexico City
following the course of the Rio Grande
for much of the distance. As early as 1878 it was reasoned that such a route would not be possible, but Palmer did receive a concession in September 1880 from the Mexican government to build a different north-south line, the National Railroad of Mexico
. Initially planning to access the Territory of New Mexico via Raton Pass
, a route that the AT&SF had already begun grading
for the construction of its own east-west transcontinental route
, the D&RG had to look for alternative routes to the south as its conflict with the ATSF
festered. The conflict eventually resulted in the D&RG shifting its attention to lucrative mining opportunities to the west. Palmer's "dream of a road to Mexico City finally went glimmering" but the line along the Rio Grande became the exotic southern extent of the D&RGW's famous network in the Rocky Mountains
. Prior to the conflict, the D&RG had built tracks over La Veta Pass to Alamosa
in the San Luis Valley
. By 1880 narrow gauge tracks were in place as far south as Antonito and the construction of a line towards Albuquerque
was underway.
The AT&SF reached Santa Fe
(as a branch of its main line) in February 1880. In March the AT&SF and the D&RG publicly signed a restrictive territorial agreement that prevented the southward expansion of the D&RG beyond Española
, where service began on New Year's Eve 1880, for ten years. To fill the approximately 35 miles (56.3 km) gap the Texas, Santa Fe and Northern Railroad (TSF&N) was formed. The long-term plans of the TSF&N called for the construction of a 1258 miles (2,024.5 km) railroad spanning from Texas
to Utah
. The company proposed to first connect Española to the territorial capital and then south to coal fields near Madrid, New Mexico
. Work on the link to Santa Fe was stalled for several years because of money problems and the line further south was not built. With new management in place construction resumed in earnest in October 1886 and by January 1887 the narrow gauge tracks from Santa Fe to Española were complete. An excursion train
between the two cities on January 9, 1887 was attended by 200 people. The TSF&N was absorbed by the Santa Fe Southern Railway in 1889 and by 1895 was a unit of the D&RG as the Rio Grande and Santa Fe Railroad.
Only a few branches were constructed along the Chili Line. During the 1880s and 1890s several short timber
spurs were built and a line connecting at a point near Española to the D&RG's San Juan Extension was contemplated. In 1903 the D&RG and the New Mexico Central Railway opened Santa Fe Union Station on a site adjacent to the AT&SF's depot
. The new station replaced an older one on the north side of the Santa Fe River next to the D&RG's terminal facilities. The D&RG was interested, along with others, in connecting Taos
to its system, however surveys indicated that such a connection was not feasible. Instead the name of a station 20 miles (32.2 km) from Taos was restyled Taos Junction in 1915. Road transportation began to outcompete the train. The railroad continued to operate until the Interstate Commerce Commission
approved of DRG&W's abandonment in 1941. The line closed amid Santa Fe's annual fiesta
in September 1941. The DR&GW proposed reusing some of the line's infrastructure for use on a railroad along the Burma Road
in a then embattled Southeast Asia
. Despite some local outcry and national media attention the railway was completely dismantled in 1942.
; Palmer had reasoned that the smaller scale railroads were advantageous in mountainous areas. There was some dual gauge
track in the Santa Fe Railyard where the railroad shared a station with the New Mexico Central Railway, and also at the line's northern terminal. The original terminal facilities in Santa Fe included a three-stall engine house and a coal shed on the tail of a wye
opposite a two-story island depot. These facilities were later replaced by infrastructure capable of tendering petroleum fueled engines and a union station
. Operations of the line were often described as adventurous. The branch served remote areas such as the stop at Buckman which was the Los Alamos Ranch School
's link to the outside world until 1921; a stop near a new road bridge across the Rio Grande at Otowi served this purpose when a new road to Los Alamos
was completed.
Cargo transported on the line included livestock, wool, fruit, chile, beans, sugar, flour, manufactured goods and timber. A daily mixed train
typically operated providing connections at Alamosa to an overnight standard gauge train to and from Denver. A meal stop was often scheduled at Embudo
. In 1890 a trip from Santa Fe to Antonito was scheduled to take eight hours. In 1941 the same trip on train 426 took seven hours and fifteen minutes, an average speed of 17.3 mi/h, nevertheless the trip to Denver was easily much quicker though longer by way of the AT&SF.
