I hadn’t seen this on any forum yet, and it would be too big of a tangent on the 2926 thread, so I decided to get this posted here

While looking out for the most forlorn locomotives in every state, I came across an interesting note in Steamlocomotive.com saying that AT&SF 769, located in Madrid NM (very nearby to both Santa Fe and Albuquerque), saying “Will be restored by 2028”.

Some context is needed for this locomotive. 769 is one of two remaining AT&SF locomotives not converted to oil if I’m not mistaken. It and 870, along with two other 2-8-0’s lived unremarkable careers on the Santa Fe until they were sold off to a coal company to work in Madrid NM in the early 1950’s (hence why it was never given an oil conversion). They worked until 1954 when the railroad stopped operating. Madrid NM was effectively abandoned by 1959 with the closure of the mines, and two of the 2-8-0’s were scrapped. 870 was eventually sold to a city in California where she’s been on display ever since. 769 has been parked in Madrid NM since she was retired all those years ago.

Not much care has come to the locomotive since the early 1980’s when she was cosmetically restored. But since her retirement, the town of Madrid was reclaimed in the late 1970’s, and the locomotive at the very least isn’t abandoned. On a more fortunate note, 769 is probably in fairly good overall condition due to the mostly arid climate of the area and the relatively remote location preventing things from being stolen, the only downside being her location: in a flood zone; meaning her wheels are semi buried.

I can’t find good info anywhere on any website outside of a Facebook page or the wiki, but she was apparently inspected in early 2020 (I assume just before the Panasonic) and was deemed to be restorable. It appears that from the context clues on the wiki, she could join the 2926 in Albuquerque at the site of the former AT&SF backshops for restoration, and then eventually operate on the recently reactivated Santa Fe Southern railway.

However, I can’t find this info on any website. Nothing from the Santa Fe Southern, nothing from the NMSLHRS (the 2926 group), even nothing from the Wheels Museum, the operators of the backshops. Nothing except for a Facebook page a wiki article, and a link from a website called “we are railfans”.

So I don’t know what to believe. The info put into the pages looks legit enough for it to be truthful, but no websites or anything (at least not yet) makes it difficult to believe it’s a serious effort.

I’ll link the pages to each so you can read them for yourself. But does anyone have any other information on this project?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_769

https://m.facebook.com/SantaFeSteamPower/

https://www.wearerailfans.com/c/article ... -abandoned

The locomotive is privately owned and the owner is OK with the locomotive being restored but doesn't currently have the funding or expertise on hand. She is willing to move it to a different part of the property to make restoration easier. The locomotive has all the pieces and is a typical case of "It ran when last parked" and was parked by a bankrupt coal mine. To my knowledge, it's never been flooded where it is or the entire town would have been under water. It is a matter of gravity acting on crappy soil. No REAL assessment has been done other than some firebox UTs. I don't know the results of those UTs but that is only firebox work and not really a deciding factor on whether it can be restored, or not. There is hope that the tracks in town could be re-laid and the locomotive could run locally. The county owns the ROW and I don't think they know how expensive that would be (don't know if the county knows of the idea). I told the young man who was drumming up support for returning 769 to service to not give up hope. If you get the right people interested almost anything can happen. Unless something has changed in the last year. It is sitting in the driest climate next to Death Valley waiting for someone with money and skills.

I imagine that it’s in pretty decent condition, considering the factors that have been mentioned (climate, remoteness of the area, etc), and I think it would be the perfect locomotive to operate for the nearby Santa Fe Southern. Good size, and would probably be able to traverse the tight curves and wooden bridges on the line. I think the only factor that could work against it would be it’s last years working for the mine. That could present some problems.

But I don’t imagine that they build a line to Madrid or anything though even if the ROW is there. Especially with the Santa Fe Southern being so close by.

And that young man certainly shouldn’t give up hope.