We've been traveling a lot this summer and haven't posted much. Now it's time to start uploading and posting some of the shots I took. We just got back from a trip to the center of the country, spending a few days each in Aguascalientes and Zacatecas. Every year they have an annual railfan and model railroading convention down here, at least this is the 11th year. Not much by U.S. or Canadian show standards, but it's a chance to get together with friends that I usually only get to correspond with on discussion boards. This year's convention was held in Aguascalientes, capital city of the state of the same name, the 3rd smallest state in the country. Through most of the 1900's, Aguascalientes was one of the most important, if not the biggest, rail center in the country. While not a center in terms of lines crossing through there, they built the largest set of shops in the NdeM system there. But with centralization and privatization, little by little the facilities were dismantled. Now, even the yard has been removed, and only a north/south mainline runs through the area that once was a huge rail complex. At least the city and state aquired most of the land and structures when they were sold off. They have developed a portion of the area as the "Plaza of the 3 Centuries", referring to the 19th century when the rails arrived in town, the 20th century when the railroad was the most important employer in town, and the 20th century, the city's future, but with little rail participation. They did a great job on the park, and it does make a wonderful venue for a convention. Anyway, enough of the background. Let me get on with posting a few shots. As usual, this will be a several day process. If I wait until I get everything edited and uploaded before posting, I'll never get anything done. So a few shots each day. Oh yeah, and by the way, you know that I know nothing about "diseasels". So any calls I make regarding what animal is appearing in my photos is based only on what I can glean from my "Diseasel Spotter's Guide" or unofficial roster info from websites down here. Feel free to chime in with corrections to what I have posted. First off, walking between our hotel and the convention site, we passed by the building of the Railway Workers Union. Outside they have mounted a wonderful large scale (scale unknown to me) model of a 2-6-0. Really nicely done, very detailed. I don't believe it was ever intended as operational, most likely just display. It stands about 3' tall at the stack. I suppose I should have measured the gauge. This is the old station. It is the centerpiece for the plaza. On the main floor it's mostly a museum and display area. Upstairs has offices for the complex, recreated old railroad offices, and a large meeting or presentation room. The mainline runs on the other side of the station. This gave everyone lots of opportunities to run and snap photos when a train came through. The only disconcerting thing was that when the trains came through while a presentation was going on, the horns tended to disturb the talk. And there was a noticeable movement of teh audience towards the open windows trying to grab a shot. Here´s a look at the station from the south. The line runs just to the right of here. The side to the right was the side that faced the platforms. And just to show a night shot of the station. Okay, back later with some train shots. Regards Ed
Ed, ain't that a 4-4-0? Since this event was held in Aguascalientes, did Jack Wheelihan attend? For those of you who don't follow steam, Jack Wheelihan fires a lot of US mainline steam engines, 4449, 844, and others. The volunteers who get the locos ready to run for days in advance, doing all the hard work, have pegged Jack with the moniker "Warm Water Wheelihan" as he shows up after everything is ready to run. Sorry, Ed, I didn't mean to hijack your thread, but Aguascalientes just triggered that thought in my feeble memory. Looking forward to more photos from your summer railfanning experiences. :teeth:
Uh, yeah, you're right on that one. It is a 4-4-0. Guess it's not just my diseasel spotting that's failing me in my old age. Anyway, to get back to the plot (and to quickly divert attention away from my error), here we go with something more interesting. While the plaza/museum doesn't have a lot of locomotives (only two, in fact), the steam loco that they have is a real beauty. It's this 4-6-4 Hudson (yup, checked twice) built by ALCO in 1937. High drivered, built for mainline passenger service, it ended up it's life running local freights. Beautifully maintained (obviously not in operating condition) it makes a great centerpiece for the park. Here's a different view where I got to play with my editing software features. And I did remember to take a shot of the builder's plate (which by some miracle was still in place). And one last shot with yours truly spoiling the view. Next up, "diseasels" run by the place. Regards Ed
