Home | Open Account | Help | 330 users online |
Member Login
Discussion
Media SharingHostingLibrarySite Info |
Passenger Trains > Tex Mex Express history?Date: 02/19/18 14:18 Tex Mex Express history? Author: njmidland Back in the late 1980's, the Texas Mexican Railway operated a public passenger train called the "Tex Mex Express". As I recall, it operated along the length of the railroad between Corpus Christi and Laredo. It only operated Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. I was wondering if anyone has a schedule or timetable they could share from this operation. Is there a roster of the passenger cars used?
Tim Date: 02/19/18 15:45 Re: Tex Mex Express history? Author: rwullich IIRC, they had 5 cars. Cars 1, 2 and 3 were coaches. Car 4 was an ex-Amtrak coach 5415 (SCL 5415, ACL 226) a 54 seat coach from Budd 1946 that ended up going to VIA. Car 5 was ex-UP 6105 (1949 ACF) bar-dorm-lounge-diner.
Date: 02/19/18 16:48 Re: Tex Mex Express history? Author: cabsignaldrop I remember an old issue of Trains Magazine with a article on that operation...I'll try to locate it. The headline said "He thinks passengers can make money" of something to that effect, speaking I assume of the president of the company. I'd love to have ridden that little train!
Date: 02/19/18 17:28 Re: Tex Mex Express history? Author: renf This was one of a very few new passenger operation begun after Amtrak. How long did it last? The Brightline folks claim they are
running the first new passenger service in a long time but this one in Texas came before they did as did the Lorton to Florida serice. Date: 02/19/18 18:42 Re: Tex Mex Express history? Author: UP951West It was a fun trip and the equipment was clean and functional. i recall they used 2 GP 38-2 units for the train.
Rode one day from Corpus Christi to Laredo and returned to Corpus Christi the next day. A bunch of my friends were on board ...all of them railbuffs. Oh, we hit three wild goats out in the mesquite brush country on our way to Laredo. --Kelly Date: 02/19/18 20:14 Re: Tex Mex Express history? Author: walleyf I rode this once years ago. I bussed in from San Antonio and was told that it was not running that day even that is was scheduled so they drove me to the Greyhound station where I took a bus to Laredo. The next day I was able to ride them back to CC which was an excellent experience. That night however there was a severe storm in CC with much downfall from trees, etc. I took a bus back to San Antonio the next day.
The equipment sounds like what I remember from so long ago. Date: 02/20/18 07:11 Re: Tex Mex Express history? Author: march_hare My one and only encounter with the TexMex was in January 1986, on a lengthy Texas-California-Colorado-New York railfanning trip. I believe the intent to run the passenger train had been announced right around then, but that the train didn't start running until late 1986 or 87.
I can't remember how long it lasted, but I'm guessing it was only about a year. Date: 02/22/18 10:02 Re: Tex Mex Express history? Author: SanDiegan Found this on YouTube. Good stuff !
Passenger trains start at 44:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsR1nMnCWJc |