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Mexican Canyon Trestle

Otero County, US

Mexican Canyon Trestle

Mexican Canyon Trestle is an historic wooden trestle bridge in New Mexico's Sacramento Mountains, Otero County, New Mexico, just outside Cloudcroft, New Mexico. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It is located about .5 miles (0.80 km) northwest of Cloudcroft off US 82

. It can be seen from a viewpoint, off the highway, with a historical plaque describing "The Cloud Climbing Railroad". It is the most prominent remaining structure of the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway which operated under various names from 1899 to 1947. Built in 1899, the curved trestle has an overall length of 323 feet and rises 52 feet above the canyon floor. Vertical supports spaced 15 feet apart consist of 12" x 12" timbers. The rails (removed in 1948) and crossties were placed on 8"x16" stringers held together with three-quarter-inch bolts and cast iron spacers. In order to form the curve, the top part was built in 21 sections with 8"x16" timbers. There are 10 main timbers 15 feet in length in each of the 21 sections resting on footing blocks set 4 to 8 feet underground. Lateral, longitudinal, and diagonal wooden braces prevented sway and shifting of the trestle. A wooden...

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