Logo 03 - El Paso & Southwestern Railway, c. 1902
Mural Depiction
The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad was a short-line American railway company which operated in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, with line extensions across the international border into Mexico. The railroad was known as the Arizona and South Eastern Railroad from 1888 to 1902.
Background Information
The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Company of Texas was chartered on June 6, 1902, to operate a railroad between the Texas–New Mexico border and El Paso. The initial capital was $2,000,000, and the business office was in El Paso. The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Company of Texas acquired the El Paso Terminal Company on February 9, 1903, and placed the line in service on March 1. The railroad ran from El Paso to the Texas and New Mexico boundary located at the center of the 1,692 foot bridge across the Rio Grande. At this point it connected with the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Company. The Texas Company was owned by and was operated as an integral part of the El Paso and Southwestern, which initially consisted of a route between El Paso and Tucson, Arizona. On November 18, 1937, the El Paso and Southwestern of Texas acquired the assets of the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad Company and bought the capital stock of the El Paso Southern Railway Company on December 13, 1954. In 1924 the Southern Pacific Company acquired control of the El Paso and Southwestern system. The El Paso and Southwestern of Texas was operated under lease until it was merged into the Southern Pacific Company on November 1, 1961.
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For more information on the El Paso & Southwestern see the El Paso & Southwestern homepage.
Mural Information
Completed: September 2013
Sponsor: Union Pacific Railway