Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Spring Break breakdown - 4.3

Railroad jewels & Rail Runners

On to Albuquerque...

We were fortunate to be in New Mexico during the Alvarado Hotel exhibit at the Albuqerque Museum of Art and History. The Alvarado Hotel was one of the famed Harvey House hotels of the Santa Fe Railway. Opened in 1902 and located in downtown Albuquerque, the hotel provided train passengers and other travelers with first-class lodging and meals through its closure in the 1960s. It was demolished in 1970.

The museum exhibit featured artifacts and memorabilia from the hotel and from the railroad during the Harvey House era.

The exhibit runs through June 7; I'd highly recommend it if you're in the area. Check the Albuquerque Museum's website for more information: http://www.cabq.gov/museum/featured.html

Next, it was back to trackside to accomplish our next goal: shooting the Albuquerque Rail Runner commuter trains on the new line to Santa Fe. When Miss C and I visited New Mexico last November, we were about a month too early to see the Rail Runners on the new extension. Rail Runner service to Santa Fe commenced in mid-December, on a route that included several miles of newly constructed railroad, built expressly for the commuter train service. The line featured some impressive engineering work, including a stretch down the median of Interstate 25.


C gets some practice with my Canon gear near Belen.


A southbound Rail Runner arrives in Los Lunas.


"Next time, take the train!" This southbound Rail Runner, about 20 minutes out of Santa Fe, paces vehicle traffic on Interstate 25. The new line runs down the I-25 median for several miles southwest of Santa Fe.


Catching the last rays of sunlight near Santo Domingo Pueblo. This is the former BNSF Glorieta Subdivision, now owned by the state of New Mexico.

Coming next: ghost hunting and sand surfing. Stay tuned...

WSC

np: Kevin Welch & Kieran Kane - "Them wheels don't roll"

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Monday, April 06, 2009

Spring Break breakdown - 4.2

Ghost sign pay-dirt

Continuing with Day Four (March 18) of our Spring Break trip... in Socorro, we located some ghost signs which had been on my "must shoot" list. In the city's downtown area, the K of P (Knights of Pythias) building features Owl Cigar ads on both its east- and west-facing walls (the best surviving example of which I've seen), and also a Bull Durham ad on its east wall.

Bull Durham tobacco ad - Socorro, NM

Owl Cigar ad - east wall of the K of P Hall. Socorro, NM


The building now houses an optometrist's office. Socorroans seem to take a certain level of pride in the signs; one passerby even recommended a nearby spot for me to obtain a more favorable photo angle (she said she had featured the signs on her Flickr page.) At any rate, they're worth checking out if you're in the area.


Owl Cigar ad, west wall, K of P Hall. Socorro, NM.

Continuing on, we stopped briefly to check out the caboose and rail cars on the Grefco spur (BNSF's rail line to Dicaperl, a perlite loading facility)...


Grefco Spur Milepost Zero. Caboose is used as a "shove platform" so brakemen won't have to ride the sides of the cars during the long shove up to Dicaperl.


As you can see, it's not in the best of shape.


Miss C waits patiently...


C checks out the railcar inventory.


Next, we continued on toward Belen and Albuquerque. Check back soon for the report & photos.

WSC

np: Hank Thomspon - "Wake up, Irene"

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Friday, April 03, 2009

Spring Break breakdown - 4.1

El Camino Real Tour 2009

March 18: Miss C and her son C joined me for a day trip out on the El Camino Real between San Antonio and Santa Fe. Objectives for the day: locate a ghost sign in Socorro, visit the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History to see their Alvarado Hotel exhibit, and photograph the Albuquerque Rail Runner commuter trains on their recently opened line to Santa Fe. It would be a full day, but we were up to the task...


On the road between Carrizozo and San Antonio.


Our first stop would be at San Antonio, where we took a look around town and checked out the Santa Fe's San Antonio depot.


BNSF El Paso Sub: looking north toward Belen.


"This used to be my railroad..."


The old depot has been moved off of the railroad's right-of-way.


What's inside?


faded lettering and peeling paint


Mother and son pose for a photo.


Stay tuned for more. Coming next, a stop in Socorro.

WSC

np: Stevie Ray Vaughan - "Give me back my wig"

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