Albuquerque Journal (subscription)
"Sunday, May 14, 2006
Wheels Project Gets $2 Million for Museum
By Harry Moskos
Of the Journal
SPARE CHANGE: The Wheels Museum project is rolling along. A $2 million grant from Gov. Bill Richardson is the latest step in building a national-caliber transportation museum that "will exemplify the history and culture of New Mexico." So says Leba Freed, volunteer president of the museum project.
Freed hopes the funds will be spent on the acquisition of land and buildings in the old Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway repair shops along Second Street SW.
"Ever since Leba made me aware of it, I have been a supporter of the Wheels Museum project," Richardson told the Journal.
"Recognizing the role transportation has played in the history of our state is important," the governor added. "This money will help the Wheels Museum secure its place in the long-term plans for the future of Albuquerque's old Santa Fe Railway shops and fulfill its mission to preserve and present the history of New Mexico's modes of transportation."
Bill Hume, the governor's policy director, said since a deal to put a digital movie studio in most of the old rail yard buildings fell through, the trick now is to find a new blend of uses for the historic buildings.
"This is the vital step we have been awaiting," Freed noted. "We are thrilled that our 'train' is moving in the right direction to bring tourism to the rail yards while saving the memory of the men who worked in the yards for decades."
The museum project has had its ups and downs, but Freed is confident things are moving forward.
The exhibits are expected to include historic vehicles of all kinds and a gas station that was once located at 12th and Mountain.
"The actual building will be moved to the museum," Freed said.
The museum already has access to many antiques, including the historic AT&SF steam locomotive 2926, which is expected to be on display through the cooperation of the New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society.
Bob DeGroft of the Railroad Historical Society said, "We are approximately two months away from reassembly of 2926's tender. The only thing we have to do is some difficult welding. The tender was accomplished with a mountain of labor and not with a lot of dollars paid out."
The engine is a different case.
"If we have funding, we can do it within three years or it could take seven or eight years," DeGroft said. "The drive is to get it in running condition so we can run it on excursions. The agreement is that the Wheels Museum would be home base."
Wheels Museum organizers have been considering running a monthly excursion along the BNSF Railway track, purchased by the state for the Rail Runner commuter train, and on up through the 110 miles of track from Lamy to the Colorado border.
"The biggest problem was having a place to run. Now we have a place. The governor did us a great favor," DeGroft said, adding that it could also increase tourism.
In addition to 2926, plans for the Wheels Museum exhibits include historic vehicles— firetrucks, buses, a trolley, a 100-year-old horse-drawn milk wagon and a 1908 horseless carriage that was ordered from a Sears catalog for use by a priest in New Mexico.
"We have been offered all types of antique vehicles," Freed said, "but we don't have room yet. When we get our site, we believe there will be an onslaught of calls of people wanting to give us old vehicles."
For the time being, the museum is working out of a building at 1501 First NW.
Freed is making plans for the museum's annual fundraiser, scheduled for Nov. 18 at the Embassy Suites. She said the museum is seeking volunteers for everything from repairing old school buses to teaching education programs and for fundraising and membership campaigns. The Wheels number is 243-6269."

What great news for the state of New Mexico. Thanks for sharing this info. Good luck to everyone who put this project into action. It's nice to see the "ups" winning out over the "downs".

Sadly though, the massive roundhouse complex was bulldozed in 1986 and finished off in 1987, after the Santa Fe historic collection was moved to California State railroad museum. As most of us know, CSRM was not ready for a collection of that scope, and had no place under cover to store engines like 2925 and 5021 which until that point were in pristine (if dusty) condition. Last I heard the engines were still outside, had been stripped and left to taggers and vandals. Just imagine if the Santa Fe had kept the collection and the roundhouse intact. This is how 2925 looks today Bob Yarger Photo credit

And this is how she looked when she was in the care of the Santa Fe
in the Belen Roundhouse. Evan Werkema Photo Credit

BUT, they were both full of asbestos, right? So that needed to be removed, and they are stored painted with the lagging removed to prevent rain accumulation. It may take years, but they both have a good future home.

Furthermore, we are operating with the benefit of 20x20 hindsight. It is easy to see what has happened to this collection since arriving in Sacramento, but think back to 1986 when the ATSF-SP merger was under consideration.

Nobody in Santa Fe's senior management was able to foresee the ICC rejection. They had a very real concern that the merged "Santa Fe Pacific" board would look at the collection at Belen as a giant collection of scrap metal, and dispose of it accordingly. They wanted their historical collection treated with the respect it deserved, and the only way they could guarantee its survival at that time was by donation to the California State Railroad Museum. While the collection has no doubt deteriorated to to outdoor storage and vandalism, it is still intact, and with enough time (and money) be restored.

Had an alternative been available in Albuquerque, perhaps things would have turned out differently. But the ATSF board did the best it was able to do at the time.

The Asbestos only had to be removed if the locomotives were stored outside. If a temporary shelter had been built after their arrival at Sacremento they could have been stored indoors without a problem - as the Asbestos would not have posed an inhalation hazard if it were not disturbed.

Tom Cornillie

I have heard that the Santa Fe had considered other organizations for the locomotives and the drawings they gave to CSRM. I guess its thought was that the State funded museum would provide a better home. For certain it is for the documents and drawings from Topeka -- a whole box car worth of paper and linen.

The biggest problem is that the SP shop complex in Sacramento was not at all secure and the locomotives and other equipment were vandalized by copper and brass thieves.

Yes, the Santa Fe Pacific board could have done worse. Suppose they had decided to donate the engines to a city park and name the whole thing after an executive? (ooops, someone else already did that)

Folks,

I visited the CA State Museums new complex of old duildings a while ago. And they are quite a site!

A staff member not a volunteer told me that a lot of the stripping was done by the museum, they have a lot of parts in storage.

The car that got hit the worst was the Sante Fe gas "dootle bug" which has a lot of now gone copper in it.

The Sante Fe 1010 (I think) has now been moved indoors with the fairly new transfer table. They also used the turntable to spin it around before the move was made.

Ted miles

The story I was told a year ago March (also by a member of the museum staff) was that they also wanted to turn the 5021 before moving it inside, but the turntable deck needed work before it could safely take the weight. I wonder if they got the funds to re-deck the turntable in this year's budget?