Albuquerque Journal

Thursday, June 17, 2004

Scenic Railroad Hopes for Year-Round Industry

By Autumn Grey
Of the Journal

The eras of the Flintstones and the Jetsons are about to meet on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Chama.

As you read this, Los Alamos National Laboratory is to begin moving several pieces of high-tech equipment that it no longer needs into the railroad's machine shop to help the 19th-century train enter the 21st century.

In addition, the railroad is on track to have wireless Internet capability and GPS technology by next year.

As it stands, the two-way radios and cell phones the train relies on don't transmit in all spots along its route, making communication with anyone outside sometimes impossible.

The Federal Railroad Administration, citing health, safety and homeland security, now requires that the train crew be able to communicate with the depots at all times.

"We have to act and live in the modern world but maintain the traditional historic respect of the railroad," said Elmer Salazar, project leader for the Technology Transfer Division of LANL.

LANL's donations to the railroad's machine shop are part of an economic development plan to turn the railroad— the economic engine of the 2,100-person town— into a year-round tourist attraction. The season is now from the end of May to October, depending upon the first snowfall.

"The shops know that between Memorial Day and about Labor Day, you better have made your living," said Salazar.

"It's a shame the community is so dependent on the train, but it is. There's really no other industry," said Kim Smith Flowers, a resident of Chama for 30 years and general manager of the Rio Grande Railway Preservation Corp., which operates the Cumbres & Toltec.

The first step is the creation of a welding and metallurgy certification program and training center at the machine shop. It is a collaborative effort of LANL; Sandia National Laboratories, which is providing technical assistance in welding; Northern New Mexico Community College, which will provide the training; the Regional Development Corporation; and the railroad.

The goal is to build a work force that specializes in repairing and refurbishing historic narrow-gauge locomotives and their parts.

The railroad will be able to do virtually all machine work in-house instead of sending out parts, saving both time and money.

In addition, Salazar said, the technical upgrades and skilled workers will be able to repair vintage locomotives better, faster and cheaper than anyone else.

"You can't buy these parts off the shelf for a 125-year-old railroad," said Jerry Hanks, science and technology adviser for the state. "The train needs high-tech solutions. The machine shop is 1950s at best."

Those involved believe they can market the shop's repair services to the 30 or so narrow-gauge tourist trains in the country. Boilers and running gear on historic trains need to be upgraded about every 10 years, and old parts break.

"We know the demand (for repairs) will be up because the (Federal Railroad Administration) has put in more stringent requirements," with more frequent inspections of locomotives and tracks, said Steve Malnar, railroad commissioner.

A team from IBM will help with networking and computing once the technology is installed in the shop, thanks to efforts by the Regional Development Corporation.

The Cumbres & Toltec's eight locomotives need a complete overhaul at a cost of about $1 million each, Salazar said. Three are almost complete.

The ultimate goal is for the railroad to be self-sustaining and not having to rely on Colorado and New Mexico for money.

The two states own the train, which runs a 64-mile route that zig-zags over their shared border.

Flowers said $35 million is needed to implement a five-year plan designed to get the train to a point where it can operate year-round, doubling both the passenger season and ticket revenues.

All would inevitably lead to more foot traffic in Chama's hotels, restaurants and shops, and a more robust economy.

"We're not building for growth's sake. It's a self-sustaining plan. We're not trying to turn it into Disneyland," Salazar said.

The funding would help with everything from rehabilitating the track to replacing fuses built in 1899. "They weren't built to handle the electric load of computers," Flowers said.

Money would also be used for snowplows and to retrofit passenger cars for heat.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, whose office has been working closely with LANL and the railroad commission, says both New Mexico and Colorado are trying to get the Cumbres & Toltec designated a National Historic Scenic Railroad to get federal funding.

The state of New Mexico gave the railroad $800,000 in operating funding and $250,000 in capital funding this year.

Financial concerns aside, Hanks said, the immediate task is getting the machine shop upgraded so it can begin working in a small-business capacity.

"We need to establish a business management structure that supports this massive, complex industry," Hanks said. "It's more than just throwing a bunch of people on the train every day."


roger@thehotel.org