The Apache Railway sale to Aztec Land and Cattle Company funded the afternoon before Thanksgiving and was expected to close Monday morning. With the announcement of new financing, the railroad was able to repay its former lender by Nov. 30, as required by a bankruptcy court order, and will continue operations as it has for nearly the past century. In May 2015, the lender sued to exercise its rights with respect to the Apache Railway stock. The lawsuit was subsequently blocked when the Snowflake Community Foundation, holder of 100 percent of the Apache Railway stock, filed for U.S. Bankruptcy Court protection to allow it time to find a new owner for the railroad. The town is being repaid outside of the bankruptcy proceeding. “The Apache Railway has used up another one of its nine lives, and we are glad it is still serving the economic development of our community and Navajo County,” said Snowflake Mayor Tom Poscharsky.