1978

Tucson, Cornelia & Gila Bend
Ajo, Arizona
May 29, 1978




This ornate station at Ajo marked the southern end of the Tucson, Cornelia & Gila Bend's passenger service and presumably also served as the railroad's office. For most of its existence the road provided passenger service between Ajo and Gila Bend, in 1930 scheduling three trains a day each way. As late as 1977, well after the inception of Amtrak, one could hop a mixed train in Ajo at 7:00 a.m., arriving in Gila Bend at 9:10 am, beginning the return trip at 10:05 a.m. and arriving back in Gila Bend at 12:15 p.m., all for the immense sum of $0.97 each way. A strike in 1983 led to a complete shutdown in 1985 and the eventual abandonment of the railroad.




This page posted 3/1/2018. Text and photo ©2018 Lamont Downs.