Step back in time to a place where steam engines still rumbled through the countryside. The Railroad Museum is housed in a 1910 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Depot and is one of the most significant historic sites in Las Cruces. Exhibits include information on local Santa Fe Railway workers, railroad communication, as well as an interpretation of the building itself.
In spring 2010, the museum acquired an 1890s wooden caboose. This caboose is believed to have worked the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway line before being transferred to the Fort Worth and Denver Railway in the 1960s. In 1968, it was retired at a rail yard in west Texas and sold into private hands. The new owners used the caboose for 40 years before gifting it to the Railroad Museum. The caboose is not open to the public as a condition assessment is performed, and fundraising is held to conduct a restoration project. The caboose is located in the lot just north of the depot and is available for pictures.
Also, don’t miss the model train room. There are three model layouts, including one that you can run yourself. One of the hands-on model layouts was designed and built by students during summer programs at the museum. Another is a train table for tots. The newest and largest layout was built over 2009 and 2010 from funds raised in response to a Challenge Grant from an anonymous donor. This HO layout depicts railroading in the southwest in the 1940s and 1950s. It includes a switching yard, a vibrant downtown area featuring a few buildings from Las Cruces’ past, and outlaying farms and mountains. The model room also has display cases of model trains by various makers and of different scales/gauges.
The museum is located at 351 N. Mesilla Street and is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For additional information, visit the website or call (575) 647-4480.
If you need an accommodation for a disability to enable you to fully participate in this event please contact the museum 48 hours prior to the event.
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