Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/ICC valuations/El Paso and Southwestern Railroad

Interstate Commerce Commision, Valuation Reports, Volume 45

El Paso & Southwestern Railroad

Location and General Description of Property

The railroad operated by the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad Company, herein called the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad, is a single-track, standard-gage, steam railroad, located in New Mexico and Arizona.

The owned mileage consists of a main line extending westerly from the Rio Grande at the Texas-New Mexico State line to Tucson, Ariz., a distance of 337.842 miles; a branch line in New Mexico extending from Hermanas to Deming; and several branch lines in Arizona extending from Douglas to Courtland, Osborne to Bisbee, Lewis Springs to Fort Huachuca, Fairbanks to Benson, and Fairbanks to Tombstone. The El Paso & Southwestern Railroad owns 457.089 miles of road, all of which it uses. The principal cities served are Deming, N. Mex., Bisbee, Douglas, and Tuscon, Ariz.

The railroad of the Burro Mountain Railroad Company, hereinafter called the Burro Mountain Railroad, which is leased to and operated by the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad, is a single-track line located in New Mexico and extending from Burro Mountain Junction to Tyrone, a distance of 13.088 miles.

The El Paso & Southwestern Railroad has trackage rights over 33.27 miles of road owned by The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company between Deming and Burro Mountain Junction, N. Mex., which affords a connection between its owned road and its leased line.

The El Paso & Southwestern Railroad wholly owns and uses 570.905 miles of all tracks and wholly uses but does not own 17.650 miles of all tracks. These tracks, consisting of first main tracks and yard tracks and sidings, are classified in the trackage table in appendix 1.

The El Paso & Southwestern Railroad forms a part of the El Paso and Southwestern system. Its line is an important link in a through route extending from Dawson, N. Mex., via El Paso, Tex., to Tuscon, Ariz.

Introductory

The El Paso & Southwestern Railroad is a corporation of Arizona, having its corporate office at Bisbee, Ariz., and its general offices at El Paso, Tex. While the present name of this company is that given above, it was incorporated originally as the Southwestern Railroad of Arizona, which was changed on July 1, 1901.

The El Paso & Southwestern Railroad is controlled by the El Paso and South western Company, originally named the Southwestern Investment Company, through ownership of capital stock. The El Paso and Southwestern Company also controls, through ownership of its capital stock, the Burro Mountain Railroad Company, whose road is operated under lease by this company. On the other hand, the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad controls, through stock ownership, The El Paso & Southwestern Railroad Company of Texas, whose property is operated by its own organization.

The El Paso & Southwestern Railroad operated its own property from July 1, 1901, to March 31, 1908, and from July 1, 1912, to date of valuation. During the period from April 1, 1908, to June 30, 1912, it was operated under lease by the El Paso and Southwestern Company. In connection with the operation of the property of the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad, the El Paso and Southwestern Company acts as fiscal agent, making all collections and disbursements for, and periodically crediting or charging such items in an open account to, the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad.

Corporate History

The El Paso & Southwestern Railroad was incorporated October 19, 1900, under the general laws of the then Territory of Arizona, as the Southwestern Railroad of Arizona. Its name was changed July 8, 1901. Its purpose was to construct, acquire, and operate a railroad within the States of Arizona and New Mexico. The date of its organization was October 19, 1900. Pursuant to the above purpose the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad constructed certain railroad and acquired the property, rights, and franchises of three other railroad corporations which comprise the line of corporate succession culminating in the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad as at present constituted. The names of the corporations, the respective dates of incorporation, and for each predecessor the date and manner of succession follow:

No.	Name	Incorporation	Succession
1.	El Paso & Southwestern Railroad Company.	See 2.
2.	Southwestern Railroad of Arizona.	General laws of Arizona Territory, October 19, 1900.	Name changed to 1, July 8, 1901.
3.	The Arizona and South Eastern Rail Road Company.	General laws of Arizona Territory, May 24, 1888.	Sold to 1, June 17, 1902.
4.	Southwestern Railroad of New Mexico.	General laws of New Mexico Territory, May 21, 1901.	Sold to 1, June 17, 1902.
5.	Mexico and Colorado Railroad Company.	General laws of Arizona Territory, December 22, 1908.	Sold to 1, March 1, 1910.

