Magma Arizona
Railroad - (en)
The Magma Arizona Railroad (AAR reporting marks MAA) was built by the
Magma Copper Company and operated from 1920 - 1997. Originally
headquartered in Superior, Arizona, the company primarily hauled
cattle and copper on 30.2 miles (48.6 km) of standard gauge track to
and from the Southern Pacific mainline in Magma, Arizona between
Florence and Queen Creek.
The Australian mining giant Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP)
purchased the Magma Copper Company and its lines in 1996 for A$3.2
billion and suspended rail operations on this line a year later.
The Magma was the last industrial short line railroad to use steam
power.
Revival
The railroad has since changed hands and is currently owned by
Resolution Copper, a subsidiary of London-based Rio Tinto Group.
Exploration in 2001-2003 resulted in the discovery of a large copper
ore body some 7,000 ft (2133 m) beneath the surface of lands just
three miles (5 km) east of Superior. If the mine is eventually
reopened, it is highly likely the Magma Arizona will be revived to
transport the one billion tons (907 million tonnes) of ore to off-site
smelters. Discussions with representatives of Resolution indicate the
Magma Arizona name will be kept if the mine and railroad are both
reopened, which may occur after feasibility studies are completed in
2009.
Famous Locomotives
Engine No. 5, a 2-8-0, was the only standard gauge locomotive acquired
new by the Magma Arizona.
Engine No. 6 is a Baldwin Locomotive Works 4-6-0 built in October 1907
and operated until 1960. It is now on display at the
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Engine No. 7, a Baldwin 2-8-2, was built in 1917 for the Fremont and
Gulf Railroad, who sold it to Magma in 1954. It was featured in the
popular epic film How the West Was Won. The engine was purchased by
the Texas State Railroad in 1974 and rehabbed in 1978.
Engine No. 8, a Baldwin S-8, was originally built for the Medford
Corporation in 1952. After Medford suspended railroad logging
operations in 1961, the locomotive was sold to Magma Arizona in 1968.
Its generator failed in September of 1992 and was sold to The Southern
Oregon Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, who
rehabbed it for use on the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad. It is
the only Baldwin switcher built with dynamic braking.
Engine #10 at the Arizona Railway MuseumEngine No. 10, a Baldwin
DRS-6-6-15 was built in 1950 for the McCloud River Railroad as Engine
No. 29. It was purchased in 1969 by Magma and renumbered to Engine No.
10 and operated on the Magma line from January, 1970 - 1991. In 1994,
it was donated to the Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler, Arizona
where it is largely functional.
