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News:
Mexican Canyon Trestle Contract Awarded
Alamogordo, NM
(October 6, 2008) – A contract for preservation
and restoration of the Mexican Canyon Trestle has
been awarded to Osmose Railroad Services from
Madison, Wisconsin. Osmose is one of America’s
largest railroad bridge repair companies, with
over 50 years of experience in wooden bridge
maintenance.
Weather permitting,
Osmose expects to evaluate the structure and apply
preservative this fall, halting additional
deterioration in the structure. In the spring of
2009, we expect Osmose to begin replacing rotted
timbers between bents one and five, starting at
the north end by Highway 82. A bent is a vertical
structure supporting the trestle. The Mexican
Canyon Trestle has 22 bents and additional funding
and contracts will be needed to replace rotted
timbers in the remaining bents. "I am so
excited to be working with Osmose on this,"
said Donna Owens, Sacramento District Ranger.
"It is important to the Forest Service and
the public to preserve this icon for future
generations."
The Mexican Canyon
Trestle was built in 1899 by the Alamogordo and
Sacramento Mountain Railroad to access timber in
the forest, then to bring tourists to Cloudcroft.
For almost 50 years, the trestle was used and
maintained regularly by the railroad. Abandoned by
the railroad in 1947, the trestle has welcomed
residents and visitors to Cloudcroft for almost 60
years with few changes and no maintenance.
About 15 years ago,
Lincoln National Forest personnel and New Mexico
Rails-to-Trails members became concerned about the
condition of the trestle. Osmose completed an
engineering study identifying timber condition and
replacement needs. While many of the vertical
timbers are still quite sound, horizontal timbers,
which collect and hold moisture, have
deteriorated, requiring replacement to keep the
trestle standing. Visitors to the site may have
noticed a dip in the middle of the trestle where
horizontal timbers lower in the structure have
failed.
In 2006,
Congressman Steve Pearce learned of the project
and gave his support. A coalition formed which
included the Forest, New Mexico Rails-to-Trails
Association, the Congressman’s staff, the
Village of Cloudcroft, NMSU Engineering
Department, Burlington, Northern and Santa Fe
Railroad, Weasel Productions of Ruidoso, and Tzec
Maun Foundation. Funds have been procured through
various grants and appropriations, allowing for
awarding of this contract. Dave Venable, Village
of Cloudcroft Mayor, says, "This is a perfect
example of what can be done when people put their
heads together to accomplish something for the
good of the community. This is something we can
leave for future generations to admire. Now it is
time to get after it!" Acting Forest
Supervisor Frank Martinez added, "This is a
long awaited moment, the preservation and
stabilization of this important historical
structure."
Local individuals
and groups have shown their love and admiration
for the trestle by volunteering their time to
remove the vegetation that has grown around it,
allowing contractors to access the trestle for
their work. Volunteers included El Paso Ridge
Walkers, Boy Scout Troop 147, Alamogordo Civil Air
Patrol, HAFB First Sergeant’s Association, and
many individuals from Otero County and El Paso. We
will have one more work day this fall, on
Saturday, November 1st. Please contact Peg Crim at
pcrim@fs.fed.us
or 434-7231 if you would like to join us.
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The diagram to
the left shows the basic components of a
timber type trestle.
