@Dominic Mazoch posted:Sometimes a back up line makes sense. Could one imagine Houston being served with just one line....even if one takes out the Port abd refinery traffic.....!
Interestingly enough, Phoenix was never on any mainline railroad of any size. It is due to the fact that Phoenix didn't become a major city until after WWII. The former SP Sunset Route runs south of Phoenix by about 25 miles. Instead there was a branch line built starting partway between Tucson and Phoenix that was built to Phoenix that continues to interchange with some mining railroads. From Phoenix the branch continued SW to a small town outside of Yuma on the CA border.
In 1996 either SP or UP (I don't remember at the moment), took most of that line out of service. The Amtrak accident at Hyder was the official reasoning at the time, but I suspect SP was looking to drop the line for a while. It currently is used as a storage track for obsolete auto racks, and well cars for the most part on about 60 miles of track and has trees growing through the right of way. Before the traffic turndown there was talk of putting that track back in service.
BNSF is in the same position. ATSF built south from their transcon about 60 miles west of Flagstaff on what is locally called the "Peavine" due to the terrain and also built west to Cadiz. Genessee and Wyoming currently owns the Arizona and California for the portion of track that goes to Cadiz.
