Ranchman John asked if I would share these photos of his newest train, so here ya go.
The New Mexico Rail Runner is the only commuter rail system in New Mexico. It has been running now for 2 years and has already serviced 1 million riders that travel between the Belen to Bernalillo Rail Runner Stations. Soon to be added are stations in Santa Fe, NM, which will make it simple and quick(at speeds over 100 mph) for commuters wanting to travel from Albuquerque to Santa Fe.
My blog friend over at The 7MSN recently blogged about her own Rail Runner trip from Belen to Albuquerque. She took some awesome photos, as usual, too.
And here you can read about our first Rail Runner Ride in October 2006. Boy! Time flies!
Another exciting fact is that the New Mexico Rail Runner is one of the first commuter rail systems in the country to use biodiesel. The fuel, which is made from the vegetable waste of farm products, is 20-percent less expensive than regular diesel fuel. – that’s about 30-cents a gallon cheaper. And the Rail Runner will also have Wireless Internet soon, too.
These HO Scale Model Trains were anxiously awaited by Ranchman John, a model train afficiondo and fan of all trains and train history. He is already working on the plans and construction of the train layouts and tables to showcase this special train, as well as his many shelves and boxes packed full of model trains he's collected over the years.
10 comments :
You always say such nice things about me. Thanks.
I thought the model Rail Runner was real at first...til I realized it was perched on your stucco wall!
Maybe Ranchman, the train junkie, can help me understand this train phenomonon going on out here. Why are some train junkies obsessed with taking pictures of freight trains? There are a couple places between Belen and the 7MSN where I'm always seeing guys with their cameras, really big lenses and tripods, just stopped by the side of the road taking pictures of the BNSF. I mean, it's not like they have expressive personalities or do anything cute. I'm always tempted to roll down the window and yell "hey, if you want to take pictures of something fun, I've got a couple of burros..."
Austin is very close to having rail access to riders. Gas prices have made it more possible than ever. Wish us luck!
Hey sweetie! I don't know why I left you out of my story, I had you in my draft, and somehow it didn't make it to the roll...but you are THERE NOW. My apologies!!!
Hugs!
These are beautiful models. I'd like to write a blog post about them. Who is the manufacturer?
I didn't realize that NM had a commuter train. Pretty cool!
Cool train! I like the graphics on the side. Very catchy looking. I think model trains are kind of neat - I always thought that once I had a house with enough space, I would get a little one to play with. I'm a weird girl - I like trains, martial arts and war movies. ;-) (Shoulda put that on my 6 things...)
I think it is fantastic that the train line uses bio-diesel. I sincerely hope that commuter rail lines become more popular and that more companies start using/selling bio-diesel... Maybe we can save the environment a little bit with those concepts...
Way cool. We have yet to take a trip on the Railrunner because we rarely go into Albuquerque. However, once it's open to Santa Fe that might be a big help for us.
Thanks for sharing.
Dan
I *love* model trains. I have my dad's (or possibly his older brother's) 1937 era Lionel model train set. It's absolutely gorgeous. I had the tender cleaned up a few years back - it's magnificent. Weighs about 3 pounds! It still runs...
Those are very cool. I forget that John is into trains. It's good that he is so you can have your horse. ;)
I have yet to ride the Rail Runner but I'm thinking about it. I would love to go to Santa Fe when that is finished.
Hey 7MSN, Ranchman John says it's just Train Fanatics taking pictures that might be used for decoration for their train layout room (we might even go so far as calling it a 'Man Room') or even to submit to Train Magazines(yes, they're really are several different train mags out there). Apparently the BNSF is also a photogenic train due to it's new orange and black color scheme. Go figure. haha!
Hey CeeCee, Luck being wished for all those Austin commuters! :)
Hey Meg, No worries! I was just teasing :)
Hi Randall,
That's great! The trains are made by Athern and are sold at a store in Albuquerque called Trains West. They still have a few extra Rail Runner trains left for sale. Their number is 505-881-2322. Looking forward to reading your Write-Up on your Blog.
Hi Laura. You're not weird. You just don't fit the mold for a typical girl, and that's cool! Dar to be different :)
I agree about getting more public transportation to use bio-fuels. It's a huge first step in saving the environment :)
Hi Dan,
I agree. When the Santa Fe portion is done, what fun to travel to Santa Fe for the day or overnight without having to drive. Juhn used the Rail Runner for a while when he worked downtown and we lived in Rio Rancho. He reaslly liked the ease and convenience.
Maybe one day, they'll bring it out here to the East Mountains. I would be happy to use it more often then.
Hey Danni,
You piqued Ranchman John's curiosity. He want to know what type/name of train it is. He has many very old trains and he knows much of the history behind each one. I can barely keep up with my own pesonal history, much less what happened over a hundred years ago! hehe
Rocking Horse! hahaha You're right. And both are expensive hobbies, too.
Too bad the Santa Fe portion won't be open in time for our birthdays in September. We could head up there to celebrate. I'm thinking a day of pampering at Ten Thousand Waves. Aaaahhh!
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