Lamy

[Andyflag4]

We are thinking of gong to Santa Fe from Flagstaff just for a quick get-a-away. I know that you get off in Lamy. What happens then? Are you bused to Santa Fe? Do you pay an additional charge for this? Does Amtrak make these arrangements or do you have to it yourself. Any info on this is appreciated. Also, how far is it from Lamy to Santa Fe? ~Thanks, Andy

 

[VentureForth]

If you are coming from Flagstaff, I suggest taking the NM Railrunner from ABQ to Santa Fe. It may cost only about $6 per person extra, but takes you right in. If, however, you have bags you want checked through, then book all the way to Santa Fe. They will route you through Lamy where a van and trailer will transfer you to the same place the Railrunner ends up.

Two reasons NOT to do the Railrunner: 1) Can't guarantee connections if the SWC is running late; 2) Railrunner doesn't run on Sundays.

I might would book inbound to Santa Fe and outbound from Abq if your schedule and luggage permit.

 

[century onalino]

You take a thruway bus, it say 40min for travel time.

 

[gswager]

Be sure to check the NM RailRunner schedule in case the Amtrak train arrives late, esp. at night. Plus, no weekend services starting in August 2011.

I recommend to book to Lamy/Santa Fe because it can take you directly to the hotels. Plus Lamy is an interesting place for you to explore.

 

[alanh]

The Lamy shuttle is a van with a luggage trailer that you can book as part of your Amtrak ticket. Just give your destination as SAF (Santa Fe) and the reservation system will include the shuttle. It adds about $20 for a round trip.

The shuttle does not have a specific stop in Santa Fe. Instead, you just tell the driver where you're going (usually your hotel). You also have to arrange the pickup with the shuttle for your departure.

The van normally makes a single trip for both directions of the Southwest Chief. If one is running late, you may be waiting at Lamy several hours. There's a nice picnic area near the station; you may want to bring a lunch with you. Unfortunately the restaurant there has closed.

 

[VentureForth]

After looking at the NM Railrunner schedules a bit more, it appears that you should go ahead and book all the way to SAF. The NM Railrunner does run daily (for now), but the Eastbound connection would mean an 11:45 arrival by Amtrak and a 4:16 (or 4:44 on Sundays) departure to SAF. On the other hand, as has been mentioned, the Van/Trailer only leaves after the EB and WB trains have arrived into Lamy, so it's quicker, but not as much to do in Lamy for 2 hours as there is in ABQ for 5 hours...

Amtrak should work with NM Railrunner to guarantee connection in ABQ. But the lack of trackage means that Amtrak has to weave through the area during the slim time the Railrunner is NOT operating. Whenever Amtrak's schedule is messed up, Railrunner takes priority and Amtrak suffers worse.

But it would make sense for traffic from the West to connect in ABQ by train and traffic from the East connect in Lamy by van (still wish the Santa Fe Southern could connect!). It would be win-win for everyone.

Haven't even looked at the outbound connections yet...

Oh, and yes, it's $20 for the Van, and only $7 for NM Railrunner. Hmmm... Van used to be free....

 

[Rafi]

Having just visited Santa Fe and planned a trip to Lamy and ABQ on the side, here's my first hand advice having just cut my teeth on this precise issue...

COMING EAST

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If you'd like to spend a few hours visiting Albuquerque (perhaps get a bite for lunch, do some shopping, etc), definitely consider the New Mexico RailRunner Express as a way to get from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. The RailRunner is a commuter train that runs multiple times per day between the two cities and is rather cheap at $7 a pop ($3 for students/seniors/disabled with ID). Assuming you arrive in Albuquerque on-time at 11:42 AM, the next RailRunner out departs Albuquerque on Saturdays at 2:38 PM, arriving in Santa Fe at 4:10 PM. On Sundays, it departs Albuquerque at 4:44 PM and arrives in Santa Fe at 6:16 PM. On Weekdays, the Railrunner departs Albuquerque at 4:18 PM, giving you roughly 4 and a half hours to tour Albuquerque. The Railrunner arrives in downtown Santa Fe at 6:00 PM.

If getting to Santa Fe as quickly as possible is your goal (and you don't care to see Albuquerque), take the Chief all of the way to Lamy, arriving at 1:17 PM. You have TWO connection options from there.

The first (and fastest) option is to book the connecting van shuttle from Lamy to Santa Fe, which is $20 per person, each way. They'll have you into Santa Fe by 2:00 PM or so. The van can be booked through Amtrak as part of your larger reservation, or it can be picked up in Lamy when you get off if you have cash on you. They will drop you off wherever you want to go in Santa Fe.

