The Historic Locomotive Shops on the Rail Yards site were built by the AT&SF Railway between 1914 and 1924 as a maintenance and repair facility for steam locomotives that served the southwestern United States and was one of only four such facilities built for that purpose. (The other three being located in Topeka, Kan., Cleburne, Texas, and
San Bernardino, Calif.).
The shop complex was outfitted with the latest engineering technology for locomotive repair and industrial efficiency. As such, the shops were an integral part of the AT&SF’s railroad transportation system, which provided freight and passenger service for more than six decades.
The Locomotive Shops also played an integral part in the economic history of Albuquerque by their status as the second largest industrial complex in the state and the city’s largest employer. The shops played a major role in the city’s economic development, particularly in the adjacent neighborhoods of Barelas, South Broadway and San Jose (Dodge et al, 2014).