San Manuel Arizona Railroad
AZ · San Manuel → Hayden
Photo: D&RG Railfan · CC BY 3.0
Built for one of the biggest underground copper mines in America — and idle since 2016.
The San Manuel Arizona Railroad was incorporated in 1953 and opened in 1955 to serve the huge new San Manuel copper mine and smelter. It ran about 29 miles down the San Pedro River valley to Hayden, where it met the Copper Basin Railway. The big trestle near Mammoth is one of its landmarks.
Service stopped in 1999, and the mine closed for good in October 2003. The railroad was brought back briefly in 2012, but Capstone Mining idled it again in 2016. The track is still intact and in good shape — it just has nowhere to go.
⚠️ Before you go: every railroad on this map is private property. A line that looks abandoned may still be owned by a railroad, used to store rail cars, or put back into service at any time — sometimes with no warning. Before going near any track, make sure it's truly abandoned (no recent use, rails not polished, no signals or cars stored on it) and that you're allowed to be there. Never assume a track is dead.
📷 Photos & stories from riders
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