Belen is the nearest town (15 Miles) to the RV park. To the north of Belen on Interstate 25 you are entering the Albuquerque metro area. Forty miles to the south is Socorro, like Belen, a shopping hub. Belen is a railroad town. The Burlington Northern/Santa Fe has a "yard" here and handles north-south as well as east-west freight. Belen is also the southern terminal for the Rail Runner, a commuter line to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Unless you are a tad odd, like us, Belen is not an "end destination." That place is Albuquerque. It has the casinos.
A generic term for a railway coach that self-powered was a "doodlebug." In some instances it would pull other coaches. Doodlebugs came in many varieties.
A 1946 musical THE HARVEY GIRLS is the story of the young women hired to staff the Harvey railroad hotels. Judy Garland and Ray Bolger probably present a more interesting "history" than can be found elsewhere. The Harvey House (above) in Belen is now a museum adjacent to the railroad yard.
The area near the railyard is the old part of Belen, surprise! There are quite a few period buildings in the area but most are unoccupied like Hotel Belen (above).
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