Full steam ahead: New Mexico Heritage Rail celebrates Railroad Days

On the weekend of Saturday, Sept. 28, the New Mexico Heritage Rail hosted the second annual Railroad Days event, showcasing a restored 80-year-old steam train.

The star of the event — held at the Albuquerque Rail Yards and adjacent Wheels Museum — was the ATSF 2926. According to the New Mexico Heritage Rail website, the train was originally built in 1944 and retired in 1956. From there, it was left abandoned in Coronado Park for decades, according to Ed Burggraf, a volunteer with the restoration.

“It was essentially a rust bucket at the time. So we started out removing the rust, and then had to remove the asbestos that was the insulation on the engine, and paint everything and put it back together,” Burggraf said. “And that has taken us since we bought the locomotive (in) 1999 for $1 from the City of Albuquerque. They didn't want to pay for the asbestos removal, so we took care of that.”

The train ran “under her own steam power again” for the first time in 2021, Burggraf said. The repair and refurbishment cost over $1 million and was entirely funded by donations from the community, according to Burggraf.

The 2926 is a 4-8-4 steam locomotive, according to attendee and train enthusiast Buzz Lenander. This means it is powered by steam and has four smaller guide wheels in the front, four trailing wheels and eight drive wheels — each of which are 80 inches tall, Lenander said.

Another volunteer, Nathan Phillips, explained that trains like the 2926 are becoming increasingly rare. Thirty of them were initially built, and now only six remain, according to Phillips.

“We're the only ones that have restored them,” Phillips said.

The event also featured food trucks, vendors and cab tours of the 2926.

Burggraf emphasized the importance of preserving trains like the 2926 to help share the history they were a part of.

“It’s important people recognize the past and learn a little about history — not only what people did, but what companies and transportation systems did for this country,” Burggraf said. “We like to point out that this engine probably pulled a lot of Hollywood stars, from Chicago to Los Angeles and back. It's just important that children see something like this — something they may never see again.”

Lenander noted that the parts to restore the 2926 couldn’t be bought; they had to be made.

“They had a hard time finding some of the things like bearings and seals and things like this for this engine. They had a hard time getting those made … but they were able to do it and bring it back to life,” Lenander said.

Doyle Caton, one of the founding members of the New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society, outlined how trains and transportation technology have shaped New Mexican culture.

“It's New Mexico's history. New Mexico has been a crossroads of human travel for centuries,” Caton said. "That's been proven archaeologically with seashells in the Rockies and turquoise on the Gulf Coast ... It has been a crossroads forever — probably the most multicultural state in the union, believe it or not."

Lily Alexander is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @llilyalexander

Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo

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