Dragons and wolves ride the rails through the desert to Santa Fe.
Darley Newman , legion , creator , and producerof the PBS showTravels with Darley , was waiting for the train . She stood in the depot in Lamy , New Mexico , wearing cowboy the boot and denim , ready for the Wild West adventure she planned to shoot for her show . As her ride pull in , she admired its vintage cars , which were covered with splattering of draconic graffito . “ The caravan look like a Draco rolling through the countryside . I really had n’t seen a train quite like that before , ” she allege . The paint business might seem out of place for a historical railway line , but one primal detail explain it : George R.R. Martin co - ownsthe caravan .
In 2020 , the 141 - twelvemonth - old train then bang as the Santa Fe Southern Railway was on the brink of extinction and looking for a Jesus Christ . The railway line hadfirst been builtin 1880 , and in the years since , it had carried president , Manhattan Project scientists , and other notable individuals , connectingSanta Fe , New Mexico with the rest of the rural area . But by the time the railway line ’s owner asked Bill Banowsky , father of Magnolia Pictures and Violet Crown Cinemas , if he was interested in purchasing the gear , the line had ceased even operations and was facing an changeable time to come .
Banowsky was initially hesitating to take on the projection , but that changed when he speak to his champion andGame of Thronescreator Martin . “ George got passing worked up about have a railroad and enunciate , ‘ that would be such a fun matter to do , ’ ” he recounts . “ So we decided that day that we would investigate the possibility of produce the railroad . ” When they lastly purchased it , they did so alongside bestselling mystery author Douglas Preston and five other Santa Fe investor .
Sky Railway’s dragon train by night|Sky Railway
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Vines and views in the historic Verde Valley.
As part of the railroad ’s revival , Martin used his originative talent to design an original immersive experience for passengers . It was n’t the first prison term the novelist had branch out into crafting IRL dangerous undertaking — he is , after all , co - creator ofMeow Wolf — and his vision for the revamped train , now dubbedSky Railway , combined account and phantasy into something wholly unequaled . He muster in local graffito artistJorael Numinato paint one string like a wolf and the other as a tartar , giving passengers like Newman that fascinate first glimpse of the train as it approached the place . “ He require the wolf to ‘ howl ’ and the flying dragon to ‘ howl , ’ ” order Banowsky .
According to Newman , the root continues on the interior of the string cars . Once on control board , she noticed plentitude of historical details , along with some updatedGame of Thrones - themed ones . “ My armrest was a wooden dragon , ” she says . “ It ’s crucial to keep those diachronic mite so it ’s erstwhile , but they then updated it in a room that is still tasteful to the past . So that was coolheaded . ”
Each train car also has a local musician playing tunes and a bartender serving drinks . “We have curated a great grouping of local artists who we ’ve maintain officious on these trains , ” says Banowsky . “ It ’s like go out to a slight pub and listening to music and you get to watch the scenery evanesce by . ”
The railway was once an important connection between Santa Fe and the rest of the country.|Sky Railway
Speaking of the scenery , “ This is a train line that does n’t go super - tight and you get to see this really Southwestern eccentric of high desert surroundings , ” Newman says . “ You ’re eliminate through communities and then you ’re literally just in nature and control the mountains rise in the space . ”
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Santa visits, holiday lights, and… cocktails?
The experience goes far beyond potable , music , and view for those who want a more engaging adventure , though it ’s possible to hold apeaceful scenic drive . As part of his creative character , Martin has designed aseries of adventuresfor passenger . These are sometimes seasonal , like the current Pablo ’s Holiday Train , which have a recounting of how Santa helped Pablo the Dragon lay aside Christmas and the requisite gull of hot umber , as well as a recent sold - out Halloween experience . “ We had actors that appear to be swallow up in the ground , ” describes Banowsky . “ George owns a band of movie readiness , so we took one of his graveyard sets , and we put it out there in the middle of nowhere . We stopped the train and these actors come in out of the tomb in various scene . ”
Other adventure are n’t seasonal at all . Banowsky colligate the theatrics of a Wild West experience previously offer by Sky Railway , explicate , “ The train stop and then someone gets on the wagon train and say , ‘ Oh my gosh it ’s bandit , everybody off the deck , ’ and then Equus caballus ride up and the train lay off . ” The train ’s current and approaching offerings admit idle words Under the Stars , execution on the Lamy Line , the Stargazer Train , themed ‘ 60s and ‘ LXXX trains , and more , all of which impart from either Santa Fe or Lamy . Newman chose theLore of the Lands from Lamyadventure , during which a docent deal the history of the caravan and skirt landscape painting .
On Sky Railway , she explain , “ you get the history and noesis , but you do it in a dissimilar way . This is an example of how the traveling industry has evolved over the twelvemonth and how people are offering really unique things out there . ”
If you ’re inquire what to do after a ride on the wagon train , you could take a page out of Newman ’s book and off up theLegal Tender Saloon , whose social structure was originallybuilt in 1880 — the same year as the original geartrain line . She report it as a distinctive Old West saloon , with different rooms , decorations , and memorabilia . In Newman ’s instance , she was there to question Martin about the train for her show—“He ’s into preserving history from what he relayed … he thinks it is an of import thing to do , ” she says — but you’re able to simply take a seat , grab a deglutition , and mull over on the day ’s risky venture .
Sky Railway’s route comes with views of the Galisteo Basin|Sky Railway
Graffiti artist Jorael Numina painted the trains with images of a wolf and a dragon.|Sky Railway
“We have curated a great group of local artists who we’ve kept busy on these trains,” says Banowsky.|Sky Railway
You can watch nature and distant mountains go by through the windows.|Sky Railway
Adventures like the recent Wild West experience keep passengers on their toes.|Sky Railway
Grab a bite or drink at Legal Tender Saloon—just don’t expect George R.R. Martin to show up.|Travels with Darley
