Oscuro Siding Track Extension

Oscuro, New Mexico

Stronghold Engineering Inc. was hired to extend a section of rail siding just northeast of Oscuro, New Mexico.  In rail terminology, a siding rail refers to a low-speed track section that is distinct from a running line or through route.  Siding rails are often used to allow one train to pass another or to simply store excess railcars. 

Stronghold was tasked with constructing a setout track along the existing siding betweenMile Posts 840.33 and 840.69, which is situated in Lincoln County, New Mexico just northeast of the sleepy town of Oscuro.  Mile Posts are the geographical measures of a railroad line.  These markers allow train crews to properly locate sections of track, which is critically important along nondescript stretches of land such as in this project. 

To properly support the new track, the project also requires the formation of new embankments and the full replacement of three (3) older, existing culverts. Work such as this, while somewhat unglamorous in nature, truly helps keep the wheels of the economy going.  Our nation’s railroads move over one third of all US exports and they account for over 40% of the nation’s long distance freight transport. 

Stronghold is proud to have logged 266 days of accident-free work on this job with no lost time.  The project is still underway and scheduled to be completed in Q4 2022.