Belen, Los Lunas and Tome

Train #703  Departs Santa Fe Station at 10:48 AM and picks up passengers throughout the corridor, Arriving at the Los Lunas Station 12:44 PM

1:00 PM - Private Rio Metro mini bus with private guide arrives at the Luna Mansion the visitors get a guided tour of the mansion with the owners and then have lunch.

2:00 PM - Trip over to the Museum of Heritage and Arts. Story of the Los Lunas community is presented by author Baldwin G. (BG) Burr of the newly released book Images of America - Los Lunas which is part of a series. Signed copies of the book will be available. Museum Specialist Andrea Chavez takes the group on a guide tour of the museum exhibit.

2:30 PM - Rio Metro Mini bus heads over to HWY 47 (in the Camino Real Trail corridor) with the tour guides commentary on the Camino Real Trail and the cultural aspects of the Tome Land Grant community.

2:45 PM - Arrive at the Tome Community Center and Korean War Memorial. At the Community Center the visitors meet Artist Armando Alvarez who talks about the significance of Tome Hill on the Camino Real Trail and then accompanies the group to the foot of the hill where his sculpture garden Puerta del Sol is located. The artist talks about the installation and shares his interpretation of the diverse groups of people who traveled El Camino Reál through history. His vision is reflected in his La Puerta del Sol sculptures that include a 25-foot high arch and life-sized figures representing the people who traveled the corridor, from Native Americans of the pre-sixteenth century to railroaders of the 1880s.

3:30 PM - The trip continues with a short stop at the Tome Art Gallery. The group is welcomed by the curators and one of t he artists represented in their current show.

4:00 PM - In route to Belen the tour guide introduces the history of that community and Belen's relationship to railroading.

4:20 PM - Arrival at the Harvey House for a private guided tour (Museum closed to the public after 3:30 PM).

5:00 PM - A short walk takes the visitors to the "Doodle Bug" park where the guide talks about commuter rail in the early to mid 20th Century in the Rio Grande corridor and the visitors learn about the history of the little train.

5:15 PM - Short walk to Pete's Cafe for select menu dinner and history of the restaurant from the owners

6:30 PM - Rio Metro mini bus picks group up and takes them to the Greater Belen Welcome Center at the Belen Rail Runner Station.

7:41 PM Train #708 Departs for Santa Fe and all points in between. Arriving in Santa Fe at 9:47 pm.