Like I said earlier, with the FerroMex (FXE) mainline between Mexico City and Cd Juarez/El Paso running right by the park, we had a number of opportunities to grab shots of trains coming by. Here are a few. First up is what I'm lead to believe are a pair of SD40-2's. The radiator sections sure look different to me, but the roster data I have access to says these 2 numbers, 3101 and 3204, are SD40-2's. Maybe some type of rebuild. Who knows? I'm certainly open for comments or corrections on this one. This is a northbound train and I'm standing just outside the park entrance to get the shot. These are still in their two-toned blue "Smurf" paint scheme from their FNM days, and have not been repainted in FXE colors yet. Then we had a pair of shiny and clean new ES44AC's (see previous disclaimer), also heading northbound. Then an SD40-2 number 3153 followed by C30 Super7-MP number 3819. Shot this one out the window of the presentation room. The presenter paused his talk as half the room headed for the windows. The heavy shadows in the foreground are from the high station building. Sorry about that. And I finally got to see some of the new KCS hoppers in their new paint scheme. Nice looking cars, if I do say so. So far not badly scarred or covered with grafitti. That´s it for now. I have to go and upload some more stuff in order to continue. Later Ed
The first one was built as a Phase I SD40-2. The second was built as an SD45. That's normal; most surviving SD45s have been rebuilt to SD40-2s, SD40M-2s or SD40-3s. Now I've learned something. I would have said that was a C40-8, since I thought Super 7s looked like this: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=333706 But I have checked rosters, and that is a Super 7. Apparently, this is the difference between Super 7 rebuilds (like the one I linked) and new-builds (like 3819).
Thanks, quick work to clarify that question. Oh, and by the way (late edit), that link you provided is the way I'm used to seeing the C30 Super7's too, with that sloped section. Ed
Okay, here some less dramatic shots, but just to show a few more things at the museum. I've already mentioned that the main station serves in part as a musem. The freight house has also been reconditioned and turned into a museum. Even so, they have many more pieces than display space, and have to regularly rotate displays. The freight house also has one end dedicated to the local club "Amigos de Ferrocarril de Aguascalientes", and they have a permanent space there where they have several small layouts (incl N, HO and G). I believe that the observation car on the left was once part of the presidential train. They have a bunch of small items scattered around, including a number of speeders and handcars. Here's one that has been reconditioned, but has the seats removed to show the motor and drive train. Here's a nice looking little Burro crane. You can see from the masking that they're in the process of giving this little dude a new coat of paint. The car behind it is an old Pullman that was converted into a division Supt's car. At one time it was on the old Sonora and Baja California Railroad, but it now carries FNM paint. They have several passenger cars, this one has been reconditioned and has a number of tv screens installed. They use it for video/film projection. That's me and Fran in the foreground. We're waiting for them to show "Viento Negro", a dramatized version of the true story about a survey crew laying out the line for the construction of the Sonora and Baja California RR that got lost in the Altar Desert of Sonora and perished. The events happened in 1937, the film was made in 1965. By the way, the guy in the seat behind Fran is another TrainBoarder, Tony Pawley, (aka espee4441), who was down from Vancouver to attend the convention. Next up, a neat automated turntable and roundhouse display. Later Ed
One of the neatest little things they have at the park is an automated diorama of the old roundhouse and turntable. It normally operates on the hour during weekends. Here in the first shot you see a huge railroad watch (operational) on top of the diorama cover. By the way, the guys in the red shirts were a bunch or retired railroaders from San Luis Potosí (another major railroad center about 3 hours east of Aguascalientes) who were over on a day trip. Next the cover opens to reveal the diorama that is down in the pit. By the way, that large building with the red roof that you see at the top is one of the old locomotive repair / erection shops. This one has been saved and reconditioned. You'll see more photos of it later on. In between the shop and the diorama, were the yard (where the boulevard is) and the locomotive service facilities. You can't make them out in the photo, but you can still see the remaining foundations for the turntable and part of the roundhouse. Next the diorama comes up to operating level. Sound effects include typical loco servicing area sounds, plus voices of engineers and hostlers supposedly directing the loco around the turntable. Finally, the locomotive (I think it's most likely G scale, but I'm not really sure) backs out of the engine shed, onto the turntable, gets aligned with a lead, does a couple of loops around the layout, back onto the turntable, and winds up in a stall in the roundhouse. At the close the diorama sinks out of sight and the cover closes back up. Note that the model locomotive is a 4-6-4 and numbered 2708, just like the one on display. Later Ed
