Photographs by Melanie McWhorter after the 2023 renovations
In 1859, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF), based in Atchison, Kansas, planned to lay track to Santa Fe. However, by the 1870s, the plan and the tracks diverted south through simpler terrain to Lamy and on to Albuquerque. Only an eighteen-mile branch line into Santa Fe remained, primarily serving as a drop-off point for freight and the few passengers who took the side trip from the bustling depot and ornate El Ortiz Hotel/Harvey House in Lamy. The ATSF Railway Depot was the center of this comparatively sleepy Santa Fe railyard. Designed by the engineering office of the ATSF in 1909, the depot is a California Mission Style building. Presently, the ATSF Depot serves as the end of the line for the New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter train from Belen. The ATSF Depot in Santa Fe is one of a few surviving small depots connecting villages and towns throughout New Mexico.
From Old Santa Fe Today, 5th edition by Audra Bellmore with photographs by Simone Frances.