Phelps Dodge Sierrita Operations

Company History: Phelps Dodge began in 1834 as an import-export firm between Britain and the United States. By the turn of the 20th century, they had become heavily involved in copper mining in Arizona and developed railroads to serve these mines. The Sierrita copper and molybdenum mine, mill and railroad operation is located 20 miles south of Tucson, Arizona. The operation began as a shaft mine in 1907 and was converted to an open-pit in 1957. In 2006, it was estimated the mine had reserves of 907 million metric tons of ore. In 2007, Freeport-McMoRan acquired the operation when they merged Phelps-Dodge Copper. In the second generation diesel era, Phelps Dodge used a fleet of GP38-2’s equipped with extra low gearing to drag trains up the line’s 5% grades. As is the case with many other copper mine railroads, the locomotives were equipped with special high clearance fuel tanks.

Successor/Parent History: Freeport-McMoRan Inc., often called Freeport, is an American mining company based in the Freeport-McMoRan Center, in Phoenix, Arizona.

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