Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM

laid off sick just moved there hopefully he will respond.

2926 Santa Fe Northern nearing a complete restoration. Should be fired up shortly.  20 years in restoration.  Located in Albuquerque on 8th St. Open on Sat.. TCA meeting and members swap on Sat. 21st. Neatherwood Christain Church in Albuquerque.

bigdodgetrain posted:

laid off sick just moved there hopefully he will respond.

I thought he moved to Amarillo, Texas. 

Hot Water posted:

bigdodgetrain posted:

laid off sick just moved there hopefully he will respond.

I thought he moved to Amarillo, Texas. 

Doug is in Albuquerque now.  Chatted with him about a month ago about it.   

You may want to check on the TCA roster of Rio Grande Chapter members.  They are largely a postwar-centric group of train collectors and a great group to hang out with. 

Better yet, the 2019 TCA convention next Summer in Albuquerque will give you a great opportunity to see how much more interesting this city is than most people think.

Go to Chama, NM.   The Cumbres and Toltec will not running yet it is too early in the season, but the yard is presereved right out fo the 50s with strings of stock cars and side dump gons.     Lots of mOW equipment.    They have a good flock of steamers but probably all are under maintenence now.     My wife and I stayed in a B&B about a block from the yard in a buildign that the lady had converted from a missionary church.   The food was great and she was gracious host.    She told me her grandmother was an apache Indian.  

Not sure how close to Sante Fe, but we stopped there on the way out to visit the Grand Canyon.   There were 2 restaurants in the small town, so you could find a place to eat.  

To me, the yard appeared to be much as it was in the 1950s as the DRG Narrow gauge was still a running.  

I don't know of any model train related points of interest, but there are several raailroading points of interest.

1. ATSF 2926 is nearing completion and should do her first run sometime this year. http://2926.us/
2. The old Santa FE station in downtown.  It has been restored.
3. Take a ride on the RailRunner.  It runs between Belen (south of ABQ) north to Santa FE.
4. Visit the Harvey House in the Railroad Historic district of Belen (about 20 miles south of ABQ)
5. Also in Belen is ATSF M190.

Jan

The name of the B&B I stayed at was the Encanto, listed below which should be a link.

Encanto B&B

There are a half dozen other places to stay too.     I just looked at the website for the Cumbrs & Toltec RR and it says they schedule is May 26 to Oct somthing.     Chama and Antonito (the ends of the line) are at about 7000 ft.    The line goes up over the mountains and Cumbres Pass is probably still snow covered at over 11,000 ft.      Hence they don't start running until the snow is pretty much under control.    There is a very nice road from Chama Up to Cumbres that pretty much follows the RR.    After that, the RR is not nearly so accessible if at all until Antonito.

Be sure to visit The Train Room in Albuquerque. They are the only O scale dealer left in town, and are located at 2515 Utah St NE, Albuquerque, NM.

Santa Fe also has ATSF 5030 on display in Salvador Perez Park, and equipment from the old Santa Fe Southern tourist railway sits by the depot downtown. 

2926 of course

There is a 3 rail layout at The Wheels Museum down at The Shops but I dont know if its open yet. They have been remodeling all winter for maintenance.

I met a guy this past weekend with a big 027 layout with very nice scenery. I am supposed to deliver some Sunset engines to him this week. I have heard that its the best in ABQ.

I am still looking myself but unfortunately just havent found anything.

Drive around the yard in Abq and check out the Shops. They are now owned by the city but rented out quite often for filming. Many scenes from Breaking Bad were shot there, along with many other block buster movies.

2926 of course

There is a 3 rail layout at The Wheels Museum down at The Shops but I dont know if its open yet. They have been remodeling all winter for maintenance.

I met a guy this past weekend with a big 027 layout with very nice scenery. I am supposed to deliver some Sunset engines to him this week. I have heard that its the best in ABQ.

I am still looking myself but unfortunately just havent found anything.

Drive around the yard in Abq and check out the Shops. They are now owned by the city but rented out quite often for filming. Many scenes from Breaking Bad were shot there, along with many other block buster movies.

My parents came to visit so we rode the Railrunner from ABQ up to Santa Fe today for some margarita hopping. Walked around the plaza, drank, ate, drank, ate and rode the train back to ABQ. What?? We had to kill 5 hours some how. 

If you have the time, The Rail Runner is a nice trip! Its $10.00 for a day pass, if you buy the ticket from their app on your phone. If you buy at the station its $11.00 per person. Wednesday's anyone 62 and over ride the train for free thru Sept. Its a peaceful ride and allows you to enjoy the scenery without focusing on driving. (plus you get to see things you would never see from the road!).

Take it to Santa Fe, enjoy the food at Tomasito's (in the original D&RGW depot). I recommend the red chiles! 

If you have time to kill and like watching trains (and I mean a TON of trains) Belen is the last stop on the southbound Rail Runner and is jam packed with BNSF activity. We saw 8 trains in the course of 2 hours. Not a lot of access to the yard, but there is a brewery beside at the Belen station with craft beer and a great place to soak up some sun, overindulge on liquid carbs and watch some rail traffic. The Henry House museum is short walk across the bridge over the mainline. 

Next trip out I may just use the Rail Runner and not rent a car! Its a great system that runs efficiently.

Mike

I second Mike's choice of red chile at Tomasitos...food was great.

If you go to Belen you might even see me walking around the yard around 10am to noonish. Let me know if you are there and I will walk over there. There mexican food behind the Harvey house is great too.

