Santa Fe Railway Shops (Albuquerque) facts for kids
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Santa Fe Railway Shops
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Second Street facade of the machine shop, 2014
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| Location | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
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| Area | 27 acres (110,000 m2) |
| Built | 1915–25 |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| NRHP reference No. | 14000859 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 2014 |
The former Santa Fe Railway Shops in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are a group of eighteen buildings. They were built between 1915 and 1925. This large complex is located south of downtown Albuquerque, in the Barelas neighborhood. It is surrounded by Second Street, Hazeldine Avenue, Commercial Street, and Pacific Avenue.
These shops were one of four main repair centers built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The other centers were in Topeka, Kansas, Cleburne, Texas, and San Bernardino, California. During the railroad's busiest times, the Albuquerque shops were the city's largest employer. Today, the buildings have been empty for many years. However, there are many ideas for what to do with this historic place.
Contents
A Look Back: History of the Shops
The first railroad shops and a roundhouse were built here in the 1880s. This happened after Albuquerque became an important meeting point for the AT&SF railway and the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. In 1902, the Santa Fe Railway bought the A&P. Then, in 1912, they started making the old A&P shops bigger and more modern.
The first new buildings were the roundhouse, storehouse, power station, and freight car shops. These were located south of the buildings you see today. They have since been torn down. But all the buildings built after 1915 are still standing.
The current buildings were constructed between 1915 and 1925. The shops became Albuquerque's biggest employer. In 1919, they had 970 workers, which was about a quarter of the city's jobs. At their busiest in the 1940s, they employed 1,500 people. Their main job was to fix steam locomotives. These huge engines needed a full repair every 12 to 18 months. At their peak, the Albuquerque shops fixed about 40 locomotives each month.
However, things slowed down in the 1950s. This was because the Santa Fe Railway started using diesel engines instead of steam. The railroad decided to fix diesel engines at their Cleburne and San Bernardino locations. So, the Albuquerque shops became smaller, with only about 200 employees. The shops continued to repair equipment for tracks and maintenance into the 1980s.
Exploring the Buildings
The Main Workshop: Erection and Machine Shop
This is the largest building at the railyard. It stretches from Second Street to Commercial Street. It has about 165,000 square feet (15,300 m2) of space inside. The building was designed in 1920 and built in just eight months, starting in February 1921. The "erection shop" and "machine shop" are actually in one big building. They are separated by a wall on the south side.
When it was built, this shop was considered very advanced in industrial design. It was even compared to the famous Ford River Rouge Complex in Michigan. The building has a strong steel frame. Its north and south sides have large glass walls, letting in lots of light. The east and west sides have strong reinforced concrete walls. The main part of the building, called the erection shop, is 57 feet (17 m) high and 604 feet (184 m) long. It has several huge cranes overhead. The biggest crane can lift up to 250 tons! The floor is made of wooden blocks, which helped reduce noise.
The Boiler Shop
The boiler shop is smaller and was finished in 1923. It stands north of the main erection shop. It looks similar in design and style. This building has about 58,100 square feet (5,400 m2) of floor space. Like the erection shop, it has a special design where the train tracks run across the building.
The Blacksmith Shop
The blacksmith shop was completed in 1917. It is located east of the boiler shop. It is the third largest building on the site, with about 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) of space. This building has a steel frame with brick and glass walls on the outside. Blacksmiths here were responsible for fixing cracked locomotive frames. They also made new metal parts by shaping hot metal.
The Fire Station
Another important building is the fire station. It has a unique, rustic style, like buildings from the Mediterranean region. It features sandstone walls, castle-like tops, and a tower on one corner. E.A. Harrison designed it. It stands on the northwest corner of the railyard, near First and Second streets. Built in 1920, it is the oldest fire station still standing in Albuquerque. This building is a protected historic landmark in Albuquerque. This means it cannot be changed without the city's approval.
Other Cool Buildings
The complex also includes about a dozen other buildings. These include the flue shop (built in 1920), the tank shop (1925), and the storehouse (1915).
What's Happening Now: Current Status
People have talked about many different ideas for using the Santa Fe shops again. Some ideas include a transportation museum called the Wheels Museum. Other ideas are mixed-income housing, a center for shops and events, or even a modern digital film studio. The city of Albuquerque bought the complex in 2007 for $8.5 million.
In 2011, a company from California was chosen to redevelop the site. However, the contract was canceled in 2018 because not much progress had been made. Mayor Tim Keller announced that the city would now lead the redevelopment efforts. In 2014, the complex was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as an important historic site.
In 2013, the city spent $900,000 to fix and make the Blacksmith Shop building safe. They hoped to rent it out for special events. Since 2014, the building has hosted the Rail Yards Market. This is a weekly farmers' market that runs from May through October. As of 2018, the city plans to fix a second building. This will add more space for the market and other special events.
Since the 2000s, the unused railyard has become a popular place for filming movies and TV shows. Movies filmed here include Beerfest (2006), The Spirit (2008), Gamer (2009), Terminator Salvation (2009), and The Avengers (2012). The first episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles also used the railyard. Several episodes of the Sci-Fi show Lost Room were filmed there. Also, scenes from the AMC TV series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul were shot at the shops. The cover of the DVD for the Fifth Season of Breaking Bad even shows a photo of Walter White inside the shops.
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NM-12, "Atchison, Topeka, Santa Fe Railroad, Albuquerque Shops, 908 Second Street, Southwest, Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, NM", 5 photos, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NM-12-A, "Boiler Shop", 6 photos, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NM-12-B, "C.W.E. Shop No. 2", 2 photos, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NM-12-C, "Machine Shop", 17 photos, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NM-12-D, "C.W.E. Storage Shed", 5 photos, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NM-12-E, "Storehouse", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NM-12-F, "C.W.E. Office Building", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NM-12-G, "Lavatory", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NM-12-H, "Machine Shop No. 2", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. NM-12-I, "Firehouse", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
