The cloud cover is the outer bands of hurricane Ellen. A light rain is falling as 8665 West comes by the east end of Shumla siding on September 16, 1973. This was the only picture that I kept from a full day of shooting. After seeing all of the semaphore signals along this line I asked the Lord to give me another chance to visit the line before the signals disappeared. I prayed that my next trip would have lots of trains and sunshine.

Four months later I was back and caught Extra 8622 West train symbol ABSM coming by the same signals on January 31, 1974. Disk 101

East of Shumla the railroad crosses the Pecos River. The rail line has been moved several times. The original line took a twisting route down the canyon to drop down to the Rio Grande and then followed the river into Del Rio. The last spike on the Sunset Route in Texas was driven on January 12, 1883 about three and a half miles southwest of the present Pecos River bridge on that portion of line.

In 1892, the SP constructed a steel bridge over the Pecos that was the second highest in the US. It was 2,180 feet long and 321 feet high. The new route shortened the distance between Shumla and Del Rio by about ten miles. In 1944 the SP completed a concrete and steel bridge to replace the old bridge. The new bridge is 1,516 feet long and 275 feet high and is located about 300 feet south of the 1892 structure. Between 1963 and 1969 the US and Mexico built the Amistad Dam about 10 miles west of Del Rio. This required moving the rail line once again.

Index

Anacacho