The American Association of Private Railcar Owners will be holding its 42nd annual convention in Albuquerque, N.M., from Sept. 17-19, 2019. The convention’s regular informational sessions will offer the latest in legislative, mechanical, safety, and Amtrak-related updates, while the location along the Southwest Chief route will present an opportunity to highlight the critical importance of the national passenger-rail network.
The convention will be held at the Hotel Andaluz that is located just two blocks from the Albuquerque Transportation Center.
The schedule of events for the convention isn’t complete yet, but the itinerary suggests a possible excursion to Lamy, N.M., behind Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 4-8-4 steam locomotive No. 2926, which is being restored in Albuquerque.
AAPRCO Executive Director Julie King says, “It’s very early in the process, but we have 11 people that have expressed initial interest right now. It’s exciting to us that in spite of everything that Amtrak has done, that there are still 11 people that want to trail behind the Chief.” While she says that this number is about half the cars on one of its regular excursion trains, it is encouraging.
King also says that at the convention in St. Paul, Minn., last year, AAPRCO allowed the public to tour some of the private cars. It received such a positive response that the association hopes to do that again in Albuquerque.
So Amtrak is making an exception for switching private cars out at a City that is not an end point?
Mr. Cook,
It is my understanding that the track to Lamy is not longer owned by BNSF, but by the rail authority and or the state of New Mexico. So BNSF okay for a trip to Lamy is not required.
Wow! Make a PV pulled by steam run Albuquerque to Lamy without Amtrak involvement?
Don’t we have enough trouble with WMS #1309 and UP having things scheduled before they are ready? On this day when a UP trip is postponed with 844 tomorrow, the #2926 has not moved a foot under its own steam. Worst is that NOTHING has been done on the track from their shop to a main line track. Most of it is covered with sand that you cannot even inspect its tie condition, and the authority owns it, but BNSF runs over it, so who will install ties at whose expense if any are needed? I would suggest the NMSL&H Society get out there with several shop vacuums, shovels and wheelbarrows and expose the ties so it can at least be inspected. Then they have to pay BNSF to make some test runs with the locomotive before they even think about making any trip plans. The wye at Lamy is abandoned. Their greater challenge was not getting their locomotive to steam; it will be getting the BNSF Railway Company management to accept handling any of the interest of the Society. So why jump when you’re not in shape to have a flawless event? And they don’t have any siding tracks ready at Las Vegas to handle any test runs.