ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The annual open house for Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 4-8-4 No. 2926 was held in Albuquerque, N.M., on Sept. 28 at the restoration site near downtown. New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society members log many hours to work toward their goal to once again operate the largest 4-8-4 Northern-type steam locomotive in the United States. Members were on hand to answer questions about the locomotive’s history and restoration status. Music, food, model trains, and tours of the cab were available to the public in addition to No. 2926 merchandise.
AT&SF No. 2926 steamed up on July 29 for only the second time since it went out of service. Society members tentatively plan to operate the locomotive between Albuquerque and Las Vegas, N.M. NMSL&RHS member Bill Wilhelm says operations will “probably not [be] within the next 12 months. First of all, the Harvey House [Castaneda Hotel in Las Vegas] has to be completed. When that gets done, our track [out of the restoration site] has to be replaced to bring it up to [Class 2 standards].”
Baldwin built the locomotive for AT&SF in 1944; it was retired in 1953. It was displayed in Coronado Park near downtown Albuquerque until June 23, 2000, when it was moved to a BNSF Railway siding. It moved to its current location near 8th and Haines Avenue in Albuquerque in 2002, where it is undergoing restoration to operating condition.
New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society held its annual open house for the AT&SF 2926 restoration in Albuquerque, N.M., Sept. 28, 2019.
One must admire the stylistic differences between the Alco, Lima, and Baldwin late designs. The 1930’s and 40’s saw the highest aesthetic.
An awesome locomotive look forward to seeing it in steam again. Would be really neat if they could run it up Raton pass to Pueblo and back.