New Mexico Railroading and Railfanning In "The Land of Enchantment"

Like the roadrunner, New Mexico railroading is historically known for high-speed trains flying across the desert in a hurry to reach either Chicago or the West Coast. In the last 100+ years this scene has changed little as successor railroads like the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific still speed across New Mexico on their way to far away destinations, with the only interruption in this chorus being fuel stops and inspections. New Mexico is also home to a tucked away treasure for those who don't know about it, the famous narrow-gauge Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway located in the northwestern corner of the state.

New Mexico railroading has its beginnings dating back to 1881 when the second transcontinental railroad was completed between the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific at Deming. In the coming years other fabled western lines would reach into New Mexico such as the Missouri Pacific, Rock Island, Denver & Rio Grande Western and the Burlington (via control of the Colorado & Southern).

While the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe both had key routes traveling through New Mexico (all of the other railroads merely had branch lines or secondary routes in the state), it is perhaps the latter best remembered in the Land of Enchantment, partly due to its name and nickname being that of the state’s capital.

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway over the years had become a class act in transportation service, and this was no different with its Super Chief passenger trains which regularly cruised at speeds reaching 90 mph between Chicago and LA covering the distance in around 40 hours (because of its excellent service its no wonder the railroad had many well known figures using its trains, all the way until the Amtrak takeover in 1971). The Super Chief would also have a number of other similar trains like it (such as the Texas Chief and San Francisco Chief) including its sister train the El Capitan.

Much of the railroad’s success throughout its existence was a result of its willingness to embrace new technologies and strive for excellence. Several “firsts” the railroad is credited with include autoracks, a term describing a railroad car built specifically with two or three levels to haul automobiles, and the innovative TOFC or piggyback service (trailer-on-flat-car).

Few other railroads, and institutions for that matter, are so recognized and respected as the Santa Fe. Its star status can be compared to that of many of today’s Hollywood stars, rich and famous. While the name is gone the Super Chief carries on with Amtrak (as the Southwest Chief) and interestingly many have questioned the BNSF Railway about bringing back the Warbonnet livery and applying the famous paint scheme to its locomotives once more.

Today, New Mexico railroading is mostly the domain of Union Pacific (the successor to Southern Pacific) and BNSF Railway, which moves expedited merchandise, intermodal (the majority of traffic) and other freight from east to west through the state. While this is predominantly the type of railroading you can find in the Land of Enchantment, few other states or locations offer such a dizzying display of trains (each railroad runs dozens of trains through New Mexico each day) at such a high rate of speed. Aside from BNSF and UP, however, you can catch shortline action as well, such as the Navajo Mine Railroad and the Santa Fe Southern.

In total, these railroads operate nearly 2,000 miles of trackage today although at one time the state was home to nearly 3,000 miles. For more information on New Mexico railroading in terms of rail mileage over the decades please take a look at the chart below.

While New Mexico railroading may no longer feature passenger trains run by either the Santa Fe or Southern Pacific Amtrak still operates the SP Sunset Limited and Santa Fe’s Southwest Chief through the state. Also, be sure and check out, or even ride, New Mexico’s newest commuter rail service, the Rail Runner Express, which began operations in July of 2006 and has exploded in popularity ever since. Currently the service operates between Bernalillo, Albuquerque and Belen but future extensions are already under way to eventually reach Santa Fe.

Lastly, if you tire of the main line action be sure and visit one (or more) of New Mexico’s railroad museums or tourist railroads, such as the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic, which operates former Rio Grande narrow-gauge in northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado (if you are interested in breathtaking scenery and historic steam locomotives, the C&T can delivery!).

All in all, while isolated in most locations, New Mexico railroading offers a unique experience rarely found elsewhere throughout the country so a trip to the Land of Enchantment is sure to be quite memorable!