Ed, great coverage. I love Hudsons and that one sure looks like a beauty. Nice shot of you and Fran, and the diorama looks pretty elaborate. Wonder who put that together? :teeth:
Moving right along, we'll head back from the land of dioramas to the land of 1:1 stuff. Remember that I said that the park had two locomotives on display? Here's the other one. It's a U36C, built in 1974, and equiped with a steam generator for passenger service. (btw, pictures of this locomotive in service appear on page 87 of Matthew Herson's book, "NdeM in Color".) We also spoke about the shop building that had been reconditioned. Here's a front view of the old locomotive repair shop. They did major steam locomotive rebuilds here, not just minor repairs. In fact, after the steam age had passed, they assembled several hundred (don't have the exact number) of diesel locomotives sent down as "kits" by GE. I know they assembled B23-7's and C30-7's. Frame, trucks, cab and motor came from GE. Hood fabricated locally. All the parts assembled here in this shop. Here's an interior view of the shop building. It's now used as a hall for events. Note the glass panels on the floor, they provide a view of the rails and inspection pits still in place below the floor. The traveling cranes are still up on their rails. And they left some of the huge machinery in place when they cleared out the shop. Makes for interesting during a formal dinner, I suppose. Here's a sample. I believe this is a large lathe for turning wheels. (Of course, it could be something else.) Regards Ed
As we were about to leave the convention, we had a couple of last opportunities to grab some shots of trains heading by. First we caught another pair of new ES44AC's heading up a northbound train. The lead unit is 4600, didn't catch the second unit's number. Probably as interesting as the locomotive is to see the hands sticking through the fence (that separates the park from the mainline) holding cameras and video cameras. I wasn't the only conventioneer trying to grab one last shot. Then came an old GP38-2 running light. I'm really not sure where this guy came from or where he was going. I know that FXE does have a yard a few miles north of town. Sun was on the wrong side, but hey, you take what you can. And one final shot from the convention. Here was that group of retired railroaders from San Luis Potosí getting their group photo taken before heading back home. I had a chance to talk with 3 or 4 of these old timers, and it was very interesting to hear their stories. San Luis Potosí was another big rail center, sort of a rival to Aguascalientes. They are only about 150 miles apart, but Aguascalientes was on the old Mexico Central Railroad mainline from El Paso to Mexico City, while San Luis was on the Mexican National Railroad mainline between Laredo and Mexico City. I think these guys were a little disappointed that the city of San Luis (where the shops, while somewhat diminished, are still active) still has not set up any kind of railroad museum. Anyways, here's a parting shot from the convention. Okay, Convention is over. But the trip continued on. Next we headed north to the old silver mining center of Zacatecas. More photos after I upload. Don't go away. Ed
Cool pictures from very much south of the border, Ed! Where are you a transplant from originally? I have a friend who's family is from a town in the southwest of Estado de Mexico. He told me once that he had a relative that worked for Ferrosur. Was this where you were?
Glad you like them. I was born in Newfoundland (before it was part of Canada) but raised in Connecticut. Worked in a number of different countries during my career in the refinery construction business. What town? Exactamundo!! The station is the building with the red roof in the lower right of the picture. The old roundhouse foundations can be seen in the upper right, just below the block that says satellite. The big building with red roof in the center is the old freight house. I need to learn how to use tools like that. I'm about at the limits of my technical expertise in uploading and posting photos. Best regards Ed
This is amazing. That display with the roundhouse and the engine really is something! Someone must be watching because it will, finally, one day, some day, derail, you know? Great pictures and no snow! :thumbs_up:
There is actually a guy who goes down into the pit to activate the sequence. But as far as I was lead to believe, he's not controlling a throttle or activating the switches, just overall startup and shutdown and keep an eye on things.