The second option is to take the Santa Fe Southern Railway from Lamy to Downtown Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Southern connects with the Chief in both directions on Fridays (April-October) and Saturdays (year-round). The train to Santa Fe departs Lamy at 2:00 PM on Fridays (they will wait for a delayed Chief if they know you are coming, but it's best to make this clear when you make your reservation by phone). The train departs Lamy at 3:00 PM on Saturdays (sometimes they'll leave earlier if you're the only one riding), which means you'll have some time to relax in Lamy and have lunch (you'll need to bring your own though; there is a park with picnic benches, but not much else besides the train station and the train, which you are welcome to board early). The train arrives back in Santa Fe by 3:00 PM on Fridays and by 4:00 PM on Saturdays. The trip costs $32 each way/$27 for seniors (reservations are required via phone or on their website) and is provided in restored antique passenger cars dating from the 1920's. It's a scenic trip and they serve alcohol and refreshments on board and provide a narration as well.

HEADING WEST

------------

You have the three same options for going west: The RailRunner, the Van Shuttle, and the Santa Fe Southern.

The Railrunner departs the Santa Fe Depot at 11:33 AM on Weekdays and arrives in Albuquerque at 1:02 PM. On weekends, the RailRunner departs Santa Fe on Saturdays at 1:17 PM and arrives in Albuquerque at 2:54 PM. On Sundays, the Railrunner departs Santa Fe at 11:20 AM and arrives in Albuquerque at 12:56 PM. The Chief departs Albuquerque daily at 3:55 PM.

The Van will pick you up from wherever you are in Santa Fe and will meet the train in Lamy; the van driver will coordinate with you ahead of time, usually via cell phone.

The Santa Fe Southern departs from Santa Fe at 11:00 AM on Fridays (April-October) and at noon on Saturdays (year round), dropping you off in Lamy at 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM, respectively. The Chief departs Lamy at 2:24 PM.

NOTE: The Santa Fe Southern is completing track work (actually, it's been completed; they're waiting on FRA inspection to open the line in a week or two) and is not running trains until the end of June. If you're interested in that option, it's best to call them to confirm availability first. Their number is 505-989-8600.

ALSO NOTE: If the eastbound Chief is running grossly late, the Santa Fe Southern will wait as long as they can, but will eventually leave. If they leave before the Chief arrives, you can pay the Amtrak Van Shuttle $20 cash on the spot (no reservation required) for passage to Santa Fe.

Rafi

 

[VentureForth]

Which option did you pick, and how did it work out for you?

Note: The 2:38 departure NB on the NM Railrunner out of ABQ is ONLY on Saturday. Sunday's next departure is at 4:44 PM.

And, according to the Amtrak timetable, the Lamy-Santa Fe Shuttle departs at 3:15. There's no indication on Amtrak.com that they have a separate departure from Lamy for Trains #3 & #4. How can that schedule be verified?

 

[Rafi]

Which option did you pick, and how did it work out for you?

I had planned on taking the Railrunner up to Santa Fe and then the SFS down to Lamy, but had to change plans at the last minute when it became apparent that the SFS track work would not be complete in time. Long story short, I only got to ride the Railrunner, but compensated for no SFS ride by riding the Cumbres & Toltec and got a private tour of the SFS equipment.

Note: The 2:38 departure NB on the NM Railrunner out of ABQ is ONLY on Saturday. Sunday's next departure is at 4:44 PM.

Whoops--I stand corrected.

And, according to the Amtrak timetable, the Lamy-Santa Fe Shuttle departs at 3:15. There's no indication on Amtrak.com that they have a separate departure from Lamy for Trains #3 & #4. How can that schedule be verified?

Actually, that's according to Arrow via the Amtrak website. Those times in there are for placeholders only. Actual practice varies depending on the expected passenger loads for each train. The best way to verify is to contact the service provider, Lamy Shuttle Service, at 505-982-8829. They're a nice mom and pop operation and are pretty flexible in my experience.

Rafi

 

[VentureForth]

And, according to the Amtrak timetable, the Lamy-Santa Fe Shuttle departs at 3:15. There's no indication on Amtrak.com that they have a separate departure from Lamy for Trains #3 & #4. How can that schedule be verified?

Actually, that's according to Arrow via the Amtrak website. Those times in there are for placeholders only. Actual practice varies depending on the expected passenger loads for each train. The best way to verify is to contact the service provider, Lamy Shuttle Service, at 505-982-8829. They're a nice mom and pop operation and are pretty flexible in my experience.

Rafi

That's the missing piece I was looking for. Awesome. Thanks for the info.