New Mexico Railroad Museums: A Complete Guide

Last revised: October 10, 2026

New Mexico’s railroad museums sit on the Santa Fe and on the narrow-gauge grade out of Chama. In Albuquerque, New Mexico Heritage Rail keeps Santa Fe 4-8-4 No. 2926, a Baldwin of 1944, at 1833 8th Street NW. Alamogordo’s Toy Train Depot is a moved New Mexico Central station in Alameda Park, with a 16-inch-gauge park railway. Belen’s depot and Harvey House face the same east-west main that still carries BNSF freight.

The Toy Train Depot Foundation in Alamogordo

The Toy Train Depot Foundation is based in the town of Alamogordo and noteworthy as New Mexico's very first train museum. Their building is a preserved El Paso & Northeastern (later El Paso & Southwestern which became a part of Southern Pacific 1924) depot built in 1899. The building was originally located in Torrance and later moved to Corona before arriving at its current location. Inside are several historic displays, artifacts, and documents while the foundation also offers rides on their "Alameda Park Narrow Gauge Railway," a 16-inch gauge scale attraction.

Chama’s Cumbres & Toltec trains, and Sky Railway between Santa Fe and Lamy, are on the New Mexico scenic-train guide. No. 2926 is a preserved locomotive with a restoration shop. It is not a train you buy a ticket to ride. Confirm the museum doors on each site before you drive.

On this page: At a glance · New Mexico railroads · Santa Fe 2926 · Clovis · Alamogordo · Belen · Related reading

At a glance

Place	Town	What it is known for	Site
New Mexico Heritage Rail	Albuquerque	Santa Fe 4-8-4 No. 2926, Baldwin, 1944. Shop at 1833 8th Street NW	2926.us
Toy Train Depot	Alamogordo	Moved New Mexico Central depot in Alameda Park, and a 16-inch-gauge park railway	toytraindepot.org
Belen depot and Harvey House	Belen	Passenger station and Harvey House on the Belen Cutoff, dated to 1909	Belen

New Mexico railroads

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe came over Raton Pass on November 1, 1878. An Albuquerque Public Library chronology puts the first locomotive into New Mexico on December 7, 1878, and the first passenger train, as far as Otero in Colfax County, on February 13, 1879. The Santa Fe–Lamy spur was completed on February 9, 1880. Rails reached Albuquerque on April 10, 1880. The east-west connection at Deming was made on March 8, 1881. The Belen Cutoff, the freight bypass through Clovis and Belen, is the busy BNSF main today. The narrow-gauge grade the Cumbres & Toltec uses has been a railroad since 1880. Chama is the New Mexico boarding point. Antonito is in Colorado. A fuller map is on the New Mexico railroads page.

The Cumbres & Toltec is an operating narrow-gauge railroad, 64 miles, with steam locomotives and the Galloping Goose motorcar on its own calendar. Sky Railway runs the old spur between Santa Fe and Lamy. Both are on the scenic guide. This page is the museums.

Santa Fe 2926

Santa Fe No. 2926 is a 2900-class 4-8-4, built by Baldwin in 1944 for fast freight and passenger trains across the Southwest. The railroad retired it in 1953. In 1956 the City of Albuquerque put it on display at Coronado Park. The New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society bought the engine from the city for one dollar in 1999 and moved it off the park in 2000. The same volunteers, under the public name New Mexico Heritage Rail, had it moving under its own steam again on July 24, 2021. The shop address is 1833 8th Street NW.

On September 26 and 27, 2026, the locomotive made test runs on the state-owned former Santa Fe main between Bernalillo and Los Lunas, about 80 miles over the weekend, after a display at the Albuquerque rail yards for Railroad Days. A Trains report of September 4, 2026, quoted the group on the gap that is still open: insurance, and a train set fit for riders. Public passenger trips are ahead of the engine. The shop posts its open days. The scenic guide is the place for a ticket out of Chama or Santa Fe.

