They All Went To Mexico 

As a student in Mexico, I had traveled occasionally by train, always a grand adventure. Later, I used to take tourist groups to Mexico. One year we took the Pullman train from Mexico City to Guadalajara. The cars had seen their better days, but then so had some of us. The end of Mexican passenger service was coming to an end and maintenance confirmed the fact. Instructions in the bedrooms and bathrooms were in English, covered by multiple coats of paint. The fold-down beds were not top notch but it was a great adventure never to be forgotten. One of the gentleman in the group mentioned that last time on a train similar to this one was when he returned from WWII. Shortly after, the train service was discontinued.

I worked for National Railway Equipment in the early 90s. I remember having a contract for a while, where we sold “reconditioned” parts and leased a few EMD locomotives to Mexico. When they came back, every one was full of beer cans and tequila bottles in the cab and engine compartment.😁🙈

Well I'll be buggered, Mopac and MKT power still waving the flag a long way from home, to say nothing of the gorgeous old Alco PA.

Mexico was the place to go to see old locomotives.

That skeleton PA is now in Frisco, TX being restored to her Santa Fe identity, as PA-59L. It's good to see one of the PAs still going strong.

Wow I saw a old LIRR ALCO C420 locomotive still belching smoke in your video. It's nice to know someone took charge of the ole Iron when our own roads gave up on them. Thanks Daniel H. I got a little choked up, maybe a cinder or two got in my eye lol 😂👍👍

I love this, I remember a train that passed through the OUACHITA NATIONAL forest in Mena ARKANSAS, I think it was called the # 9, it was very old probably a steam engine, the old people would ride it just to hear the whistle blow, my son inlaw's grand mother was from Salisaw , Arkansas close to Mena, mena had a resort "Queen Willamina" i think this train passed through here, i remember the whistle, and the bell chiming on it, very old early 1900's, it traveled a scenic route.

Great documentary remember seen an f series emd on the CHP former Kansas City Mexico & Orient Chih. roundhouse in late 60s

Really beautiful and colored equipment they had !

Nice, I liking all of those locomotive from the US and Canada running in Mexico. I can't believe that they still use telegraphy in the 90s. Now that's cool.

That Alco PA running as FNM DH-17 is just gorgeous. How I miss the days of the 50's and 60's when you could see these and F units in action here in the US along side of the highways. And as for Willie Nelson, he could make singing the Yellow Pages a #1 hit!

That PA-1 is pristine!

John Benson (a.k.a Mr. Slides) used to make a lot of trips to Mexico. He was the one who suggested that DH-17 be repainted in the SP Daylight scheme.

I am glad I found this video, it brings great memories Mexico's railroads. The Willie Nelson song fitted in perfectly.

Muchas gracias por hacer un video dedicado a los Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, debes de ser uno de los pocos canales de youtube estadounidenses que han sacado un video, el cual esta dedicado a los Ferrocarriles Mexicanos que operaron entre 1937 a 1997, en 1997 se otorga la primera concesión a TFM la cual indicaba el comienzo del final de Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México y de los cuales solo queda FNML (Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México en Liquidación).

Just found this video-Fantastic! Oh, how I wish I could have been on that journey. I am lucky to see Doyle's PA up here in Portland re done as NKP #190. I have put videos of it on, and my N scale re-creations of what I hope it will look like on the main line in the not too distant future. This was great footage , thank you so much. I missed a great opportunity in 1985 to be on a track geometry survey of N de M like we did for Amtrak in 1984. The Sept 8.1 magnitude quake killed over 10,000 people and laid waste the rail system. No trip that year....

Wow! I remember seeing this at Eastrail in NJ back around 2000. It’s even better than I remember it. Thanks for sharing it here.

These were the good old days. Thankfully all four PAs that went to Mexico were saved; two remain in a Mexican Railway Museum, while the other two were sent back to the US and are under restoration at two different locations.

Day after Christmas, 1978, I was in Sharonville , OHIO and there was a solid blue DH U30C with a very small DH lettering on it's way to Mexico.

Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ayer, Hoy y Siempre!!!

