Back to the main page

The first line of the San Juan Valley was built in 1887 between Eden and Sonora thanks to financial backing and the will of rich farmers who wanted to send their livestock to the rest of the United States.

 

Soon after, the line was bought by a financial company and the San Juan Valley was born. Prosperity of the company permited the building of a new line in 1895 to San Antonio and the surrounding area. The traffic changed a lot : initially it was simply livestock, but later included freight, passengers, and oil.

 

In 1898, the line reached the important town of San Antonio, which gave renewed strength to the SJV.

 

In 1900, le harbour of Gorda was reached leading to the development by the company of interchange traffic with shipping.

 

The heyday of the line was in 1928.

The heaviest traffic is between Gorda/San Antonio/Sonora – the San Antonio District.

 

The railway is single track operated under the control of a dispatcher in the station at San Antonio.

 

The steepest gradients are located between Sonora and Spofford. They are 2,5 % around Del Rio. The use of several locomotives is necessary for the longest trains.

The workshops and the main engine shed are located at San Antonio. Gorda and Sonora each have smaller engine sheds. Until 1959, the water tanks and coaling facilities were available to refuel the steam locomotives at the main stations and in the terminus of the SJV.

 

Some passenger trains were run Gorda / San Antonio / Sonora and then beyond the end of the SJV to San Angelo (North direction) on the Santa Fe line.

 

This permitted the connection with the “Great Bend Flyer”, a passenger Santa Fe train which linked Presisio, Cherokee (Oklahoma) to Wichita (Kansas) via San Angelo.

 

At this time, I have built in 1/160^th scale only a little part of the San Juan Valley. The layout is set in June 1959.

 

You’ll discover all the details by looking at the pages below :

SAN ANTONIO

GORDA

(Harbour)

SONORA

 

EDEN

 

SJV

SAN ANTONIO

DISTRICT

 

SJV

EDEN BRANCH

SAN JUAN JUNCTION

 

CUARO

SPOFFORD

 

DEL RIO

 

SONORA                                   under construction

HIGH CREEK BRIDGE         under construction

SANTA FE

To CHICAGO

HOUSTON

 

SONORA

 

SAN

ANTONIO

 

SAN ANGELO

 

SWEETWATER

 

MEXICO

NEW

MEXICO

OKLAHOMA

LOUISIANA

GORDA

 

EDEN

 

TEXAS

San Juan Valley

 

Santa Fe Railway

 

Other Companies

The San Juan Valley Railway (SJV) is a free-lance shortline railway company located at the south west of the State of Texas (USA). It links the main towns of Sonora, Eden, San Antonio and Gorda. The stations of Eden, Sonora and Gorda are interchange points with Santa Fe company.

 

In North-West and in the middle part of the system, the San Juan Valley railway serves a green and hilly countryside. In the South-West, the land is flat and marshy.