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My Favorite Arizona Railroad, The Clifton Branch

The Clifton Branch runs from the mainline of the Sunset Route in Lordsburg, NM 70 miles to Clifton, AZ. There, it meets up with the Phelps Dodge Railroad, which drops down the mountain from Morenci, location of the largest copper mining operation in North America. Both lines features stiff grades and lots of curves, which make for tough railroading and great railfanning. I eventually plan on making a webpage that will do justice to this railroad, but for now here are a few of my favorite shots from this line.

1. The Clifton local exits Tunnel #3 as it descends the 2% grade into town.
2. A lengthy Clifton local behind four units is wrapped around the horseshoe curve over Drive Canyon.
3. The Phelps Dodge interchange train has just left the Morenci yard and is starting down the steep descent into Clifton.
4. In the early evening, the local is returning south--28 loads of copper behind 4 GP40M-2s.