Development of Fixed Physical Property

The recorded mileage of the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad amounts to 457.089 miles, of which approximately 366.579 miles were acquired by construction and 90.510 miles by purchase. Of the four corporations that comprise the line of succession culminating in the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad as at present constituted, one, the Southwestern Railroad of New Mexico, did not construct any road or other common-carrier property.

The following mileage was constructed in part under contract by the El Paso and Southwestern Company and in part by the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad: Naco, Ariz., to Hermanas, N. Mex., 146.700 miles; Hermanas to Deming, N. Mex., 31.540 miles; Hermanas to New Mexico-Texas State line, 89.720 miles; Fairbank to Tombstone, Ariz., 9.300 miles; Galena Ariz., spur track (reclassified as yard track, 2.07 miles); Naco Junction to French, Ariz., 8.450 miles; line changes, Forest to Lewis Springs, Ariz., 4.580 miles, and Don Luis to Osborne, Ariz., 4.070 miles; Corta to Lowell, Ariz., 3.100 miles; Fairbank to Tucson, Ariz., 66 miles; Lewis Springs to Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 14.300 miles; and extension at Tombstone, Ariz., 0.620 mile — a total of 378.380 miles.

There was acquired by purchase 94.610 miles, as follows: From The Arizona and South Eastern Rail Road Company, constructed by that company, Fairbank to Bisbee, Ariz., 36.20 miles; Fairbank to Benson, Ariz., 19.10 miles; line change at Boston Mill Hill, Ariz., amounting to 0.48 mile, and Naco Junction to Naco, Ariz., 4.100 miles, a total of 59.880 miles; and from the Mexico and Colorado Railroad Company, constructed for it by the El Paso and Southwestern Company, Courtland to Douglas Junction, Ariz., 34.730 miles.

Road abandonments totaled 16.210 miles, consisting of Naco Junction to Naco, Ariz., 4.100 miles; Naco Junction to French, Ariz., 5.230 miles; and at Fairbank, Ariz., 2.300 miles. Reclassification as yard tracks, Naco Junction to French accounted for 3.220 miles and relocation of line 1.360 miles, leaving a difference between recorded mileage and mileage inventoried on date of valuation of 0.309 mile.

Leased Railway Property

The El Paso & Southwestern Railroad used on date of valuation property owned by other companies and other companies use property owned by the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad to the extent indicated in the statement below.

	Rentals
Solely owned but jointly used with Nacozari Railroad Company, station facilities at Douglas, Ariz., maintained by owner; using company pays $32.50 per month.	......
Solely used but not owned, leased from Burro Mountain Railroad, entire railroad, 13.088 miles for an indefinite period from Jan. 1, 1914; annual rental 5 percent on recorded investment in road, operation, and taxes.	$22,095.57
Jointly used but not owned, owned by—
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company, line of railroad from Deming to Burro Mountain Junction, N. Mex., 33.27 miles, from July 1, 1914, to Oct. 1, 1923; monthly payment of $900 plus one twelfth of 3 percent on additions and betterments and one half of taxes; maintenance and operation on car-mileage basis.	15,171.90
Southern Pacific Railroad Company—
Station facilities at Benson, Ariz.; no written contract; rental $120 monthly.	240.00
Station facilities at Deming, N.Mex.; no written contract; rental $3,000 per annum and portion of operating expenses.	572.16
Arizona & New Mexico Railway Company, station facilities at Hachita, N. Mex., rental $300 per annum; maintained by El Paso & Southwestern and owner pays 38 percent of maintenance.	300.00
Arizona Eastern Railroad Company, station facilities at Kelton, Ariz., for 10 years from Jan. 1, 1914; rental one half of 6 percent on investment and one half of taxes and maintenance.	118.68

In addition, the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad solely owns a building at Tucson, Ariz., which is leased to others for noncarrier purposes. Rental of $896.30 accrued for year ended on date of valuation.