The Santa Fe Railyard is a great place to see the history of Santa Fe merge with the present and future. Settled along the old railyard that was used for decades of rail travel, the Santa Fe Railyard has been transformed into a commuter rail stop as well as an arts marketplace.
Walking along the sidewalks and former loading areas, I was excited to see how the city had transformed the area to reflect a new life and energy. All around the area are restaurants, new stores, and historical artifacts all merged together. I enjoyed visiting the REI store along there along with walking through the farmers market set up inside the former warehouses beside the tracks. One of the aspect of New Mexico culture I’ve grown to enjoy is the local farmers market. At these markets, not only will you find produce, but you will find many different arts and crafts dealers as well. The Santa Fe Railyard is a great place to visit some of these booths.
My favorite part of the Railyard, of course were the trains themselves. The Santa Fe Railroad is probably the world’s most recognized Railroad companies in the world.
“The Santa Fe had its humble beginnings in 1860, originally organized to connect Atchison and Topeka, Kansas with Santa Fe, New Mexico in the southwest and known originally as only the Atchison & Topeka Railroad. After completing its connection to Santa Fe it was renamed as the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe.” (American-rails.com)
The depot built in 1909, still stands as a reminder of the great feat accomplished in bringing rails to Santa Fe. (SFSR.com) The depot continues to welcome passengers and tourist to the Santa Fe Railyard.
Right next to the depot is the New Mexico Rail Runner. This commuter train connects Santa Fe with Albuquerque and surrounding towns. I’m happy to see the trains begin to emerge. Not only do I like the nostalgia of riding the train, I do believe that passenger rail travel is a way to better the country and the environement.
I enjoyed my visit to the Santa Fe Railyard. I think that the city has done a great job, once again, repurposing unused land for the benefit of the community. I also like seeing that the state of New Mexico is making great strides to connect its citizens together through rails and culture.