A friend wants to take the train to Santa Fe where a friend of his will pick him up for a visit to Taos. The choices appear to be the SW Chief to ABQ and then a Rail Runner to Santa Fé or the Chief to Lamy and the Ambus to Santa Fé. Which would you chose and why?
Thanks in advance.
Frank in dark and cool SBA getting ready for my cruise to the land of Vegemite!
Posted by PullmanCo (Member # 1138) on :
If he's a railfan, mix and match. Get all the mileage you can.
If he's not, whichever has the more convenient arrival time and departure time for him into Santa Fe.
There are different schedules for weekends/holidays.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Thanks. Not especially a rail fan so I think staying on the Chief and making the connection at Lamy might work best for him. Or do one going and one coming home.
Frank in overcast and muggy SBA
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
That could be 4 hours to kill in ABQ if #4 is on time. You can easily walk throughout downtown ABQ in less than an hour, and I have never found much to do there but eat. If your friend likes outdoor urban wall murals, there are many in ABQ depicting Route 66 and railroad history. Personally I like the town, but it is really small for a city. Amtrak is also the intercity bus depot and the ambiance is what you would expect for such.
Santa Fe, on the other hand, is a whole different world from ABQ with much for a tourist to enjoy.
I have taken the Lamy-Santa Fe shuttle (van) years ago. It is pleasant, friendly, flexible and expensive (I think about $20). Reservations are a must. It drops you (and picks you up) anywhere in Santa Fe. Railrunner is probably much cheaper. Lamy is nothing but a few old buildings, but the Amtrak station is staffed 8:45-4:15.
Unless your friend wants to explore ABQ (Amtrak will store his luggage for a fee), Lamy would be the more convenient option. The possibility of a late Amtrak would be more of a risk for connecting at ABQ, whereas the shuttle is probably reliable. When #4 is on time, you even have enough time to explore ABQ and get back on to Lamy.
Taos is one of my favorite destinations in the US. I even bicycled there from the Chief in the '70s from Las Vegas, NM, and back to Raton. The mountains around Santa Fe are most beautiful in Sep or Oct when the Aspens are turning.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
When I priced the ticket for him it showed the shuttle from Lamy as being part of the price just like any other AmBus.