Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad
Eastbound train on the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad, May 19, 2007. Note the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (N de M) livery on the locomotives | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Page, Arizona |
| Reporting mark | BLKM |
| Locale | Navajo Nation, Northern Arizona |
| Dates of operation | 1973–2019 |
| Technical | |
| Electrification | 50 kV AC, 60 Hz, overhead catenary |
| Length | 73 mi (117 km) |
The Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad (reporting mark BLKM) was an electrified private railroad operating in Northern Arizona, USA within the Navajo Nation which transported coal 78 miles (126 km) from the Peabody Energy Kayenta Mine near Kayenta, Arizona to the Navajo Generating Station power plant at Page, Arizona. It was completely isolated from the national rail network and did not connect to any other railroad. As a result, like metros, light rails, and trams, it was not controlled by the Federal Railroad Administration.
The line was constructed in the early 1970s and was the first railroad to be electrified at 50,000 volts. It was owned by the Salt River Project and the co-owners of the Navajo Generating Station.