The American Association of Private Railcar Owners will be holding its 42nd annual convention in Albuquerque, N.M., from Sept. 17-19, 2019. The convention’s regular informational sessions will offer the latest in legislative, mechanical, safety, and Amtrak-related updates, while the location along the Southwest Chief route will present an opportunity to highlight the critical importance of the national passenger-rail network.
The convention will be held at the Hotel Andaluz that is located just two blocks from the Albuquerque Transportation Center.
The schedule of events for the convention isn’t complete yet, but the itinerary suggests a possible excursion to Lamy, N.M., behind Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 4-8-4 steam locomotive No. 2926, which is being restored in Albuquerque.
AAPRCO Executive Director Julie King says, “It’s very early in the process, but we have 11 people that have expressed initial interest right now. It’s exciting to us that in spite of everything that Amtrak has done, that there are still 11 people that want to trail behind the Chief.” While she says that this number is about half the cars on one of its regular excursion trains, it is encouraging.
King also says that at the convention in St. Paul, Minn., last year, AAPRCO allowed the public to tour some of the private cars. It received such a positive response that the association hopes to do that again in Albuquerque.
