Sky Railway offers exciting, all-encompassing short-line railroad journeys arguably unlike any other. It is a passenger adventure that feels like something out of a fantasy storyfitting, considering that none other than George R.R. Martin, the creator of Game of Thrones, is behind the project.
Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico but has a population of only 70,000. At 7,000 feet, it is the highest state capital in the US and, having been founded in 1607, it is also the oldest.
It is renowned as a center for art, music, and food, and has a long, fascinating history and wonderful scenic beauty. Board Sky Railways Sunset Serenade for a magical ride thru Santa Fe into the high desert!
Sure, you could head to a remote dark-sky park and fiddle with a fancy constellation app to decipher what exactly it is you’re seeing. Or, make your next outing on one of a number of nighttime train rides that give you those same breathtaking Milky Way views alongside a glass of champagne and some expert astronomical advice. You’ll be able to get away from light pollution but then back to civilization (and your hotel bed), and maybe even get to peep through a high-quality telescope along the way. Book any of these four after-dark train excursions and let the lulling hum of the caboose teleport you to another world.
Think you’ve done everything there is to do in Santa Fe? Think again, and get ready to board Sky Railway for a magical ride thru Santa Fe into the high desert!
Formerly the Santa Fe Southern Railway, this historic railway was reborn in 2020 as the Sky Railway. Several investors, including George R.R. Martin, banded together to bring the line back to its former glory and to resume excursion trains – with a twist. Each experience is unique, and is very much an adventure! Rides are immersive, and usually include live performances by musicians, dancers or other performers…
Sky Railway, the train-travel adventure provider based in Santa Fe, is less than a week away from making its debut. And company officials say interest is high, with nearly 1,500 guests booked for the month of December.
Its first short-voyage trips are scheduled for next weekend, with trips running anywhere from an hour and 15 minutes to four hours in duration. The cost is between $60 to $129 for adults and $40 for children. Infants ride for free.
SANTA FE— A generation or two ago, youngsters were enthralled with trains, from assembling toy train layouts in their homes to waving to trains as they passed by.
Nineteen-year-old Spencer Bobb did both and at an early age, deciding working on the railroad was what he wanted to do when he grew up. The son of Kenneth and Cindy Bobb didn’t face any resistance, even as he decided not to head to college after graduating from high school.
All aboard the Santa Fe Sky Railway train where you’ll cruise the historic rail between Santa Fe and Lamy, New Mexico complete with entertainment, food and drinks!
If you’ve ever wanted to experience a train ride but with some cool events, then you’re in luck! Santa Fe’s Sky Railway adventure train hosts a variety of events on the train that include a murder mystery, a speakeasy express, music concerts and some boozy events that include an “ale trail” and a margarita trail!
A few minutes after the train pulls to a slow stop, the diesel engine cuts off and leaves the gasps of passengers and their shuffling feet as the only sounds. Without fail, people step onto the open-air car and crane their necks toward the sky to utter something awestruck—the pinpoints of light over their heads too numerous and amazing to absorb in silence.
That’s when astronomer Peter Lipscomb takes his cue, climbing onto a short stool and pointing a green laser beam from the spot in the Galisteo Basin toward Venus on the horizon. The thin line of light stretches inconceivably from the train car to the heavens and he launches into a lecture about the cosmos.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Christmas is right around the corner which means it’s time for Sky Railway’s Christmas-themed “Pablo the Dragon’s Holiday Train.” The one-of-a-kind Christmas tradition runs every day until December 24. “Pablo’s Holiday Train” is based on the book “Santa’s Dragon” written by best-selling author Doug Preston. It tells the heartwarming story of Pablito, a lonely dragon who helps save Christmas for the children of Santa Fe.
ANTA FE, N.M. — La Mama, a natural wine bar and restaurant set in a 1910s craftsman bungalow, doesn’t feel like it belongs here. Unlike most of the city’s adobe-clad hangouts, the space is spare and whitewashed. Margaritas and chiles are nowhere to be found on the menu.<
David Manzanares recalls the early days of Oppenheimer in New Mexico.
In some ways, they weren’t far different from physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s early days in New Mexico: full of mystery, uncertainty, and eventually, success.
Manzanares, the field producer at Ghost Ranch, recalled a location supervisor contacting him in October 2021 to pick his brain about spots in the state that might be a match for a film about a historical event that took place in New Mexico. Those involved in the production divulged only small details, nuggets like the movie’s historical period was set in the 1940s.
Known as the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico is full of breathtaking views everywhere you look.
A fun way to take in the views is by train.
Trains are no longer such a popular mode of transportation, but these three trains offer visitors beautiful sights and some even carry food, drinks and live entertainment for riders.
When the Santa Fe Southern Railway shut down in 2012, it was one year after novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones premiered on HBO. Eight years later, the famous Santa Fe resident found himself involved in reviving the historic rail line, turning it into a fantasy-filled adventure ride. The project finally came to fruition, with the debut of Sky Railway in December 2021.
Hello from Santa Fe, New Mexico! This is one of my favorite cities in the U.S. that I try to visit at least once a year. Santa Fe is rich in culture, art, and food – there are about one hundred art galleries on Canyon Road alone! The food is incredible – I love both the red and green chile (ask for Christmas when dining at the restaurants).
Darley Newman, host, creator, and producer of the PBS show Travels with Darley, was waiting for the train. She stood in the depot in Lamy, New Mexico, wearing cowboy boots and jeans, ready for the Wild West adventure she planned to film for her show. As her ride pulled in, she admired its vintage cars, which were covered with splashes of draconic graffiti. “The train looked like a dragon rolling through the countryside. I really hadn’t seen a train quite like that before,” she says. The paint job might seem out of place for a historic railroad, but one key detail explains it: George R.R. Martin co-owns the train.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — There are a lot of ways to get into the holiday spirit here in New Mexico – and that now includes riding the rails.
Throughout December, you can ride on Sky Railway’s “Pablo’s Holiday Train in Lamy.” It’s an hour-long journey through the desert sets off from the historic Lamy depot and begins with a festive sing-a-long.
In between songs, passengers can enjoy some local treats and hot chocolate. There’s even a special menu just for the adults to enjoy.
The rides are as dynamic as the story lines on Sky Railway, which runs a slate of entertaining excursions on the former Santa Fe Southern Railway branch-line between Santa Fe and Lamy. The nearly year-old railroad is powered by a group of investors helmed by Game of Thrones creator (and longtime Santa Fean) George R.R. Martin. His passion for fantasy is splashed across the trains, which are painted as a dragon and a wolf.
Nestled in the heart of the Southwest, where the landscapes whisper tales of ancient times and the skies paint pictures with their enchanting sunsets, lies an experience that encapsulates the essence of New Mexico’s beauty and cultural richness. Sky Railway’s Sunset Serenade offers not just a ride but a voyage into the soul of Santa Fe, blending the allure of its scenic vistas with the vibrancy of its thriving music scene.
A few years ago, A Song of Ice and Fire author and Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin joined forces with a couple of other prominent citizens in the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico and bought the Santa Fe Southern Railway, an 18-mile stretch of rail running from Santa Fe to Lamy, which is pretty much just an empty piece of land with a train station on it. Martin and his co-owners christened this project the Sky Railway. They planned to rent it out for pleasure excursions, stargazing events, murder mystery experiences, and maybe even so Hollywood types could film movies on it.
Ride the Fantasy Rails: Sky Railway with George R.R. Martin – Travels with Darley
PBS Great Scenic Railway Journeys 30th Anniversary
