Holiday Short-Trip Train Rides from Santa Fe

During the month of December, enjoy these "short trip" trains departing Santa Fe at 2:00 pm and returning by 4:30 pm. Share this time of year with your family and friends and take a ride down to the Galisteo Basin.

These trains don't go all the way to Lamy, but instead travel 16 miles down to the Galisteo Basin overlook for a panoramic view of this interesting geologic uplift.

When we're ready to head back to Santa Fe, the brakeman/woman rides the "point" (the lead car), and the engine "shoves" all the cars up the track; in train lingo, this move is called a "shove back". Snacks, hot and cold drinks, as well as stronger stuff are available at our cash bar. A relaxing afternoon diversion where all you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

Coaches on the Santa Fe Southern Railway are charming vintage cars which have been authentically restored or renovated with a southwestern look. Seats in rows have "walk-over" backs which allow passengers to face all one way or face each other. Interiors are graced with high ceilings and windows which can open.

Silver Class Upgrade

Santa Fe Southern Railway's Silver Class cars are vintage ATSF Super Chief cars which afford riders a cozier, more intimate experience. These carpeted, silver sided coaches feature lounge chair seating. Whether you're riding on the authentically restored Acoma Lounge Car or the Plaza Lamy Pleasure Dome, you'll experience the comfortable luxury of America's train heyday.

Silver Class is subject to availability. If you order the Silver Class upgrade, please be aware that this car only operates when enough passengers request it to fill the car, and seating is limited in Silver Class. If the Silver Class car does not operate on the day of your trip or is sold out, you will be placed in Coach Class instead, and a credit for the difference in price will be issued to your credit card.

Customer Comments:

"Loved being on the train--brought back memories of childhood when I traveled by train on vacations."
"Great ride! The kids had so much fun--especially on the flat car."
"Really a delightful way to spend the day. Beautiful scenery and length of trip was perfect."
"I really enjoyed the 18 miles of pure fantasy!"

The Scenery

Santa Fe Southern's spur in northern New Mexico claims its own brand of Southwest scenery, a unique blend of far-off mountain ranges and nearby rolling hills carpeted with an expanse of sea-mist green chamisa, cholla cactus, scented pinon, gnarled cedar and juniper trees that form a part of the vital Rio Grande Valley that is the geological lifeblood of the state.

From the train, an assortment of wildlife is visible to the trained eye-black-tailed prairie dogs, jackrabbits the size of beagles, agile bluish-red kestrels, soaring red-tailed hawks, ravens and turkey vultures, full-bodied coyotes on dead-run, and even the occasional antelope can all be seen from the large picture windows of SFSR railcars. It often takes a keen eye, since there is so much undeveloped land the animals have many choices of where to roam, and they don't always pick the railroad tracks!

A whole host of mountain ranges are visible from SFSR's historic track. Leaving Santa Fe, the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ, so named for their reddish hue at sunsets) foothills trail off in luxurious rolling hills, signifying the southernmost base of the Rockies. These are the tallest mountains in the region, rising up to 12,622 feet above sea level at Santa Fe Baldy.

The Jemez Mountains to the west are the remnants of a huge volcano which some say was taller than Mount Everest. An eruption about a million years ago lowered the Jemez to their present height and spewed volcanic debris as far as the eastern United States. The Valle Grande, visible just behind the peaks, is considered one of the largest and most perfectly shaped volcano calderas in the nation.

Farther to the southwest lie the watermelon-shaped Sandia Mountains, with Sandia Crest and its famous Aerial Tramway rising to an altitude of 10,678 feet.

In the foreground, the Ortiz Mountains peak to 8,897 feet. Large strips of barren earth are the result of placer mining efforts that extracted millions of dollars worth of gold from the hills, on and off, during the 1830s through the 1880s. Early on, this first gold rush drew the interest of notables such as Thomas Alva Edison, whose scientific and business acumen was severely put to the test when his electrostatic separator, a machine designed to separate non-magnetic iron ore (i.e., gold) from sand in the absence of water, ultimately failed due to unanticipated moisture in the soil.

West of the Ortiz are the low-lying Cerrillos Hills, once known for copper and turquoise mining, but more recently the host of Hollywood films such as "Young Guns."

On Santa Fe Southern's short-trip trains, we stop at Milepost 2 to overlook one of the most impressive and starkly beautiful geological features along the route: the Galisteo Basin. The Basin itself stretches for miles and resembles a vast depression in the earth, having sunk millions of years ago in conjunction with the Sangre de Cristo uplift and partial collapse, and the Rio Grande rift.

Many of the Galisteo Basin's remarkable features are visible only close-up - not from the train. The Basin's black lava rock outcroppings are known for their petroglyphs of bear paws, horned serpents and alien-looking heads, all carved by ancient peoples. Pueblo and Spanish mission ruins are scattered throughout, testimony to the habits and lives of the people who inhabited the area long ago. It is speculated that the population of the Galisteo Basin may at one point have rivaled that of Chaco Canyon, given evidence of a number of large pueblos ranging up to 2,000 rooms or more in size.

In 2003, 3,500 acres of the Galisteo Basin became protected under the Galisteo Basin Archaeological Sites Protection Act, so access can be limited. Those interested in visiting the area can search the Internet for info on guided tours and horseback rides in the area.

And that is what the whole Santa Fe Southern excursion is about, a rambling ride through the wide open expanses of the Wild West. Come see for yourself how wild it really is!

Children ages 3 to 13 qualify for the child rate. Children 2 and under are free in Coach or Silver Class (when riding in an adult's lap). IF YOU WISH TO ORDER SILVER CLASS UPGRADE, YOU MUST ALSO ORDER COACH CLASS. Please reserve online, or call us toll-free at 888-839-3823.