Railfan Trip Reports > Between OR & NM, Part 7; Western New Mexico

Here are some pictures from Western New Mexico. I'm not sure on some of the exact locations, but there sure are a lot of trains on the Transcon. Feel free to correct me if my info is wrong. TIF, Jim
Photo #1: Gallup is a major yard located right downtown. Highway 66 runs along the Southside of the tracks. There is a least a couple of overpasses that cross north/south over the tracks. The old Depot is accessible and has some shops inside. This train is eastbound leaving town. July 10, 2006
Photo #2: A couple of KCS engines help BNSF move containers westward east of Gallup. Even on the Transcon there are slow times. I waited almost an hour parked on the side of the road for a train to come along past this great “southwestern” background. June 24th, 2006@0959.
Photo #3: Leaving the I40/Hwy 66 corridor the tracks head southeast with Hwy 6 following to access the Rio Grande Valley. This COFC/TOFC is headed downhill past the crossover switches at “Rio Puerco”. June 24th, 2006@1225

---

---

---

Photo #4: Belen seems to be a nice place to railfan. The old Depot/Harvey House has a Museum/Model Railroad Club inside. There are old bridge beams turned into benches trackside. This photo shows the front of the old Depot, the new depot/BNSF office, and what looks to be a future “Railrunner” stop the other side of the overpass. The overpass is at the North end of the yard, with the switch for the line that links with the “Raton” line
through Los Lunas. June 24th, 2006@1330
Photo #5: BNSF 5842 leads an Eastbound COFC through “Beevers” towards the West end of Abo Canyon. This is where the Transcon crossing Hwy 47 at grade. As the Highway climbs the Los Pinos Mountains you can see the tracks going past “Sais” to the North. If you look closely you can see another Eastbound (BNSF 4859) leading the way up the Canyon. Look for the red containers just above the Warning sign as the head end enters the gap. June 24th, 2006@1352
Photo #6: I sped ahead and caught the BNSF 4859 above the Canyon as it hurried Eastward near “Abo”. June 24th, 2006@1416

---

---

---

Photo #7: I then went back to the Highway 60 overpass just West of “Scholle” and waited for BNSF 5842 to climb up the hill. There is a primitive rest area at the Southside of the overpass. Really just a covered picnic table and gravel parking lot; no “resting” facilities. It took BNSF 5842 just 41 minutes from “Beevers” to “Scholle”, shown here. June 24th, 2006@1433
Photo #8: Again near “Abo”, BNSF meets a westbound heading downhill. June 24th, 2006@1443
Photo #9: Past Mountainair the terrain flattens and the vegetation changes. Here a Westbound COFC leaves Willard. A weather front was moving through and the wind was getting nasty. June 24th, 2006@1507. This was as far East as I went before heading North to Los Alamos to visit Family.

---

---

---

Photo #10: During the two weeks I spent in New Mexico with family I had a few days to railfan. Here are some shots taken at Vaughn. Vaughn is a great place to hang out and watch trains. Somebody needs to build a “railfan mecca” motel there. There’s not much there now. Looking West, a BNSF manifest lead by BNSF 1118 passes under the East Hwy 60 overpass as it begins to rain really big drops. You can make out a “Usually Parked” train of autoracks at UP’s “Vaughn” siding. The same train, or at least one just like it, was still there a couple of days later when I went through on the way back from Alamogordo. June 29th, 2006@1451
Photo #11: A meet at Vaughn as a pipe train is unloaded from a yard track. June 29th@1519
Photo #12: BNSF 4094(?) leads a trainload of UPS trailers as it follows another Eastbound by “Carnero” West of Vaughn. The second unit is a scarred and burn marked warbonnet, followed by BNSF 5125 & 5202. This Hwy 60 overpass is just East of Encino. June 29th, 2006@1602

---

---

---

Thanks for your pix.
Photo 4: Why the double fence around the Harvey House?

I believe the first or closest fence is the permanent fence around the Harvey House, to keep all the history buffs and train buffs from getting onto BNSF property. The second, or inner fence looks temporary and there appears to be some construction beyond it. I assume this is to keep the BNSF employees safe and out of the construction. The narrow gap between fences is to allow BNSF employees to get past the construction.

Photo #2 just speaks:

"Fast Trains Thru the Land of Enchantment"