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Revision as of 00:13, 18 August 2022
Passenger and cargo railway between Chihuahua City, Chihuahua and Los Mochis, Sinaloa El Chepe half way between Anáhuac and Creel; 16 May 2006 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Tourist train |
| Status | Operating |
| Locale | Northwestern Mexico |
| Predecessor | Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway |
| First service | November 22, 1961 |
| Current operator(s) | Ferromex (since 1998) |
| Website | Chepe |
| Route | |
| Termini | Chihuahua City Los Mochis |
| Stops | 20 |
| Distance travelled | 668 kilometres (415 mi) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
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The Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico (Chihuahua-Pacific Railway), also known as El Chepe from its reporting mark CHP, is a major rail line in northwest Mexico, linking Chihuahua City, to Los Mochis and its port, Topolobampo. It crosses the Sierra Madre Occidental, part of the range that in the United States is called the Rocky Mountains. There is no road covering the trajectory.
It runs 673 km (418 mi), traversing the Copper Canyon, a rugged series of canyons that have led some to call this the most scenic railroad trip on the continent. It is both an important transportation system for locals and a draw for tourists.
The tracks pass over 37 bridges and through 86 tunnels, rising as high as 2,400 m (7,900 ft) above sea level near Divisadero (the continental divide), a popular lookout spot over the canyons. Each one-way trip takes roughly 16 hours. The track also crosses over itself to gain elevation.
The headquarters were in turn located in Mexico City, Chihuahua and Los Mochis.
History
The concept of the railroad was officially recognized in 1880, when the president of Mexico, General Manuel González, granted a rail concession to Albert Kinsey Owen of the Utopia Socialist Colony of New Harmony, Indiana, United States, who was seeking to develop a socialist colony in Mexico. The railroad was actually built by Arthur Stilwell as the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, starting about 1900. Financial difficulties caused by the cost of building a railroad through rugged terrain delayed the project, and the ChP was not completed until 1961.
The private rail franchise Ferromex took over the railroad from the Mexican government in 1998.
Schedule
In general, two passenger trains run daily: a slightly slower service with more stops for locals, with 15 official stops and more than 50 flag stops at which boardings or disembarkations can be made at passenger request, and the other a direct service for tourists, which is faster and more expensive. First-class trains are composed of two to three cars, each holding 64 passengers. Second-class trains have three or four cars, each holding 68 passengers.
There is also regular cargo service running between Topolobampo and Chihuahua that might be further increased and extended so as to connect with the Texas Pacifico Transportation Railroad at the Ojinaga Presidio Crossing into the United States as a part of the La Entrada al Pacifico.
On its way from Los Mochis to Chihuahua it runs through El Fuerte, Temoris, Bahuichivo, Posada Barrancas, Divisadero, and Creel, among others.
In popular culture
- The American funk group Vulfpeck named a song off their 2016 album (The Beautiful Game) "El Chepe" which features sounds of a train on a track.
See also
References
- ^ "Working on the Railroad". Archived from the original on 2008-12-25. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
- For a good but slightly dated guide to the railroad and the area, see Wampler, Joseph, "New Rails to Old Towns: The Region and Story of the Ferrocarriles Chihuahua al Pacifico," (1969, Berkeley, CA).
- ^ COPPER CANYON - Chihuahua al Pacífico Train
- ^ Chepe
- http://www.chepe.com. Archived 2018-08-06 at the Wayback Machine
- Topolobampo or Bust
- "Vulfpeck - El Chepe". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.
External links
- (in Spanish)—El Chepe: Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico
- MEXLIST: Mexican railroad discussion and study group
| Currently operating passenger rail, light rail, commuter rail, and rapid transit systems in Mexico | ||||||||||||||||||||
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- Heritage railways in Mexico
- Transportation in Chihuahua (state)
- Transportation in Sinaloa
- Named passenger trains of Mexico
- Tourist attractions in Chihuahua (state)
- Tourist attractions in Sinaloa
- Railway companies established in 1880
- 1880 establishments in Mexico
- Railway lines opened in 1900
- Railway companies disestablished in 1990
- Defunct railway companies of Mexico
- Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México
- Sierra Madre Occidental