Guadalupe Street before crossing a trestle over the Santa Fe River
and entering the line's servicing facilities near the original depot. The railroad then crossed another trestle as it meandered through Santa Fe. The tracks then followed the right-of-way of Rio Grande Boulevard to a crest above the northwestern part of the city. A 22 miles (35.4 km) two percent grade to a townsite
at Buckman in the Caja del Rio where the railroad crossed the Rio Grande
, providing access to the Jemez Mountains
, followed. Today's Buckman Road roughly traces this part of the Chili Line and remnants of its grade are still visible. From Buckman north to Embudo
the line closely follows the easy grades of the Rio Grande as it passes through Santa Clara
and Española. From Embudo the line began its most steep (4%) and twisting climb through the Rio Grande Gorge
to Barranca where alternating but steady 1% grades led the line away from the Rio Grande towards Antonito
and Alamosa.
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
(DRG&W). It ran 125.6 miles (202.1 km) from Antonito, Colorado
Antonito, Colorado
The Town of Antonito is a statutory town located in Conejos County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town's population was 873.-Geography:...
, to Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Denver and Rio Grande Railway (D&RG) began construction of the line in 1880 and completed the line from Antonito to Espanola, New Mexico
Española, New Mexico
Española also known as Espanola , is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, in the United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Española was founded in 1880 as a railroad village, incorporated as a city in 1925. The city is situated in...
, but could not build any further because of an agreement with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF). The Texas, Santa Fe and Northern Railroad was incorporated to complete the line, and the line between Espanola and Santa Fe opened in 1886 and was transferred to the Denver and Rio Grande shortly thereafter. The D&RGW closed the Chili Line in 1941 because of competition from road transportation, and the line was abandoned shortly thereafter.
Name
The Chili Line was officially known as the Santa Fe Branch. Its nickname has been attributed to its freight, which prominently featured chili pepperChili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
s, and to the gastronomy of its patrons.
History
The original ambitious plans of Denver and Rio Grande Railway founder William J. Palmer projected a 2400 miles (3,862.4 km) north-south narrow gaugeNarrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
route from Denver to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
following the course of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
for much of the distance. As early as 1878 it was reasoned that such a route would not be possible, but Palmer did receive a concession in September 1880 from the Mexican government to build a different north-south line, the National Railroad of Mexico
National Railroad of Mexico
The National Railroad of Mexico was one of the primary pre-nationalization railways of Mexico. Incorporated in Colorado in 1880 as the Mexican National Railway , and headed by General William Jackson Palmer of the Denver and Rio Grande Railway, it completed a narrow gauge main line from Mexico...
. Initially planning to access the Territory of New Mexico via Raton Pass
Raton Pass
Raton Pass is a mountain pass on the Santa Fe Trail along the Colorado-New Mexico border in the United States. Raton Pass is a federally designated National Historic Landmark...
, a route that the AT&SF had already begun grading
Land grading
Grading in civil engineering and construction is the work of ensuring a level base, or one with a specified slope, for a construction work such as a foundation, the base course for a road or a railway, or landscape and garden improvements, or surface drainage...
for the construction of its own east-west transcontinental route
Southern Transcon
The Southern Transcon is a main line of the BNSF Railway between Southern California and Chicago, Illinois. Completed in 1908 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, when it opened the Belen Cutoff in New Mexico and bypassed the steep grades of Raton Pass, it now serves as a mostly...
, the D&RG had to look for alternative routes to the south as its conflict with the ATSF
Railroad Wars
The Railroad Wars were a series of conflicts between two competing railroads in the Old West of the late 1870s.In 1878, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and the smaller Denver and Rio Grande were competing to put the first line through Raton Pass. Both railroads had extended lines into...
festered. The conflict eventually resulted in the D&RG shifting its attention to lucrative mining opportunities to the west. Palmer's "dream of a road to Mexico City finally went glimmering" but the line along the Rio Grande became the exotic southern extent of the D&RGW's famous network in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. Prior to the conflict, the D&RG had built tracks over La Veta Pass to Alamosa
Alamosa, Colorado
The city of Alamosa is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 8,682 in 2005...
in the San Luis Valley
San Luis Valley
The San Luis Valley is an extensive alpine valley in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico covering approximately and sitting at an average elevation of above sea level. The valley sits atop the Rio Grande Rift and is drained to the south by the Rio Grande River, which rises in the San Juan...
