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Alexander Cameron Hunt, former territorial governor of Colorado, built the Pecos and Rio Grande Railroad northwest from Laredo to the coal mining region along the Rio Grande. Construction of the narrow gauge line began in March 1882 as 100 men cleared the brush with picks and shovels and built a bridge over Santa Isabela Creek. Col. W. W. Hungerford was hired as general manager of the rail line, and by September trains were running to the coal mines. By June 1883, Hunt began to lay a third rail. Standard gauge coal cars were then connected to the International and Great Northern Railway and avoided costly reloading of coal at Laredo. Hunt overextended the financial resources of the company, and by 1885 had declared bankruptcy. Charles Barstow Wright, president of the Northern Pacific Railroad, purchased the reorganized Pecos and Rio Grande. By 1895 the line was renamed the Rio Grande and Eagle Pass railroad. Improvements to the line were made in 1910 totaling $132,000. Carloads of vegetables were also shipped on the line in the 1920-40s. By World War II the coal mines closed, and in 1947 the Rio Grande and Eagle Pass abandoned the line and tore up the track. (1997) |
