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Copper Canyon 4 Early into Mexicali 12/27/1992 to 1/1/1993

The last trip of the year was to celebrate my thirty-fifth birthday the Bananafish Tours way so I contacted them in November to set it up with Bill, who gave me a large discount for having ridden three times before as well as a very nice man. I was interested to see what the railroads in Mexico were like after the Mexican Government merged the nation's railroads into one system called FNM or Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico. In addition, I was hoping to see Alco M630's and similar locomotives that used to be on BC Rail when I rode it in 1986 and were bought by the FNM and assigned to the Pacifico Region, the Ferrocarri Del Pacifico along Mexico's west coast.

Bill's wife Sandy asked me if I could help a fellow passenger, who lived in Glendale, to get to Mexicali so on Boxing Day, she rode an Amtrak San Diegan to Santa Ana where I met her and we drove to Calexico via San Timiteo Canyon, Indio and California Highway 111 along the Salton Sea. We parked at AA Parking us usual, walked across the border then rode a taxi to Hotel Lucerna. I checked in, received my room then watched a Spanish version of "Dallas" with the actor providing the voice of J.R. Ewing in a very weak voice. I later watched the Yuma and El Centro television station before going down for dinner then spent some time with Bill and Sandy before returning to my room.

The next morning, I went downstairs to load my bag on the truck and rode the bus down to the Mexicali station which was crowded with holiday travellers on their way to points south. Sandy collected our tourist permits and took them to the Customs office where they were stamped then returned to her and to us. We boarded our sleepers, mine was 10-6 sleeper "Rapidan River", ex. Amtrak 2864 "Rapidan River", nee Southern 10-6 sleeper 2010 "Rapidan River" built by Pullman-Standard in 1949. This was at the end of the train and had a platform area cut out of the end with a small lounge in the middle, and I had a roomette at the back of the car.

I walked to the front of the train, which was known as FNM Train 1, where I found FNM M-630 727, nee British Columbia Railway 727, built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1973 and retired in 1990, still in its BCOL colours of red, white and blue then returned to the end of the ten-car train, with our four Bananafish sleepers and lounge car being the rear half. We prepared to depart and I chose a folding chair on the rear platform as we passed through the former Sonora Baja California yard with a multitude of former British Columbia Railway locomotives, then through the outskirts of the city. The steam wells at Cerro Prieto had become much more developed and expansive since my last visit in March 1991. We passed through Delta before crossing the Colorado River and entering Sonora then stopped at Coahuila, meeting FNM Train 3, the second-class train from Guadalajara running long and heavy. Upon departure from Coahuila, I retired to my room for a few drinks during the ever-sandy Altar Desert, only stepping out to see The Crosses before returning to my room then went to the lounge car and caught up with Bill and Sandy, chatting the rest of the way to Puerto Penasco where we all detrained into the warm Sonoran sun.

Unlike most countries where jobs get done and employees do not stand around and watch the work being done, it was the opposite in Mexico since fifteen workers watched and cheered one on as he watered a car here. It was very interesting watching how everything is done here, such a dichotomy and why I enjoy Mexican railroading. Telegraphs, train orders, timetable-controlled trains, no signals, although hand signals, marker lamps, no centralized-traffic control, hand-thrown switches and no freight rear end devices, just cabooses. It may not be the modern way of doing things but it works surprisingly well. We left Puerto Penasco, kicking up the dust as we left town and I rode the rear platform until the Sea of Cortez faded behind the horizon then returned to my room for some music. We made good time across the desert and arrived at Caborca, where we met FNM Train 1, with a former British Columbia Railway locomotive on the point, but in the original green paint scheme. Leaving Caborca, I rode in the lounge car to Benjamin Hill while having some great conversations with other passengers then we arrived well before sunset where I find more BC Rail power and a former Sonora Baja California locomotive. I went across the street then returned to my sleeping car and listened to Emerson Lake and Palmer's song "Pirates" and felt as thought I was on a Spanish galleon.

