By Railfan & Railroad Staff
Santa Fe 4-8-4 2926 will embark on its biggest trip yet on September 30 and October 1, when it travels to the Albuquerque Rail Yards for New Mexico Railroad Days. The adventure will include a brief trip on New Mexico Rail Runner’s Albuquerque Subdivision, marking the first time the locomotive has hit the main line since it was first retired back in 1956.
New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society spent more than a decade working on the locomotive, which was restored to service in 2021. Since then it’s made just brief trips to a local brewery just down the tracks from where it was restored. For a while, track conditions in the industrial area where the locomotive was restored kept it confined. But now enough work has been done to allow it to get to the main line and Albuquerque Rail Yards, a mixed-use development on the site of the former Santa Fe shops.
The locomotive is expected to depart for the 2-mile run from its restoration site at 8 a.m. on September 30. It will then be on display all day Saturday and most of Sunday before returning at 2 p.m. on October 1. On Saturday night, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., there will be a private photo shoot led by photographer Steve Crise. Tickets are available online at 2926.us.