The New Mexico Department of Transportation and New Mexico Heritage Rail have agreed to allow Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 4-8-4 2926 to operate on 40 miles of state-owned trackage around Albuquerque. The agreement announced on June 14 is a dramatic expansion of the 2.7 miles of main line the locomotive had previously been allowed to run on. NMHR’s operating territory will now go about 20 miles on either side of Albuquerque, from Bernalillo to Los Lunas.

“This agreement allows us to bring an important piece of New Mexico railroad history to more communities along the corridor,” said Mathew Casford, NMHR Vice President and Chief of Rail Operations. “We deeply appreciate NMDOT’s collaboration in helping preserve and operate this national treasure.”

The expanded access allows for non-revenue deadhead moves only, but means the locomotive can access eight additional NMRX commuter rail stations in central New Mexico. 

ATSF 2926 was built by Baldwin in 1944 and retired after just nine years of service. New Mexico Heritage Rail (also known as the New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society) spent nearly two decades restoring the locomotive and it returned to service in 2021. Since then it has made brief trips around Albuquerque on New Mexico Rail Runner Express and BNSF Railway trackage. It is the largest operating 4-8-4 in North America. —Justin Franz