The train from Nogales arrived and coupled on to our train; its jolt brought me back to reality. We departed Benjamin Hill in twilight and proceeded south down the former FCP mainline into the night and I prepared a sandwich before having another drink on the rear platform. At this point, we were really moving, rocking and rolling along through the night and I returned to my room and headphones before going to bed as we made our way through Sonora.

12/28/1992 The next morning I awoke in Sinaloa on the interchange track at Sufragio and went for a walk and found National Railways of Mexico C-628 651, history unknown. Most of the locomotives in the shop area were in FNM paint scheme with a few still in FCP colors. FNM Train 3 arrived and departed, after which I went to the lounge car to for some bagels before returning outside to wait for FNM Train 7, when from the opposite direction came a freight train on the former CHP line. Train 7 finally came into view on the flyover above the FCP and sped into Sufragio and the conductor on the caboose spotted us and dumped the air on the train to stop it. They had forgotten us. After the station work was completed, the train reversed to a switch and the track was aligned correctly and the train coupled onto a string of cars. I counted forty-nine cars before they found the open car, which was then spotted onto the mainline before the forty-nine cars were returned to where they were. All this occurred with the passengers cars still attached to the regular train, which then coupled onto our cars on the interchange track then we were hooked up to the open car and caboose. Once this time-consuming move was done, we finally left Sufragio.

I passed out railway postcards to the crew so our group would have access to the caboose and I rode in the cupola until Loreto enjoying the countryside then spent time in the open car and rode across the El Fuerte River bridge, through Descanso Tunnel and over the Chinipas River bridge and had fond memories of the prior three trips through here. Popping back to my room for some sunscreen, I was back in the open car for the journey up and around Temoris, my favourite location on this railroad.

With each visit, I felt as though I was seeing the area for the first time and the light at almost noon gave it a different and unique character. We entered the La Pera Tunnel and the fantastic view looking down into the canyon before entering my favourite tunnel-after-tunnel section, after which Sandy came out to see if I wanted lunch so had some San Blas chicken then I talked to Bill and Sandy for a while, catching up on our lives over the last year and she wondered how I could be single, to which I responded that I had not found any woman who likes to ride trains as I do. I returned to my room and listened to music on my headphones while enjoying the passing scenery outside my window. This had turned into a very passive and relaxing trip then after about forty-five minutes, or one side of a tape, I went back to the open car as we passed through Choacahui and enjoyed our crossing of the La Laja bridge prior to our arrival at San Rafael. FNM Train 4 was waiting for us to clear so it could depart and we sat for over thirty minutes before FNM Train 8, the second-class train arrived. Once he was in the clear, we made a quick run in the very late afternoon sun to Posada Barrancas, where our group detrained and our cars would be taken up to Divisidero to spend the night, waiting for us tomorrow.

Mansion Tarahumara sits on an 18 acre property and was built in 1986, with only the dining room and eight individual cabins in the first stage. Operations began two years later, then in 1990, the facilities were expanded to 25 rooms and an additional event room. We hopped into a tourism bus for the short trip to the hotel and drove down a well-graded dirt road, swung around and crossed the CHP tracks before climbing the hill to the hotel. There was a huge fireplace on the second level and the rooms are up the hill in rows of cabins connected together by wooden walkways. My room was very large, which I shared with fellow passenger Jim, then my usual first order of the business was to have a long hot shower then explore. We went climbing the ridge behind the hotel and were rewarded with an early evening view of Urique Canyon which was very impressive in the low light. The group dinner occurred in the Grand Hall, which looked as though it was out of the middle ages and dining hall could be just that. All meals are in a large group setting and this meal was chicken, so at least I could eat some of it, and afterwards, went for a walk to star- gaze before returning to my room.

The next morning, I and other members of our group decided to hike down into Urique Canyon toward the Tarahumara Caves. We had a really good journey down but on the way back, one of our hikers tripped and fell, injuring her ankle. Knowing that I was qualified in First Aid, Sandycalled me to assist and I could tell it was broken just by the way it looked and with a very light touch of my finger. My immediate reaction was to immobilize it so we found some sticks and broke them into the correct length, then I gave up my undershirt, as did another hiker, and we had a splint. I took off my belt and asked if anyone else had one, with two people donating theirs so I could hold the splint together. I then sent four people up the trail to the hotel for help, a stretcher and a doctor if possible and asked seven other strong-looking men if they could help carry our injured person out. We carried her, using the crossed wrist method, with four of us on each side and it was slow going, but with each step, made our way back up to the canyon rim, where we were met by the doctor and a stretcher. The same eight carried the stretcher to the hotel lobby where the doctor undertook a more complete examination.

