Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Staff photo: Kevin Wilson A model of the former train depot and surrounding areas in Clovis, built to a 1-to-87 scale, is housed in the upstairs of the Clovis Depot Model Train Museum.
link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
A model of the former train depot and surrounding areas in Clovis, built to a 1-to-87 scale, is housed in the upstairs of the Clovis Depot Model Train Museum.
Editor’s note: Following is one in a series of features about destinations some consider treasures of the High Plains.
The Clovis Depot and Model Train Museum is a tribute to Clovis’ strong ties to the railroad industry for more than a century.
Reason to go:
Learn about the history of the railroad in Clovis or just rediscover the fun of model railroads.
The depot has been restored to the same condition it was in the 1950s. There are plenty of old-fashioned toy trains, including American Flyer and Lionel model trains from the 1920s to the 1940s.
There are also displays of historic British and Australian model railroads and trains.
The museum also enables close-up viewing of the BNSF Railway along one of the busiest rail lines in the United States.
For the serious train buffs, a reference library of the Santa Fe Railway is on site.
And there is a gift shop, which includes model railroad supplies as well as train books and New Mexico souvenirs.
Fast facts
• Owner Phil Williams received his first model train from his father in 1942, a windup version made by British manufacturer Hornby. He still has it.
• The son of a government man, Williams attended New Mexico Military Institute. His trips through Clovis on the “San Francisco Chief” passenger train on his trips home to the East Coast further fueled his love for trains and played a role in his picking Clovis for the site of the museum.
• The Clovis Train Society is rebuilding a 1906 locomotive on the depot site that for years was housed at Hillcrest Park. Williams said the coal-burning locomotive served as the switch engine in Clovis’ yard until 1954.
• The depot has 11 operating layouts, nine of which can be operated by visitors.
• The depot includes an operating telegraph station.
• The depot was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
• The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built the depot in 1907, the same year the township of Clovis was established.
Hours:
Noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday (call for hours during February and September).
How to get there:
The depot is located at 221 W. First St., Clovis, which is off U.S. 60/84.
Contact: 575-762-0066
Web site: http://www.clovisdepot.com
— Compiled by Rick White, correspondent
