This past weekend, volunteers in Tucumcari, N.M., started their latest repainting effort on an abandoned gas station in town.
The station, shown above, will be the seventh gas station in Tucumcari that’s been repainted in a nostalgic color scheme on the Route 66 corridor. This station will be repainted to resemble a Magnolia station; area artist Doug Quarles will finish the trim and mural work on the station this week.
Richard Talley at the Motel Safari in Tucumcari also passed along these news items from Tucumcari:
— Timeless Treasures Antiques is being renamed Tucumcari Trading Post on Route 66. Owner Gary Cardwell is giving the former motel more of a Route 66 theme. He’s also going to renovate the old Coronado Court sign, including the neon tubing.
— This is a refurbished “Welcome to Tucumcari” metal sign was discovered recently behind some brush. It eventually will be landscaped and lighted at night. It is on New Mexico Highway 104 on the north side of town.
— The main neon sign at the Blue Swallow Motel is being repainted by new owners Kevin and Nancy Mueller back to its original color scheme of dark and light blue. A photo of the ongoing project can be seen here (Facebook link).
— The Tucumcari Train Depot will play host to the Union Pacific No. 844 steam engine when it rolls into town on Nov. 4. “We will have a New Mexico Centennial event on the 4th there, and you can purchase train ride tickets coming in from Dalhart, Texas, on the 4th and going to Santa Rosa, New Mexico, on the 5th!” Talley said.
(Photos courtesy of Richard Talley)