Pullman In Mexico

Index For This Page

This page was last updated on July 19, 2024.

(Return to Union Pacific Passenger Cars)

Overview

"Pullman also developed a major presence in Mexico beginning in the 1880s. It earliest recorded contract there was in 1884 with the Mexican Railroad. By the end of the decade, Pullman's Palace Cars were in regular service between the United States and Mexico. The first scheduled deluxe Pullman operation in Mexico was the tri-monthly, all-vestibule Montezuma Special inaugurated in late 1889 between New Orleans and Mexico City. Pullman initially operated and maintained its sleeping- and dining-car service in Mexico as districts of its U.S. operations, with employee used interchangeably between the two countries. By an action of the Mexican government in 1934, the movement of employees across the border was ended. Dining-car operations were taken over by the government-run railway in 1961, but Pullman continued as the sleeping-car concessionaire in Mexico until November 1970, nearly two years longer than in the United States." (Travel By Pullman: A Century of Service, by Joe Walsh and Bill Howes, MBI Publishing, 2004)

1960
Through sleeping car services to the U.S. had been discontinued by 1960. Mexico City to Laredo runs were diesel power cars.

1966
By 1966, Pullman employed a work force of 788 and operated a fleet of 335 Mexican owned or leased sleeping cars and 63 dining and parlor cars in the nation.

1967
St. Louis-Mexico City sleeping car service was reinstated with the Texas Eagle (MP) from St. Louis to San Antonio, Texas, and the Aztec Eagle (MP/NdeM) San Antonio-Mexico City. (Richard Parks' Railways of Mexico)

December 31, 1968
Pullman ceased operations in Mexico. Pullman had started operations in Mexico in 1884, providing service between El Paso and Mexico City. The service was successful, except during the Mexican Revolution between 1914 and 1920, lasting until all Pullman operations ceased at the end of 1968.

(View the timeline of Pullman history at Pullman-Museum.org)

The following summary of MP and NdeM operations between Laredo and Mexico City comes from the Trains forum, dated March 2, 2010:

NdeM indeed operated the train between Nuevo Laredo and Mexico City, with Missouri Pacific operating between San Antonio and Laredo. Depending on the specific year being discussed, through Pullman cars, coaches and occasionally dining cars were operated from San Antonio to Mexico City without change. In the 1950s, the through Pullman and coach operated from San Antonio as the Aztec Eagle. Prior to the Texas Eagle's inauguration in August 1948, similar equipment originated in St. Louis and operated through as part of the Sunshine Special.

Through St. Louis-Mexico City Pullman service was resumed in the early 1960s and continued until the Pullman Company (in USA) discontinued operations on December 31, 1968 - that date being the date of the last trans-border Pullman crossing. At this time, NdeM Pullman cars routinely operated to St. Louis and MP Pullman cars routinely operated to Mexico City. Through coach service had been reduced to a San Antonio-Nuevo Laredo coach by this time, and this service was discontinued with last car crossing bridge on January 15, 1969.

The bridge itself was operated by Texas-Mexican Railway, and passenger cars were exchanged by being shoved out on bridge by MP crews, with a NdeM locomotive then coming from the Mexico side to pull the cars into Mexico to continue their journey. Customs inspections were conducted during this transfer process.

It was not until after January 15, 1969 that passengers were forced to make their own arrangements to get from Laredo (MP) station to Nuevo Laredo (NdeM) station via the highway bridge.

November 13, 1970
The Pullman Co. of Mexico closed all operations on November 13, 1970. Operations were transferred to "Agencia de Carros Dormitorios" (ACD) and the Pullman name at the ends of the letter boards was replaced with "Dormitorio". (Jim Peters, email to the MexList discussion group, message no. 12250, dated January 24, 2008)

After Pullman

1974
Servicio de Coches Dormitorios y Conexos (SCD) was created by the Mexican government to operate sleeper, diner, and lounge passenger service, and take ownership of passenger cars previously owned and operated by the state-owned railroads. (John M. Fiscella, email to the MexList discussion group, message no. 13795, dated May 26, 2009)

October 30, 1974
Operation and ownership of sleeper, diner, and lounge passenger cars in Mexico was transferred to "Servicio de Coches Dormitorio y Conexos, S. A. de C. V." (SCD). This is when the name "Nacionales de México" on the letter boards was replaced with "Mexico" and car numbers were assigned. (Jim Peters, email to the MexList discussion group, message no. 12250, dated January 24, 2008)

January 17, 1977
The government of Mexico announced in its Official Journal newspaper that it would merge the operations and management of the five state-controlled railroads into a single system, to be known as National Railways of Mexico (Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, or FNM), to be administered by the General Directorate of National Railways of Mexico.

The 1977 merger included the national sleeping car service, known as Servicio de Coches Dormitorios y Conexos (SCD), which managed and operated all of the sleeping cars on all five railroad companies, as well as the first- and second-class passenger service.

SCD essentially replaced Pullman de Mexico, and took over operations of non-Pullman sleepers too. It also operated dining cars and lounges which had not been operated by Pullman. (Mike Palmieri, email dated November 9, 2011)

1986-1987
Union Pacific sold 25 cars to Mexico railroads.

(Read more about Union Pacific passenger cars that went to Mexico railroads)

November 7, 1986
The government of Mexico announced in its Official Journal newspaper that the four state-owned railroad companies (Pacifico, ChP, Sureste and SBC) were to be sold, along with SCD (Servicio de Coches Dormitorios)

August 27, 1987
The merger of the five Mexican railroads took effect, with FNM taking over formal operations. This may also be the date that SCD was abolished.

The full name for SCD was Servicio de Coches Dormitorio y Conexos, S. A. de C. V.

1995
The government of Mexico, due to heavy debt and devalued Peso, passed a constitutional amendment that permitted the privatization of the nation's railway system and made plans for the piecemeal auctions of three main lines and several short lines. (Wikipedia)

June 24, 1997
Operations began for Grupo Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana S.A. de C.V. (TFM) (Wikipedia)

TFM -- TFM (Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana) was the former Ferrocarril del Noreste, S.A. de C.V. (FNE, or Northeast Railway), which consisted of 19 percent of the nation's trackage but 38 percent of its traffic (of which 70 percent was international traffic).

February 19, 1998
Operations began for Ferrocarril Mexicano S.A. de C.V. (FerroMex) (Wikipedia)

FerroMex -- In 1997, Grupo Ferroviario Mexicano (FerroMex) was established by a consortium of three companies to purchase a 50-year operating concession of government-owned Ferrocarril Pacifico del Norte, S.A. de C.V., for $527 million. The consortium included Grupo Mexico and the U.S. company Union Pacific Corporation, with Grupo Mexico taking 74 percent. The FerroMex rail network of roughly 4,000 miles connected Mexico City with Ciudad Juarez (El Paso, Texas) and Mexicali (El Centro, California) on the U.S. border and included a passenger run for tourists through the Copper Canyon.

December 18, 1998
Operations began for Ferrocarril del Sureste S.A. de C.V. (FerroSur) (Wikipedia)

(The November 2003 issue of Trains magazine has an excellent article about Mexico's new railroads.)

###