Alamogordo

The Toy Train Depot stands in Alameda Park. The building began as a New Mexico Central depot at Torrance. In 1912 it was moved to Corona and put to work for the Southern Pacific. A baggage room was added in 1929. John and Merry Koval bought the building on July 17, 1987, after it had already been brought to Alamogordo as an antique shop, and the museum layouts were underway in 1988. The rooms interpret the El Paso & Northeastern and the Alamogordo & Sacramento Mountain, the railroad people called the Cloud-Climbing Railway, in scale, and the cases hold full-size hardware from those lines.

The foundation also runs the Alameda Park railway, a 16-inch-gauge ride through the park, and a caboose is part of the outdoor display. The foundation posts which days the depot and the park train are open.

Belen

Belen is the other New Mexico division point on the cutoff. The passenger depot and Harvey House, dated to 1909 by the state MainStreet record of the building, is a museum in the old station. The Belen Cutoff was the Santa Fe’s freight bypass of the Raton grades, finished in the first decade of the twentieth century, and the trains outside are BNSF’s. The local museum posts its hours.

Sources

New Mexico Heritage Rail and the society site 2926.us. Santa Fe 2926, Baldwin, 1944. Purchased from the City of Albuquerque for one dollar in 1999. Moved from Coronado Park in 2000. First move under its own steam, July 24, 2021. Shop at 1833 8th Street NW. Railfan & Railroad, September 30, 2026: test runs September 26–27, 2026, between Los Lunas and Bernalillo. Trains, September 4, 2026: public passenger service still ahead of the locomotive.
Clovis passenger depot, 221 West First Street. Built 1907 by B. Lantry & Sons. National Register of Historic Places, December 14, 1995, reference 95001451. Clovis Depot Model Train Museum in the restored station. Off the Road New Mexico for the Belen Cutoff context and the 1950s rehabilitation.
Toy Train Depot, toytraindepot.org, “Our Story.” New Mexico Central depot at Torrance, moved to Corona in 1912, baggage room in 1929, purchased July 17, 1987, museum assembly from March 1988, now in Alameda Park. Sixteen-inch-gauge park railway.
Belen depot and Harvey House. Off the Road New Mexico: constructed 1909, on the Belen Cutoff.
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe entry into New Mexico, as the scenic-train guide gives the Albuquerque Public Library chronology: Raton Pass, November 1, 1878; first locomotive, December 7, 1878; first passenger train to Otero, February 13, 1879; Santa Fe–Lamy, February 9, 1880; Albuquerque, April 10, 1880; Deming, March 8, 1881. Cumbres & Toltec operating details stay on that guide.

Confirm hours and which locomotive is on the property before you travel. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets.

Toy Train Depot Foundation

This organization is based in the town of Alamogordo and noteworthy as New Mexico's very first train museum.

Their building is a preserved El Paso & Northeastern (later El Paso & Southwestern which became a part of Southern Pacific 1924) depot built in 1899.

The building was originally located in Torrance and later moved to Corona before arriving at its current location. Inside are several historic displays, artifacts, and documents while the foundation also offers rides on their "Alameda Park Narrow Gauge Railway," a 16-inch gauge scale attraction.

Finally, they were recently donated a caboose located nearby. The museum is open on select days throughout the year.

Overview

New Mexico's railroad museums offer a captivating glimpse into the history and legacy of railroading in the state. From meticulously restored locomotives to authentic train excursions, these museums and railways provide an educational and entertaining journey into the past. They invite visitors to step back in time and experience the sights, sounds, and stories of a bygone era when railroads were the lifeblood of New Mexico's economy and development.

For anyone interested in transportation, history, or simply seeking a unique adventure, New Mexico's railroad museums are an exceptional destination. They not only preserve the heritage of railroading but also inspire a new generation to appreciate the enduring allure of trains and the pivotal role they continue to play in the story of travel and exploration.

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