History
The Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was first chartered in February of 1859. Subsequently, the city of Santa Fe would become its namesake. The ATSF or the "Santa Fe" was one of the largest railroads in the United States, extending East from Chicago to the West in San Francisco, with several north/south branches from as far north as Kansas, to as south as Mexico and the Rio Grand.
Click here to view details of this painting of the Santa Fe Railyard - Un Nuevo Día.
However, because of rough terrain, Santa Fe would not become a major junction but instead had to be connected to the railroad's southern branch with its own 18-mile spur. Along with the rail yard came a telegraph line. This spur was completed and Santa Fe was finally connected to the rest of the world by rail and telegraph in 1880, the same year as Albuquerque.
Albuquerque would have the advantage of being on the north/south rail line and that city would subsequently experience the greater growth. Later the same year, the rail yard would be expanded to support the narrow gauge "D&RG Santa Fe Branch Line" (Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad). This commercial branch line eventually became known as the "Chili Line" because of it’s predominate chili freight.
By 1941, railway service to Santa Fe would end with the introduction of the Interstate Highway System and dismantling of the rail yard would begin the following year. Half a century later, the ATSF/Santa Fe Railway would merge with Burlington Northern Railway, in 1995, to become the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, or "BNSF" Railway.
The SFSR today provides seasonal service for locals and tourists with vintage coaches traveling along the old New Mexico spur between Lamy and Santa Fe. The rail yard itself was purchased by the City of Santa Fe and was developed into the Santa Fe Railyard Community Corporation which houses a park, youth center, SITE Santa Fe, and a farmer's market. The station house now doubles as a depot for the Rail Runner Express commuter rail line, which was completed in 2006.
The Painting
Notice how your eye moves from the bottom left to the right station house, marked "A". Eye movement resumes on a return from right to left following the directional attitude of the two trains, marked "B".
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The Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was first chartered in February of 1859. Subsequently, the city of Santa Fe would become its namesake. The ATSF or the "Santa Fe" was one of the largest railroads in the United States, extending East from Chicago to the West in San Francisco, with several north/south branches from as far north as Kansas, to as south as Mexico and the Rio Grand.
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| Un Nuevo Día (A New Day) by Tom Mallon |
Click here to view details of this painting of the Santa Fe Railyard - Un Nuevo Día.
However, because of rough terrain, Santa Fe would not become a major junction but instead had to be connected to the railroad's southern branch with its own 18-mile spur. Along with the rail yard came a telegraph line. This spur was completed and Santa Fe was finally connected to the rest of the world by rail and telegraph in 1880, the same year as Albuquerque.
.jpg "New Mexico Chili Line") |
| Chili Line |
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| Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway |
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| Santa Fe's Station House today |
Station House
The original, somewhat basic, Santa Fe station house became a warehouse in 1909. At that time, it was replaced with the station house, which stands today. It was constructed in what was then referred to as the Californian "Mission Style".By 1941, railway service to Santa Fe would end with the introduction of the Interstate Highway System and dismantling of the rail yard would begin the following year. Half a century later, the ATSF/Santa Fe Railway would merge with Burlington Northern Railway, in 1995, to become the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, or "BNSF" Railway.
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| Railyard Cross Signal |
Rail Yard Today
After WWII, the "Railyard" area fell into disrepair. By the late 1980’s, it became part of a public works program and, a decade later, the Santa Fe spur and station house would be purchased by the Santa Fe Southern Railway or SFSR (the railway depicted in the above painting).The SFSR today provides seasonal service for locals and tourists with vintage coaches traveling along the old New Mexico spur between Lamy and Santa Fe. The rail yard itself was purchased by the City of Santa Fe and was developed into the Santa Fe Railyard Community Corporation which houses a park, youth center, SITE Santa Fe, and a farmer's market. The station house now doubles as a depot for the Rail Runner Express commuter rail line, which was completed in 2006.
The Painting
Setting
The painting entitled "Santa Fe Railyard" depicts the rail yard as it appears today in a dawn setting. The sun is just beginning to rise to the right of the station house and beams of early light are raking the banded sky as well as the crushed stone towards the trains. Parked upon the rail road tracks is trademark yellow SFSR engine, connected to vintage coach cars, ready to be boarded by tourists. To the right, and center of the canvas is a Rail Runner commuter train, preparing to embark from the Santa Fe station to its final destination of Albuquerque, so 60 miles south. To the far right is the Mission Style station house, constructed in 1909 to replace the original station house, which remains today as a warehouse.Composition
The painting occupies a shallow diagonal composition. Beneath a multi-colored stream of banded clouds sits the SFSR engine with cars, the Rail Runner commuter train and the station house. The crossing signal and station lights act as vertical dividers between each anchor object. |
| The Painting has three major components |
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| Viewer Eye Movement |
Got Feedback?
Comments? Questions? Corrections? Any feedback at all? Just click on the comments box at the bottom of this page and enter your thoughts. All comments are welcome.
La Entrada a la Plaza, the oil painting by Tom Mallon. This 27.8" x 20.5" canvas is the latest addition to the Santa Fe Portrait Series. The Plaza is the throbbing heart of downtown Santa Fe and is surround by history.
Shostakovich and Cultural Snobbery, Could anyone survive Stalin's Purges, compose a large body, write for himself and the masses while producing constantly great work?
Visit this later update by CLICKING HERE
Tom Mallon's website "MallonArt". This website will provide you with links to all his paintings, drawings and other artwork portfolios, including the ongoing series entitled the Santa Fe Portrait.
Visit this later update by CLICKING HERE
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