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Capstone Mining – SMARRCO
Capstone Mining has stopped the operations of the San Manuel Railroad. The railroad was receiving concentrate from the Pinto Valley Mine via truck transport where it was stored then loaded onto railroad cars at San Manuel. It was then shipped by rail to Guaymas, Mexico. Employees have been laid off although some have found employment at the Pinto Valley operations.
“Capstone Mining is continually looking for cost savings opportunities and efficiencies throughout our operations. We have temporarily ceased all rail operations as part of the transportation chain that delivers concentrate to the Port of Guaymas, Mexico for export,” Cindy Burnett, Vice President Investor Relations and Communications for Capstone Mining said. “A modular truck transport system for the movement to Guaymas for export will be used to haul the copper concentrates at this time. The San Manuel Arizona Railroad Company (SMARRCO) will be placed on temporary care and maintenance, resulting in the furlough of 13 employees. Compared to the more efficient modular truck transport, our SMARRCO operation is high cost, capital intensive and involves multiple loading and unloading of our copper concentrates.”
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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