. By 1880 narrow gauge tracks were in place as far south as Antonito and the construction of a line towards Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
was underway.
The AT&SF reached Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
(as a branch of its main line) in February 1880. In March the AT&SF and the D&RG publicly signed a restrictive territorial agreement that prevented the southward expansion of the D&RG beyond Española
Española, New Mexico
Española also known as Espanola , is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, in the United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Española was founded in 1880 as a railroad village, incorporated as a city in 1925. The city is situated in...
, where service began on New Year's Eve 1880, for ten years. To fill the approximately 35 miles (56.3 km) gap the Texas, Santa Fe and Northern Railroad (TSF&N) was formed. The long-term plans of the TSF&N called for the construction of a 1258 miles (2,024.5 km) railroad spanning from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. The company proposed to first connect Española to the territorial capital and then south to coal fields near Madrid, New Mexico
Madrid, New Mexico
Madrid is a census-designated place in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 149 at the 2000 census. Today Madrid has become an artists community with galleries lining Route 14...
. Work on the link to Santa Fe was stalled for several years because of money problems and the line further south was not built. With new management in place construction resumed in earnest in October 1886 and by January 1887 the narrow gauge tracks from Santa Fe to Española were complete. An excursion train
Excursion train
An excursion train is a chartered train run for a special event or purpose.Examples of excursion trains:* A train to a major sporting event* A train run for railfans or tourism...
between the two cities on January 9, 1887 was attended by 200 people. The TSF&N was absorbed by the Santa Fe Southern Railway in 1889 and by 1895 was a unit of the D&RG as the Rio Grande and Santa Fe Railroad.
Only a few branches were constructed along the Chili Line. During the 1880s and 1890s several short timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
spurs were built and a line connecting at a point near Española to the D&RG's San Juan Extension was contemplated. In 1903 the D&RG and the New Mexico Central Railway opened Santa Fe Union Station on a site adjacent to the AT&SF's depot
Santa Fe Depot (Rail Runner station)
Santa Fe Depot is the northern terminus of the New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter rail line. The station also serves as the northern terminus, offices, and gift shop of the Santa Fe Southern Railway, a tourist and freight carrying short line railroad. It is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico at...
. The new station replaced an older one on the north side of the Santa Fe River next to the D&RG's terminal facilities. The D&RG was interested, along with others, in connecting Taos
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
to its system, however surveys indicated that such a connection was not feasible. Instead the name of a station 20 miles (32.2 km) from Taos was restyled Taos Junction in 1915. Road transportation began to outcompete the train. The railroad continued to operate until the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
approved of DRG&W's abandonment in 1941. The line closed amid Santa Fe's annual fiesta
Fiestas de Santa Fe
Fiestas de Santa Fe is a festival held every autumn in Santa Fe, New Mexico, usually during the second week of September.-History:Fiestas de Santa Fe has been held annually since 1712 to celebrate the Reconquest of the city in 1692 by Spanish colonists led by General Don Diego de Vargas...
in September 1941. The DR&GW proposed reusing some of the line's infrastructure for use on a railroad along the Burma Road
Burma Road
The Burma Road is a road linking Burma with the southwest of China. Its terminals are Kunming, Yunnan, and Lashio, Burma. When it was built, Burma was a British colony.The road is long and runs through rough mountain country...
in a then embattled Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. Despite some local outcry and national media attention the railway was completely dismantled in 1942.
Operations
The railroad was almost completely narrow gaugeNarrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
; Palmer had reasoned that the smaller scale railroads were advantageous in mountainous areas. There was some dual gauge
Dual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
track in the Santa Fe Railyard where the railroad shared a station with the New Mexico Central Railway, and also at the line's northern terminal. The original terminal facilities in Santa Fe included a three-stall engine house and a coal shed on the tail of a wye
Wye
Wye is a historic village in Kent, England, located some from Canterbury, and is also the main village in the civil parish of Wye with Hinxhill...
opposite a two-story island depot. These facilities were later replaced by infrastructure capable of tendering petroleum fueled engines and a union station
Union station
A union station is the term used for a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them...