Sandy was on the phone making arrangements for our victim, who would be taken by ambulance to Chihuahua City and to the hospital there. The doctor said that it was the best hospital in the state and then thanked us all for helping, doing the correct thing and working as a team. It was amazing that a group of perfect strangers could come upon a crisis and work together. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone worked as a team all the time.

We collected our bags from our rooms after I said a prayer for the injured then caught a bus back to Divisidero, where I stored my bag on the train to go shopping then enjoyed the view of Urique Canyon. I went back up to the track to wait for FNM Train 3 to arrive and after it did so, the passengers detrained then it pulled forward to pick us up before re-spotting so the passengers could re-board. We departed for Creel and I was back in the open car for the journey past the Rock of Fertility, circle El Lazo and both westbound trains in sidings before arriving at Creel. This time, I stayed at the Hotel Nuevo which was almost next to where the train was parked.

I went to my hotel room for before dinner then at the bar at Parador Montana, met up with Bill and Sandy and had a watered-down local style margarita before calling it a night.

12/30/1992 The next morning I joined the Tarahumara Cave tour but this one was right outside of town and I was amazed that in 1992, a brand new highway costing millions of dollars (pesos) had been built fronting a cave where people were living inside, as they have done for centuries. We went to the usual mission before driving past a very nice reflective lake on the way back to Creel. Bill met the bus telling everyone to be back on the train by noon and because of the mix-up in Sufragio yesterday morning, FNM was going to give us a special train. I returned to my room, packed and checked out.

I was standing in the open car enjoying the midday air when the locomotives and caboose arrived and upon coupling to our coaches, I found out the open car was not being used today so I disembarked and dashed to an open vestibule on the train. Returning to my room in "Rapidan River", I caught my breath when went to the lounge car as the train rounded El Lazo, passed the Rock of Fertility and arrived at Divisidero where I detrained.

The canyon, the vendors and a baseball game the local children were playing on the only flat spot for miles, which just happened to be the railroad tracks here. We stayed for thirty minutes then proceeded down the grade to San Rafael where I rode the vestibule then we went into the siding at Bahuichivo for FNM Train 4 and at Irigoyen for FNM Train 8. I returned to the lounge for the rest of the afternoon with several excellent conversations and since it was becoming dark dark rather quickly as our waits in the sidings were quite lengthy, I had the idea of riding in the locomotive through Temoris and seeing it from the engineer's viewpoint.

I grabbed a couple of railroad postcards and stepped onto the rear NdeM SD40-2, walking around and through it then entering the lead unit and walking into the cab. I was greeted with strange looks but when I held up the postcards and asked "Ride through Temoris?", the engineer replied "Si" and the fireman gave up his seat. Now I was in heaven and was completely enthralled as the locomotives were in full dynamic braking mode entering the tunnel-after-tunnel section then after another segment, suddenly down below were the lights of Temoris. We plunged into the next tunnel with the headlight lighting it up brightly then proceeded along the upper level before entering La Pera to change direction, exiting onto the middle level and descending steadily. We received orders on the fly from the Temoris station's operator before crossing the Santa Barbara bridge and continuing down the canyon. I thanked the crew and returned back to the cars not believing what I had just experienced.

When I reached the lounge car, Sandy asked me where I had been and I told her what I had just done, adding that Bananafish Tours had given me so many special moments but this one topped the list. I returned to my room and listened to some music and because of the prior three trips over this line, I knew it very well so even in the dark, could work out where we were. As such, I went to the vestibule for the Chinipas Bridge, El Descanso tunnel and El Fuerte bridge on this beautiful night as I rode here the rest of the way to Sufragio. I reflected on everything that had happened the last two days and considered myself very lucky. As we approached Sufragio, I went back to the lounge car to learn from Bill what the plan was, which was to get us on the first train possible, after which I decided to call it a night on December 30th, as I fell asleep in Sufragio, wondering where I would wake up on my thirty-fifth birthday.