There is access to the yard Mike, you just have to know the right people 😉😁

The Trinity test site is opened to public one day a year.  That is how they limit radiation exposure.  I think that is coming up if you have interest in that sort of history.  A visit there sure helps put things in perspective.  

That was last weekend. Now its open 2 days a year. Last weekend when it was open, there was protestors everywhere.

Adding to Mike's observation, trackside at the rear of the Harvey House Museum is a terrific spot to watch engine action near the fueling racks.  Heading south, you'll parallel the Yard with several good vantage points.

RailRunner is great, and if you fly into ABQ, there are direct connections from the terminal to the Santa Fe RR station and RailRunner.   

Stay in Santa Fe and use it as a BASE FOR GREAT ART MUSIC AND TRIPS TO CHAMA AND DURANGO😎 

Don

Wow!  You are lucky to go to ABQ and Santa Fe.  Those cities are two of my wife and my favorites.  Chama is also great but it is a long drive from ABQ or Santa Fe.  You should plan to stay in Chama if you go there.  I agree that a bed and breakfast is your best bet in Chama.  

I recommend taking one of the Route 66 tours in ABQ.  These are given in fake San Francisco cable car buses.  It is a great tour and will give you a good history of ABQ and Route 66.  The tour takes you by the old Santa Fe RR rail yards and shops.  The buildings are used for movie sets these days.  They are perfect places for horror films.  You also see where "Breaking Bad" was filmed.  I believe but am not certain that there is a ride on train at the ABQ zoo.  You might want to check this out.  A visit to Old Town is a must.  There is a lot of Santa Fe flavor.  You can also take a cable car tram to the top of mountain for beautiful views.  There are several interesting museums in ABQ surrounding the plaza.  The old Santa Fe station has been restored and is worth a look.  

Santa Fe is about 50 miles north of ABQ.  You can take the Rail Runner or drive.  The rail yards in SF are interesting.  There were several Santa Fe railroad passenger cars in storage in the yards including a dome the last time I was there.  The Santa Fe Southern ran tourist trains between Santa Fe and Lamy with a BBQ in Lamy.  Lamy is where the Santa Fe Southern interchanges with the old Santa Fe mainline to Raton Pass.  Lamy has a preserved station.  Amtrak is the only railroad using the Raton route these days.  

You should take one of the open bus tours of Santa Fe.  There is a lot to see.  A visit to the Plaza is a must.  The Plaza Cafe on the Plaza is the best place to eat at a reasonable cost in my opinion.  There are a lot of art galleries and stores around the plaza.  The art galleries are worth a look even though most people do not buy anything.  I enjoy just seeing awesome Western art and sculptures.  

I don't know of any hobby shops in either city.  Perhaps someone in the TCA can give you some guidance.  I know you will have a great trip.  My wife and I visit this area every couple of years.  There are so many wonderful things to do and see in New Mexico.

NH Joe

Lots of histoy in the area, rail and other.  But do not make that wrong turn in ABQ!

My wife and her family lived in ABQ but moved from NM many years ago.  Still a nice place to visit.

Great food, art, and culture in ABQ and New Mexico.  Old Town is fun.

The RailRunner is great.

For older history in ABQ, try the Rail Yard if it is open.  Lots to see.....here's the link:

http://www.onlyinyourstate.com...ndoned-rail-yard-nm/

Plenty of train history from all eras.  If you get out of the city, there are some other cool paces to see.  Lots of mining history and ghost towns in NM.

Old abandoned trestle near Cloudcroft, and an abandoned ATSF steam engine in Madrid.   Pics attached.

The Tram at Sandia is out of service for maintenance.

There is a 3 hour RV tour on a Bounder if you are a Breaking Bad fan. Or you can google the locations and do a self guided tour. I live a few miles from Walt, and Hanks house and the A1 car wash is only about 5 miles from my house on Menaul.

If you are an Indy Car fan check out the Unser Muesum on Montano. 

Balloon Fiesta Park has a museum is closer to the Unser Museum but kinda boring unless you REALLY like hot air balloons.

Wine tasting in Corrales

Restaurants:

Sadies - Mexican food

Sandiagos at the Tram- spectacular views of the city and good food

Vernons Speak Easy Steak House - old school, need a password, very cool place but pricey. 

El Pinto - popular Mexican food place visited by many stars and former Presidents. Good food

Put honey on your sopapillas even if you dont like honey. Ask for fresh ones after you finish your meal.

Casa De Benevidas - Mexican food on 4th Street - cool place

Blakes Lota Burger - yes get green chile on your burger.. warning: its usually hot!

Whataburger - get green chile on it

Jim,

   Casa De Benevidas on 4th has great food been there a long time, very cool place in deed, drop in and enjoy.

El Pinto has decent food also lots of different Hollywood people use it when filming in the area.  

Use the Railrunner while you are there, nice ride.

If Laidedoff sick can get you into Vernon's Speak Easy, they have great food, and it's old school cool!  Definitely make it up to ABQ and do the Marg Hope if you have time.

Tomasitos Red Chili - world famous and great eating.  

Enjoy your trip buddy.

PCRR/Dave

Moved my son to Santa Fe in 2016.  We absolutely loved the area.  I need to go back and do more exploration of Route 66 and the rail yards.  The original Blue Comet "Halley" CNJ 300 combo car is parked in the Santa Fe yard.