Cimarron & Philmont
$21.99
The last train to leave Cimarron, New Mexico The story of the last train to leave Cimarron endevors to answer two questions: Why did the railroad industry pull out of Cimarron, New Mexico and when did the last train leave? To answer these questions the author summarizes the history of the Cimarron country, the various people who worked to develop its lands, natural resources and rail service. How did the tiny community of Ute Park develop and why did it not grow into the vacation and recreational community the railroad executives envisioned. Was a northern railroad through New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California , going to the Pacific possible and was it needed? In many places history is driven by economics, so to understand the railroad history of Cimarron we also looked at the development of the automobile, truck transportation, air travel, bus transportation, one speed long hall railroads, development of the electric diesel locomotive and the decline of steam driven trains. All of these things are part of the complete Cimarron rail road saga. Then, there is the story of the last train.
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Reviews
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Good read, with a let down...
Bromley does a great job covering western railroad history in general, and Colfax country railroad history specifically. The book is easy to read and the bulk of it is well written. The introduction is however, a bit awkward. Spoiler alert -- stop reading now if you do not want to spoil the ending. The title is ingenious, drawing the reader in and foreshadowing something special about that last train. Unfortunately, it turns out there was nothing special about that last train. The final chapter details a routine run from Raton to Ute Park with nothing out of the ordinary beyond loading the contents of packed up stations onto the train. The real kicker comes in the afterward, when the reader discovers the account of the last train is fictionalized. It turns out no records have survived of that last train, and the exact date cannot even be pinned down. Overall a disappointing ending to an otherwise good book.