Phoenix and Eastern Railroad

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Phoenix and Eastern Railroad
Overview
LocaleArizona
Dates of operation1901 (1901)–1910 (1910)
Successor
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

The Phoenix and Eastern Railroad was a railroad company in the state of Arizona. It was chartered in 1901 to construct a line from Phoenix, Arizona to Benson, Arizona via the Gila River, a distance of 185 miles (298 km). The company would be leased by the , a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific, in 1910. A portion of its original line remains in service and is operated by the Copper Basin Railway.

History[]

The Phoenix and Eastern was incorporated on August 31, 1901. Its original plan was to construct a line from Phoenix to Benson along the Gila River, for a total length of 185 miles (298 km). At Benson it would interchange with the Southern Pacific and also the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad.[1] The company had the backing of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which was seeking to expand its operations in southern Arizona. The Southern Pacific responded by backing a rival company, the Arizona Eastern, which also intended to build along the Gila River. In 1903–1904 a minor railroad war broke out as the two companies struggled over control of the route. The ATSF and the SP eventually reached a compromise: in exchange for the SP taking control of the Phoenix and Eastern, SP made concessions to the ATSF in Northern California.[2]

By 1910 the Phoenix and Eastern had reached Winkelman, a distance of 95 miles (153 km). The Arizona Eastern formally leased the Phoenix and Eastern on March 1, 1910, ending that company's independent existence.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ "A Busy Railroad in a Rich Country". The Bulletin. X (8): 3–6. August 1921.
  2. ^ Borneman, Walter R. (2014). Iron Horses: America's Race to Bring the Railroads West. Little, Brown and Company.
  3. ^ Arizona Railway Commission (1911). Annual Report. p. 8.
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