Leaving the convention, we headed a short ways up the highway towards Zacatecas, and old silver mining center, and capital of the state of the same name. It's a really neat city, fun and interesting to walk around. Lots of up and down hill walking. The elevation bothers some people, as it is at 8,000 feet (about 2,500 meters) above sea level, but we were fine. In between Aguascalientes and Zacatecas we turned off the highway a bit to get to Chilacote. That's not a place of interest to any of you, but it's one of the few places where the KCSdeM tracks meet the FXE tracks. There's a "Y" interchange there and I stopped to take a few record shots (which I won't bore you with). Just before we got to Chilacote, I caught these FXE ES44AC's southbound with a manifest freight. It may be of interest to note that these are two of the ES44AC's that i shot a couple of days earlier at Aguascalientes. This time, since they are southbound, I got the different locomotive leading. Looks the same from this side in any case. We arrived in Zacatecas, found and checked into a hotel, and started to walk around the city center. Yeah, I know, shame on me because we didn't make a beeline for the tracks. Hey, I had the family in tow, you have to make some concessions. Anyway, while walking around we could clearly make out the sound of a train blowing for a crossing. Obviously the tracks weren't that far away. Ditching the kids in the hotel (they were tired of sightseeing anyway and wanted to watch tv) Fran and I grabbed a cab and told him to take us to the old station. He was kind of confused about that, since there are no longer any passenger trains. Guess we were the first railfans he had run into. But after a short cab ride we got to the station. Out in front we saw a 4-8-4 "Niagra" (that's how they spell it down here) stuffed and mounted. These were the last steam locomotives that NdeM ordered, and were constructed by both ALCO and Baldwin in 1946. This one, 3030, should be from ALCO. Unfortunately, it needs a little bit of tlc, and maybe some paint. Fortunately, that doesn't show in the photo. The old classic station is long gone, replaced by a nondescript concrete block. The guards, as is typical of guards down here, weren't interested in letting us past the gate. So we simply walked up and over the highway overpass (which gave a good overview of the station area) and came down on the unfenced back side of the area. Here's a shot of the station, freight station, and what's left of the tracks and platforms. Sorry that it's against the setting sun. That's a work train parked on the main. The tracks to the right all dead end against the new highway overpass just to the right of the photo. You can make out the earthwork just left of the mainline and ties piled up along the left side. Looks like they are redoing a long passing siding there. And I just had to post this little gem. This is about the cutest little water tower I have ever seen. At least, I'm assuming it's water. can't be fuel oil, not likely to be diesel, and doesn't have any sand tower nearby. More from Zacatecas leter. Ed
We wandered around on the other side of the small yard away from the station. Security wasn't particularly tight on that side. In fact, the locals obviously used regular pathways through the yard area. There was a work train sitting on the main when we got there. Maybe about 7 cars. At one end was SD40-2 3185, another left over "Smurf". One of the m-o-w cars in the work train was this old flat converted to a tie car. Note that it still bears the old NdeM reporting marks, and hasn't been patched with FXE marks. And it had the big hook and it's boom tender car. This crane has been repainted and shows "Ferrocarril Mexicano", which is the full name for Ferromex, or FXE. Again, sorry about the lighting. The sun was going down and there was no way to get either a better abgle or better light. btw, I saw and grabbed a shot of this same crane heading north through Aguascalientes duringthe convention. And at the other end of the work train was this C30-7 number 3586. I'm not sure why a short work train rated two locomotives. But the both of them were still with the same short consist when we shot them the next day. While we were there, the work train eased ahead and backed into one of the sidings off the main. I figured they were clearing the mainline for something to come through, and they were. More later. Ed
So, how's the crime in Veracruz? Or Aguascalientes and Zacatecas? I know the latest Time Magazine has an article talking about how that drug-related crimes have finally penetrated even the richest suburbs of Monterey, once considered the second safest city in Latin America, after San Juan, PR. And how is rail traffic down there? I know that the connection is Laredo is supposedly crazily busy with traffic, and that there's a connenction in El Paso, but I never saw anything on the line to Presidio.
