Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Staff Report
Railroad and model train enthusiasts can get their fill of model train sets, historic railroad equipment and assorted displays at the second annual Tucumcari Railroad Days, which take place Saturday and Sunday at the Tucumcari Train Depot.
Last year’s two-day event drew 800 people to Tucumcari, who enjoyed displays of historical items used by the railroad industry. Two model rail clubs from Albuquerque set up train sets in both the east and west wing of the train depot.
The event was well received, not just by the tourists who came to the event, but by residents of Tucumcari and Quay County, said Frank Turner of the Tucumcari Railroad Museum Board.
Turner said people from as far away as Brooklyn, New York, and Hawaii attended the event.
One of the main events was a dinner featuring a presentation by Vern Glover, a leading historian of the El Paso/Southwestern Railroads.
“One of the amazing things about the railroad in New Mexico is that it was built in a couple of years, hundreds of miles of railroad laid in a short amount of time to drive the mining industry,” Glover said.
The event is held at the Tucumcari Train Depot, one of Tucumcari MainStreet’s restoration projects that sits on the Union Pacific rail line. There is a platform at the rear of the building that allows onlookers to watch passing trains.
Turner said this year’s event will feature even more for visitors to enjoy.
Event times: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday and 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday.