The train station in Tucumcari, N.M., isn’t on Route 66, but it and the railroad are so strongly linked to the Mother Road that any news about it is noteworthy.
The Quay County Sun in Tucumcari reports that the historic train station is set for $400,000 worth of improvements to become a centerpiece of downtown’s revitalization.
Already the train station is earmarked to be the home of the Eastern New Mexico ArtSpace.
ArtSpace was originally started with a $5,000 grant from the TEDC, and they conducted a major fundraiser with “Great Eggpectations” in spring 2006, said David Buchen, an advisor for ArtSpace.
In the future, ArtSpace hopes to establish a gallery and artist incubator program, he said.
“The train station is envisioned as an anchor for downtown MainStreet development project from which other small business projects can move outward,” Buchen.
I always thought Tucumcari would be an ideal town for an artists’ colony. I’m glad to see someone else agrees.
IF THEY USE IT FOR SOUTHERN PACIFIC AND ROCK ISLAND ART AND INFORMATION CENTER FROM THE PAST IT SHOULD BE A REAL TOURIST ATTRACTION. MAYBE COMBINATION MUSEUM/GALLERY DEDICATED TO TUCUMCARI’S BEGINNING AND GROWTH FROM “SIX SHOOTER SIDING”
Could someone include a description of what passenger trains used to stop here. I was on the Santa Fe (San Francisco Chief ?) that stopped here in Dec.1968. I boarded in Albuquerque for Chicago. Can’t find much on-line info. on what passed here. When did it all end ?
One of the passenger/cargo trains was steam engine-drive that ran north through Campana and Mosquero on Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday. My father was the foreman for that section for awhile. We lived in Campana & took the train to Mosquero 2 days a week for 1/2 day of school, and saw a lot of passangers from as far north as Clayton going to Tucumcari. That was in the mid-50’s.