Greetings: Statues of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe greet visitors at the Car Museum inside Russell’s Travel Center at Exit 359 on Interstate 40 in Glenrio, N.M. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Diner: A 1950s era diner offers visitors at Russell’s Travel Center the chance to enjoy a meal while taking a break from road travel. The diner offers a variety of dishes as well as floats, malts and other diner specialties. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Free Car Museum: Included in the Russell’s Travel Center is a free car museum. The museum contains several vintage cars mostly from the late 1940s-1960s, all restored to showroom condition. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
When traveling Interstate 40 in New Mexico, the last exit before the New Mexico/Texas state line is Exit 369. The closest town is Glenrio, which straddles the state line and was an active town and stop on Route 66. Today Glenrio is a shuttered ghost town with no residents.
However, at the unexpected location in the middle of nowhere is Russell’s Travel Center. It is a travel center catering to truckers and travelers. All of the parking and services that one would expect at a truck stop are found at Russell’s. The food and drinks and other facilities needed by traveling individuals and families can also be found at the travel center.
But that is just the beginning.
Russell’s Travel Center offers a 1950s era diner as well as a Subway for a quick meal. The convenience store has the stock of a grocery store as well as a selection of travel supplies for travelers and truckers. The centerpiece of this travel center is the Museum!
A museum which showcases automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles from the 1950s and 60s, travel memorabilia, pop culture memorabilia, collectibles and more. The museum is lined with items that are guaranteed to attract the attention of visitor of any age. There are thousands of items which attract visitors of all ages but the vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles are the star of the show.
So what does a museum in a travel center charge for admission? It is free! There is opportunity to leave a donation but that money does not help support the museum, all donation money is given to food banks. This museum is a labor of love.
The travel center was opened in 2010 by Emory and Barbara Russell. Russell and his sons are now all retired and the family business was sold in October 2023 to TA Travel Centers. TA Travel Centers is not changing anything for a while. They will retain the diner and retain the current menu. The Russell’s Travel Center name will be retained for three years, and the Museum will remain for five years. The Russell’s are leasing back the space that houses the museum. It’s good to know it will be around for a few more years.
This unusual truck stop near the New Mexico and Texas border is a hidden gem. When traveling I-40 East, keep your eyes open for that last New Mexico exit, Exit 369. I can’t think of a better place to get a bite to eat and recharge before traveling onward.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Corvette: This 1955 Corvette as well as the pink 1957 Thunderbird to the left caught my eye as I browsed the selection and variety of cars on display at the Car Museum at Russell’s Travel Center in Glenrio, N.M. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
1951 Custom: A beautiful red 1951 Ford Custom stood out among a collection of Ford cars at the travel center museum in Glenrio, N.M. In the background are displays, posters and signage as well as various vintage displays along the wall at Russell’s Travel Center. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Coke Memorabilia: In addition to the cars and other transportation related items in the museum, there is a large collection of memorabilia from the 1950s-1960s. Shown is a collection of Coca Cola memorabilia and Coke machines but there is also a poster for a Patsy Cline Concert in 1962 and a photo of the Beatles. There are numerous collections such as this throughout the museum in addition to the cars. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Vintage Pumps: A collection of vintage gas pumps are displayed at the car museum inside the Russell’s Travel Center. There are other pumps and various other vintage transportation related items throughout the museum. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Vintage Bikes: Motorcycles dating to the early 1900s to the 1070s are displayed along with a gas pump from Gulf Oil at the Russell’s Travel Center in Glenrio, N.M. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com