By Railfan & Railroad Staff

Five former Santa Fe semaphores were replaced over the weekend on a remote section of main line in northern New Mexico. The semaphores were located on the State of New Mexico’s Albuquerque Subdivision west of Lamy, and had been slated for replacement for years. 

The former Santa Fe across northern New Mexico has long been a target of enthusiasts wanting to see the last semaphore signals on a main line railroad in the United States. However, traffic on the line is limited, with just two daily Amtrak trains and the occasional BNSF detour or work train. 

In 2022, nearly two dozen semaphores were replaced on the Glorieta Subdivision between Las Vegas and Bernal. That left the five blades on the NMDOT-owned track and 11 between Colmor and Wagon Mound, N.M., on BNSF’s Raton Subdivision. Over the years, the semaphores have been replaced as they failed, and in 2021, a pair of three-position, upper quadrant signals near Springer, N.M., came down after mechanical issues developed with one of them. Now, just the stretch between Colmor and Wagon Mound remains.