This is from Pentrex's Railroading in Mexico tapes. These are my favorite Pentrex films.

i really miss those days when i was a kid growing up in mexico.every other weekend we will go to see my grandparents and we will take the train.great memories when the train will stop at smaler towns ans we will buy all kind of suveniers and local delicious food.

I'm glad you captured some great clips of the PA's in action, especially the one in the Daylight Limited livery!

What a blessing to see this. It's like going home.

Excellent!!!

Exceptional job!

That was awesome 😎

I worked in the RR for a few years and a steel mill plus a Mexican background I LIKE THE VIDEO AND WILLIE NELSON!!

southern pacific had a south of the border , us , mex for many years . they built the line to mex city and from what i understand they swapped the mex city line for something else . i cant remember. great film.

I love the p/fa units, aswell as the u and b boats and the alco century diesiels

ENCORE, ENCORE, UNO MAS

Chulada de recopilación y la rola está perrona! 😀👍

also i rode the passenger train from mexicalli to gaudalahara and thence mex city. our train gog taken over by pilgrems going to the big catholic cathedrel in mex city. the rr had to make up a second section flying flags . mom said every thing lookd like trains that she rode when she was a chiled and the equipment was . this was in 1969 . i just got out of hospital and had a back cast on and what a adventure for a kid.

That was great.

That was a great video. Thank you for recording that equipment. I'm impressed by all the passenger cars you were able to identify. Too bad about so much of this equipment "going there to die." Some of the ALCOs sure smoked it up. It's a shame more of the PAs didn't survive. I remember former Erie PAs on EL trains after the merger. I thought they looked strange then, but have come to really like them today.

Awesome

Hello! May I use these images in a RU-vid video with credit?

A Fine video. Hello Dan.

Ferrocarriles Nacionales De México ha sido y siempre será una de las empresas ferroviarias de todo México que desgraciadamente fue privatizada por el ex presidente Ernesto Zedillo en 1995 y por eso no hay trenes de pasajeros en México. Pero la buena noticia es que un legislador está interesado en el tema de los ferrocarriles y propuso una idea en la camara de diputados para traer de regreso el tren de pasajeros en México y es nieto de María Elena Marqués actriz de la época de oro del cine mexicano.

liked video

Great video thank you 😊

Very interested I like ride a train in mexico

If I had the money I would buy those PA units and take it back to USA to get it restored

I like this! thank you!

Beautiful 👍

Muy Bueno!

Now...they all went to Cuba.

Mexican locomotives look like American locomotives

Boy it looks like they don't take the best of care of their equipment at all!

0:25: Former SP Sunset Limited blunt-end 10-6 sleeper (Budd, 1950)

I really hope we don't lose all of these historic locomotives because of Mexico's heartless government destroying the Yacutan railroad museum and turning it into a park that probably no one will visit.

Excellent video! Were you one of the camera guys for Pentrex? I think I recognize some of those clips from "Those Incredible Alcos".

Whats interesting is there are 251 Alco's and 567 & 645 Emd's running ... NO GE's! Guess that is telling which designs passed the test of time :)

I do believe a bunch of ex via(cn) passenger cars went there

With all due respect to Willie, it would have been a much better video if we could have heard the sounds of these old locomotives instead.

I wish Mexico never privatized their railroads

Nice. I wonder what the ancestry on the freshly painted FNM Alco might have been.

it’s mexico no money no care for old relics

Music made this unwatchable.

Are those bullet shots on the 7703?

Was hoping to actually hear those PA's chugging. Couldn't because of that music.

We're you by chance with the PENTREX crew when these were taken? I also noticed a few extra scenes that weren't shown in the final videos. Do you have more by chance?

the big nothing sent their fp7's and fp9's there

Por qué los ferrocarriles qué son de ferrocarriles nacionales de México porque además preguntan a los trenes canadienses y estadounidenses por ejemplo el CN Rail Y D&H Railroad y BC Rail

A lot of those shots seemed to have sounds to them... too bad the song covered them up. Other than that, nice!

0:56

I think they ran this stuff... into the ditches....very basic and little maintainence!

TF

0:40 Are we all gne sit here and act like the cartels aint put a hit on 7703