ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A World War II-era steam locomotive is back up and running in Albuquerque. On Sunday, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe 2926 steam locomotive moved under its own power for the first time since 1953.
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The state locomotive has been completely rebuilt and restored, thanks to volunteers with the New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society. “This is a people project. We have hundreds of volunteers here. About 70 of us are safety trained and wear the safety equipment, and come to work sessions and split up all the jobs it’s taken to completely rebuild this locomotive. It’s like a frame-up restoration on a car,” said Michael Hartshorne, President of the New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society.
Hartshorne says they are working on finishing up an agreement with the Department of Transportation to do test runs with the hope of eventually being able to do an excursion train to different areas in the state.