. Operations of the line were often described as adventurous. The branch served remote areas such as the stop at Buckman which was the Los Alamos Ranch School
Los Alamos Ranch School
Los Alamos Ranch School was a private boarding school for boys in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, near Otowi, in what would eventually become Los Alamos, New Mexico...
's link to the outside world until 1921; a stop near a new road bridge across the Rio Grande at Otowi served this purpose when a new road to Los Alamos
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Los Alamos is a townsite and census-designated place in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States, built upon four mesas of the Pajarito Plateau and the adjoining White Rock Canyon. The population of the CDP was 12,019 at the 2010 Census. The townsite or "the hill" is one part of town while...
was completed.
Cargo transported on the line included livestock, wool, fruit, chile, beans, sugar, flour, manufactured goods and timber. A daily mixed train
Mixed train
A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In the early days of railways they were quite common, but by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. As the trains provided passengers with very slow service, mixed trains have...
typically operated providing connections at Alamosa to an overnight standard gauge train to and from Denver. A meal stop was often scheduled at Embudo
Embudo, New Mexico
Embudo is an unincorporated community in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. It is on NM State Road 68. The Embudo Station is located 2.9 miles south of the intersection of NM State Road 75, near where the Embudo River flows into the Rio Grande.The name "Embudo", meaning "funnel" in...
. In 1890 a trip from Santa Fe to Antonito was scheduled to take eight hours. In 1941 the same trip on train 426 took seven hours and fifteen minutes, an average speed of 17.3 mi/h, nevertheless the trip to Denver was easily much quicker though longer by way of the AT&SF.
Route description
Just north of Santa Fe's Union Station the line began street runningStreet running
On-street running or street running is when a railroad track or tramway track runs directly along city streets, without any separation. The rails are embedded in the road....
Guadalupe Street before crossing a trestle over the Santa Fe River
Santa Fe River (New Mexico)
The Santa Fe River is a tributary of the Rio Grande in northern New Mexico. It starts in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range and passes through the state capital, Santa Fe providing approximately 40% of the city's water supply. It is an...
and entering the line's servicing facilities near the original depot. The railroad then crossed another trestle as it meandered through Santa Fe. The tracks then followed the right-of-way of Rio Grande Boulevard to a crest above the northwestern part of the city. A 22 miles (35.4 km) two percent grade to a townsite
Townsite
A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat or plan was often the first legal act in the establishment of a new town or...
at Buckman in the Caja del Rio where the railroad crossed the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, providing access to the Jemez Mountains
Jemez Mountains
The Jemez Mountains are a volcanic group of mountains in New Mexico, United States. The highest point in the range is Chicoma Mountain at an elevation of 11,561 feet . The town of Los Alamos and Los Alamos National Laboratory adjoin the eastern side of the range while the town of Jemez Springs...
, followed. Today's Buckman Road roughly traces this part of the Chili Line and remnants of its grade are still visible. From Buckman north to Embudo
Embudo, New Mexico
Embudo is an unincorporated community in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. It is on NM State Road 68. The Embudo Station is located 2.9 miles south of the intersection of NM State Road 75, near where the Embudo River flows into the Rio Grande.The name "Embudo", meaning "funnel" in...
the line closely follows the easy grades of the Rio Grande as it passes through Santa Clara
Santa Clara, New Mexico
Santa Clara is a village in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 3,944 at the 2000 census. Today a bedroom community for nearby Silver City, Santa Clara has experienced substantial growth in recent years.-Name:...
and Española. From Embudo the line began its most steep (4%) and twisting climb through the Rio Grande Gorge
Rio Grande Gorge
The Rio Grande Gorge runs from northwest to southeast of Taos, New Mexico, through the basalt flows of the Taos Plateau volcanic field. The gorge depth is 800 feet just south of the Gorge Bridge, which spans the gorge ten miles northwest of Taos....
to Barranca where alternating but steady 1% grades led the line away from the Rio Grande towards Antonito
Antonito, Colorado
The Town of Antonito is a statutory town located in Conejos County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town's population was 873.-Geography:...
and Alamosa.