Re: Earl and Magma Arizona 7 (NNG)

Rich Johnson Wrote:
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> ok so where is this at? It does not look like
> most of Arizona.
>
> I went spooking around the MA last year and
> actually decided I wanted to buy a house in Miami
> AZ on the other side of the hill, but some things
> got in the way with timing.
> However I talked with a gentleman that turned out
> ran the museum there and he told me a lot of cool
> stuff about the status of things in the area.
> The mine at Superior isn't actually shut down.
> while the smelter is gone, (the stack remains)
> they are working around a huge pocket right now

> slowly and will eventually begin mining it. He
> told me the reason the RR has been left in place
> and semi maintained is it will need to operate
> once the mine is fully working again. He threw
> out a year of 2020 for possible operation of the
> mine based on what he had heard so who knows that
> would be really great to see trains rolling out
> there again.


#7 was sold to the Texas State RR in the mid-1970's, and operated there under an assumed name, Texas State RR #400, for years. one of my first duties at TRSS was to return all the steam locomotives to their original numbers and road names. 4-6-0 #201 was returned to Texas & Pacific #316. When returned to service 2-8-2 #400 became Magma Arizona #7. I left before 2-8-0 #300 was restored to Southern Pine Lumber Co. / Tremont & Gulf #28. If it ever happened, the 4-6-2 #500 would have been returned to AT&SF 1316.

The outfit I was working for in AZ (Copper Basin Ry) is slated to be the new operator of the Magma Arizona. Quite logical as the CBRY and MARR connect together and with the UP at Magma Junction. Our latest guestimate to resume some sort of operation is late 2019.