12/31/1992 Waking up now thirty-five, I looked out the window and focussed on the passing scenery which was west of Benjamin Hill on the former Sonora Baja California tracks. The bad news was that we had travelled all the way up the former Pacifico in the dark but should have an early arrival in Mexicali later today.

Sonora Baja-California (Nacional de Mexico) 2-8-0 2702, nee Sonora Baja California 1137 built by American Locomotive Company in 1921 on display in Benjamin Hill. I prepared myself for the day then went to get some breakfast and both Bill and Sandy wished me a happy birthday. Bill informed me that we were put on FNM's late-running Train 3, the second-class train and we made the best time on the Pacifico that Bill remembered, thus our current location. I returned to my room for some morning music, peace and solitude and it was a very relaxing time as the train sped down the former SBC mainline with the lighting of the desert providing a different feel and character. We stopped briefly at Caborca before running non-stop to Puerto Penasco, arriving there about 10:30 AM.

Ferrocarril Sonora Baja California GP40 2112, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1976 on the point of our train. The sun felt so nice and warm and the climate at this time of year is very welcoming. The engineer blew his horn and we were off on our dash west.

We proceeded out into the very sandy Altar Desert and I had my door closed and the vent shut which prevented sand from blowing into my room. I wondered, with the schedule we were on, if we would have to meet FNM Train 2 and since a first-class train was superior to a second-class one, we should go into the siding for him. The train passed The Crosses before we went into the next siding at Torres Band stopped, then the brakeman detrained and I caught his attention and he allowed me to detrain. I walked forward to photograph our train and prepared for Train 2 when it arrived. The brakeman joined me and we had a nice conversation, surprisingly enough in English, then down the tracks appeared a headlight and Train 2 flew by us at track speed. Thanks FNM for a nice birthday present and great memory.

We climbed back aboard as my brakeman friend gave the signal to highball and we said goodbye to each other then I returned to my room before going to the lounge car just as passenger were finishing lunch. Bill announced that it was my birthday and "Happy Birthday" was sung to me then Bill presented me with a rather large and very colourful bag. Being encouraged to open it, I pulled out an oil-filled railroad lantern, which I was most surprised and pleased to receive as I had never owned one before. Although the glass was broken and it needed a lot of work, I noticed that the initials LVRR were on the top, which stand for Lehigh Valley Railroad. I asked Bill where he acquired it and it was on a trip in Sufragio. It would be an interesting story if that lantern could talk about how it travelled from the Lehigh Valley to Sufragio in Sinaloa, Mexico. I thanked Bill and Sandy for another excellent Bananafish birthday and this adventure.

As the train arrived at Coahuila, I returned to my room while the train entered Baja California by crossing the Colorado River then stopped in Delta, followed by passing through the geothermal wells at Cerro Prieto. Sandy stopped by to thank me for being such a loyal Bananafish customer and hoped to see me in the future. She left but something about that did not feel right as it was almost like a goodbye. I returned to the vestibule for the rest of the ride into Mexicali, including the turning of the train on the balloon track and the final reverseing into the station. We arrived at 2:30 PM, a new early record then took a taxi back to the Hotel Lucerna, where I freshened up then spent the afternoon watching television. That night we had the usual Bananafish New Year's Eve party with everyone having a good time.

1/1/1993 New Year's Day arrived then the passenger from Glendale and I taxied back to the United States as I wondered how I was going to explain the lantern but Customs never looked in the car's boot. We drove back to Santa Ana the same way we had done a few days ago and I timed it perfectly with a San Diegan in Santa Ana. I then returned home in time to watch the Rose Bowl, ending another Bananafish Tour in Mexico.

A sad note: Sometime between 1993 and 1996, Bill and Sandy split up.

My eighth gradee MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate Varsity Girls basketball team went 6-0 for the second straight year, winning the District Championship. Those were the best girls I would coach and the MacArthur Track Team won their first District Championship with the most impressive team I coached.

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