Hi all, I’m wondering about the current status of the railroads around Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, after the hurricane Wilma has make a lot of damage in that area.
These railroads belong to the Ferrocarril Chiapas Mayab, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming, and are interresting because they represent the very southeastern part of the whole Canadian / American / Mexican railroad network (the last time I went in Merida, in april this year, I saw a car that belongs to Canadian Pacific…).
Merida was well to the west of Hurricane Wilma’s path and didn’t have any major problems. I haven’t heard of any rail damage in that area.
Where the FCCM did have problems was in the south of Chiapas, resulting from Hurricane Stan. Significant rainfall resulted in many landslides and severe river flooding. The route between Tonala and the Guatamala border at Tecun Uman has a number of bridges damaged or destroyed, including the one at the border.
Thank you for the input Ed! As you are having your retirement in Mexico, if you have the opportunity take some time in Merida (Yucatan), and have a meet in Merida Railroad Museum, a very nice place which is run by 3 very nice people, among which a former NdeM railroader (!pero tiene cuidado, esos hombres solo hablan español!). This museum has 2 operating diesels, an Alco C420 and another Alco, an EMD 567 powered RS1, that run on the museum’s few hundred yards of track. And this museum has the last (not yet operating) mexican EMD F7.