SANTA FE RAILYARD: FRESH TRACKS SANTA FE, NM -- Workers began pulling old rail out of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Railyard on Monday, marking the first step in the long-awaited Railyard renovation project. This initial phase will replace rail from Montezuma Avenue to 150 feet north of Paseo de Peralta using $800,000 to $900,000 in city money procured from the state for the Railyard project, said Carol Raymond, the general manager of Santa Fe Southern Railway. Workers from Mountain State Contractors arrived a week early, Raymond said. The project was scheduled to begin next week, but the company has a reputation for starting early, she said. Photo here: [www.freenewmexican.com] At the construction scene, many of the railroad ties had been pulled out by Monday afternoon. New bundles of black ties, made of oak or ash, waited to be laid in the ground. In a few places, workers had left small piles of 5-inch-long steel spikes, but a nearby bulldozer had many more in its blade. Raymond said some of the spikes had been stamped with a date, most of them from the 1950s and '60s, but contractors found some from the '20s and '30s, too, she said. While old spikes aren't particularly rare, collectors often purchase them from the nearby gift shop, she said. Many of the ties and much of the rail will be recycled in the renovation project, Raymond said. Soft or cracked ties can't be reused in railroads, but many people buy them for landscaping, she said. The first phase of replacing rail is scheduled to be completed in two months, said Bob Sarr of Santa Fe Southern Railway. Work should begin soon afterward on the second phase, replacing track from Paseo de Peralta to the intersection of Cerrillos Road and St. Francis Drive, Raymond said. The renovation is part of the preparation for bringing the Rail Runner Express commuter train to Santa Fe from Albuquerque in late 2008. Eventually, the Railyard will have three tracks side by side running by the train depot, Sarr said. The plan will leave the Railyard with the same number of tracks while creating more space for parking, bike trails or other developments, he said. - Brandon Garcia, The Santa Fe New Mexican
