International Railroad Discussion > Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatan, 1961

Action at Merida, the mixed being assembled. Here the dual-guage tracks are worked by 4-4-0 #78. 4 of the UdeY engines later went to work for Walt Disney.

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Thanks,
Chico

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The narrow gauge is gone, some abandoned, some left just as standard.

Great Stuff!! If you ever in Merida again, be sure to visit the Yucatan State Railroad Museum, it has a lot of UdeY, UdelS and FUS stuff, standard and narrow gauge!

Looks like a 2-6-0.

When I was visiting Merida in 1986, I managed to talk my wife into visiting the train station. It had a wonderful balloon train shed, and all platform tracks were still dual gauge. While we were there, a narrow-gauge local passenger train arrived with what looked like a G8 diesel, an armored "pay car" with barred windows, and several open-platform, open-window wooden coaches. As soon as the train stopped, the passengers swarmed off and people started handing sacks of produce and fruits out the windows to their friends. Quite a scene.

At one end of the train shed, up against the bumper was a lightweight, smooth-sided round end obs, apparently used as the superintendent's private car, and on another track was an absolute gem of a narrow-gauge private car with a brass-railed observation platform and large wicker maharaja chairs in the observation room. I often wonder what happened to that car, which didn't look like it had been moved in quite a while.

At the time, FNM still ran a through sleeper from Mexico City to Merida, but I had no chance to ride it.

rresor Wrote:
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> When I was visiting Merida in 1986, I managed to
> talk my wife into visiting the train station. It
> had a wonderful balloon train shed, and all
> platform tracks were still dual gauge. While we
> were there, a narrow-gauge local passenger train
> arrived with what looked like a G8 diesel, an
> armored "pay car" with barred windows, and several
> open-platform, open-window wooden coaches. As
> soon as the train stopped, the passengers swarmed
> off and people started handing sacks of produce
> and fruits out the windows to their friends.
> Quite a scene.
>
> At one end of the train shed, up against the
> bumper was a lightweight, smooth-sided round end
> obs, apparently used as the superintendent's
> private car, and on another track was an absolute
> gem of a narrow-gauge private car with a
> brass-railed observation platform and large wicker
> maharaja chairs in the observation room. I often
> wonder what happened to that car, which didn't
> look like it had been moved in quite a while.
>
> At the time, FNM still ran a through sleeper from
> Mexico City to Merida, but I had no chance to ride
> it.

the UdeY narrow gauge lines lasted until the early 90's, under FNM of course. All of the equipment you mentioned is preserved at the museum. The problem is that there's no where to run the narrow gauge stuff. The diesel was actually an EMD GA-8. It has freight car roller bearing trucks connected to an altered traction motor with a car differential... Some NdeM GA-8's in Mexico where standard gauged for switching service when narrow gauge lines where abandoned. There are many preserved.

GA-8's are still used on El Salvador's FENADESAL narrow gauge system.

FNM's Mexico City-Merida train was discontinued in 1997. Today, you can only take the cartered Expreso Maya from Palenque, Tabasco to Merida, Yucatan.

Today, these lines are operated by FIT, a regional carrier owned by the Mexican Federal Government after Genessee & Wyoming's Ferrocarril Chiapas-Mayab quit the concession to operate these lines.

Payee cars were common in most of the system with armed guards that looked very Mexican Revolution. But are now replaced with
e-checks for railroad workers.

The Peto and Sotuta brances were abandoned, the Puerto Progreso line is now OOS for the last portion and the Tizimin branch is also OOS. Only the Merida-Valladolid line is in active freight service. FIT interchanges with Ferrosur in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.

The depot still exists as a historical patrimony, the Yucatan State Railroad Museum is now located in the former Sureste coachyards.

The Arriaga, Chiapas-Tecun Uman, Guatemala line is still slowly being rebuilt by FIT.

Cheers!

ALL in Argentina has a bunch of GA-8s in service too.

John has more slides to scan and upload from his '61 visit. I'll let you all know when I get to them, appreciate all the info. He indicated to me that he rode Merida-Progreso so this ought to be interesting, need help ID'ing the locations.

Here's another shot from Merida, a couple of nice wooden boxcars (well, one nice one..)

chico
webmaster
http://www.GodfatherRails.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/10 06:47 by chico.

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ALL's GA-8s were originally shipped to Argentina's Sarmiento line (Ferrocarril Nacional Domingo Faustino Sarmiento) in , IIRC. 1961. There were 15 of them, part of an order of 75 (the other 60 units were GR-12s). Don't know how many survive today.

Roger Lewis (airbrakegeezer)

In the last couple of years we've shot 5555, 5556, 5560,5562, 5563. Have no idea if others exist.