The Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad is currently the only privately owned electrified railroad used specifically for freight service. However, the railroad is not a common carrier system and is owned by the Peabody Coal Company specifically to haul coal from the Black Mesa Mine near Kayenta to the Navajo Generating Station power plant at Page. The railroad operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week using a combination of E60C motors built by General Electric to get the job done. The railroad is actually relatively new, having been built in the early 1970s (it officially opened in 1973) across the Navajo Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona.
The Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad, when built, was the most highly energized system in place at the time using catenary powered with 50,000 volts, all of which was supplied by the Page power plant.
The electric motor the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad uses is a GE product that was the first new electric locomotive design built in the post-Amtrak era when the private freight railroads no longer operated passenger trains. This much more powerful motor was designed exclusively for passenger service and meant to replace an aging fleet of electrics that Amtrak had inherited from freight railroads. After almost 30 years of operation the E60 model was retired by Amtrak in 2003 although, aside from those used by the BM&LP, a few have been preserved today, Amtrak #603 and NJ Transit #958.
The GE E60 model, a double-ended design (although the BM&LP original models are not this way, they have head-end cabs only), were powerful locomotives capable of producing 6,000 horsepower and 75,000 pounds of starting tractive effort (which is where its name is derived; Electric, 6,000 hp). Two versions of the E60 would ultimately be built, one classified as an E60CP, which featured a steam generator for older passenger equipment Amtrak operated and the E60CH, which was equipped with the more modern head-end electric power for heat and electricity.
Below is a current roster of the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad:
· GE TE53-4E #5301: Ex-Morrison Knudsen, originally rebuilt from a Union Pacific U25B.
· GE E60C #6001-6006: Purchased new in the early 1970s.
· GE E60C EA004, EA022, EA023, EA032, EA034, EA036, EA038, EA039: Purchased secondhand from Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, EA023 is used for parts.
If you are interested in visiting the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad keep in mind that the area is very remote and unpaved roadways cannot only be very hazardous but also located on private property. However, if you're interested in seeing the BM&LP it's the only spot in the country where you can currently see electrics hauling something other than passengers in this country! For more information on the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad please click here.
For more reading on shortlines like the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad consider the book American Shortline Railway Guide from author Ed Lewis. The book has gone through several updated editions to keep up with the ever-changing world of the shortline industry. Today, the publication highlights almost 600 shortlines across the country with general background information about each (such as roster information, rail line history, radio frequencies, etc.). If you have any interest in shortlines you will very likely enjoy this book. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit The Railroad Diamond by clicking the tab in the menu to your left marked "TRD Store".
