Abandoned Railroad Lines in New Mexico

It's been awhile since I've made a state level map of any of the US States, but I got a recent request to map the State of New Mexico, and figured it was time to put another feather in my cap!

New Mexico's railroad history extends far beyond the busy mainlines that still cross the state today. From mining railroads in the mountains to agricultural branch lines on the plains, hundreds of miles of railroad corridors once connected communities that have long since lost train service. The map below highlights many of these abandoned and out-of-service railroad lines across New Mexico, revealing a hidden transportation network that helped shape the state's development.

The map shows former rail corridors stretching from the mining districts near Silver City and Dawson to agricultural branches around Clovis, Tucumcari, and Roswell. Many of these routes served coal mines, timber operations, ranching communities, and small towns that depended on rail transportation during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This map was created using data from our Abandoned Railroad Map, a continuously updated, crowd-sourced database of abandoned, disused, and out-of-service railroad corridors. The project has been under development for more than ten(!) years and contains thousands of rail corridors across North America and beyond.

Whether you are researching local history, exploring potential rail-trails, studying historic transportation networks, or simply curious about the railroads that once crossed New Mexico, the interactive map provides far more detail than can be shown in a static image. Unlike many railroad maps that focus only on legally abandoned corridors, this project also includes lines that are out of service, railbanked, or otherwise inactive. The goal is to document railroad corridors where trains no longer operate, regardless of their legal status.

No single source exists for every abandoned railroad corridor, least of all our own. As a result, contributions from local historians, railroad enthusiasts, GIS professionals, and community members play a vital role in improving the map.

Other states' abandoned railroad maps: Washington, Rhode Island, Florida, Illinois

If you know of a missing railroad line in New Mexico, or anywhere else, consider contributing information to help make the map more complete and accurate!

Thanks as always for reading!