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The
Spanish arrived in the 16th century, and used the pass as a route between the Rio Grande valley and the three “salt missions” they constructed northeast of the pass, now ruins preserved as part of the
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of up to 3.5% on these passes. The company surveyed a route through the Abo Canyon, which could be achieved with a gradient of no more than 1.25%. Known as the
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The four-mile route through the canyon remained a single-track bottleneck until March 2011, when a second track was completed at a cost of $ 85 million.
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freight traffic; most of the Santa Fe's through passenger service remained on the old Raton Pass route, due to its connections in
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Transportation and
Highways. New Mexico Legislation. Filed February 27, 1998. Effective July 31, 1998. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
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BNSF priority train enters Abo Canyon on the original AT&SF main. The new track through the canyon is on the left.
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times, the pass provided the most direct trading route through the mountains between the plains
Indians of the
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Myrick, David ‘’New Mexico’s
Railroads: A Historical Survey’’, University of New Mexico Press, 1990
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bridge across Abo Canyon, circa 1905–1908. Sand Canyon is in background.
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Benner, John “Abo Arroyo", CTC Board
Railroads Illustrated, July 1996.
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270:. It is a 31 miles scenic drive through the Salt Missions area along
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New Mexico
Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
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was established through the pass in 1921, and was designated as
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18 NMAC 31.2 New Mexico Scenic and
Historic Byways Program.
338:. New Mexico Tourism Department. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
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joins the highway from Belen on the west side of the pass.
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Abo Pass Trail - New Mexico Scenic & Historic Byway.
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took over all of the Santa Fe's passenger operations.
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wished to find an alternative route to its existing
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231:system and known as the Clovis subdivision of the
309:Frailey, Fred W., "Birthplace of the Transcon,"
266:On July 31, 1998, the Abo Pass Trail was made a
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455:Transportation in Socorro County, New Mexico
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16:Mountain pass in New Mexico, United States
445:Rail mountain passes of the United States
150:Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
92:(elevation 5771 ft.), also known as
326:Newspaper (Socorro, NM) December 3, 2011
460:Landforms of Socorro County, New Mexico
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322:Hardin, Paul "Railroading Abo Pass,"
174:Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad
166:Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
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268:New Mexico Scenic and Historic Byway
283:Scenic byways in the United States
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172:In the early 20th century, the
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248:Atlantic and Pacific Highway
362:Wildernet. August 10, 2014.
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61:Socorro County, New Mexico
272:New Mexico State Road 47
256:New Mexico State Road 47
110:Southwest United States
421:34.43556°N 106.45889°W
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324:El Defensor Chieftain
313:Magazine, April 2007.
188:Passes, to avoid the
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426:34.43556; -106.45889
128:to the east and the
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218:San Francisco Chief
377:2006-10-07 at the
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32:5,771 ft (1,759 m)
233:Southern Transcon
198:Belen, New Mexico
102:Manzano Mountains
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288:References
281:See also:
142:Abo Pueblo
138:Rio Grande
106:New Mexico
90:Abo Canyon
46:US 60
254:in 1931.
190:gradients
28:Elevation
375:Archived
210:Colorado
186:Glorieta
178:mainline
156:Railroad
94:Abo Pass
57:Location
22:Abo Pass
242:Highway
220:, when
200:and at
136:of the
116:History
108:in the
96:, is a
311:Trains
222:Amtrak
130:Pueblo
182:Raton
180:over
120:From
69:Range
274:and
246:The
229:BNSF
184:and
63:, US
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