"Dia del Ferrocarrilero"

[egmurphy]

I started this thread two years ago.  I thought about making a new post regarding the 'Día del Ferrocarrilero" since it's November 7th again.  But since the post suddenly attracted more interest one year ago than when it was originally published, I thought I'd just go for an edit and a bump.

 

I posted this somewhere else, but it probably bears reporting here.

Here in Mexico, November 7th is the "Dia del Ferrocarrilero", which roughly translates as National Railroader Workers Day. While the day honors all Mexican railroaders in general (the railroads played an important part in the develpment of Mexico) the date was chosen to commemorate a specific event.

On November 7th, 1907, a couple of cars loaded with dynamite in a mine supply train in Nacozari, Sonora, caught fire. The young engineer, Jesus Garcia Corona, pulled the train away from the warehouse/station area and ran it out of town. The cars exploded before he had a chance to jump for it. A few other bystanders were killed, but the damage was much less than would have occured if the explosion had occured near the station.

So the Dia del Ferrocarrilero not only honors rail workers down here, but also recalls the "Hero of Nacozari".

You can read a longer English version of the story of the "Hero of Nacozari" here:

http://www.mexconnected.com/mex_/travel/mexphilat/mexphilatjesusgarcia.html

Regards

Ed

[Anonymous]

H I S T O R Y

I LOVE IT. [:D]

So, Happy Dia del Ferrocarrilero day. (Well it is coming soon [;)] )

[Tulyar15]

Glad to see the Mexicans attach this importance to their rail workers. I don;t know much about Mexican railroads but my apetite was whetted by the BBC TV "Great Railway Journeys of the World" series which included a programme on Mexico. I do know a Mexican railroad had the largest ever double fairlie articulated locos in the world but I dont think any of them survive.

[vsmith]

Cool

Didnt get a chance this year to set up the Dia de las Muertos alter, maybe I can set up the alter for Dia del Ferrocarrilero by the 7th....

...that might drive my wife Nuts though!

[egmurphy]

Man, you guys are hard up for posts to respond to. I posted this a year ago. Jim, what were you doing digging back in the post archives? A couple of days ago another of my posts from last year surfaced. It's amazing to me.

QUOTE: Glad to see the Mexicans attach this importance to their rail workers.

I think the proper word is "attached". These days very few people outside of current or retired railroaders are aware of the day or its history. Except some of us railfans, that is.

QUOTE: I do know a Mexican railroad had the largest ever double fairlie articulated locos in the world but I dont think any of them survive.

The first railroad completed in Mexico, the Ferrocarril Mexicano, was built by the British. Completed in 1873, it connected Mexico City and Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico. It had a number of Fairlies to work the very steep grades in the Maltrata Incline area. Unfortunately, none of them survived. But there are lots of photos of them.


Regards

Ed

[chad thomas]

There sure seems to be a lot of ancient topics coming back up lately.

[vsmith]

Floated an idea past my wife yesterday after telling her about this, and to my surprise she didnt laugh, or make threats, and (most importantly) didnt say no..

So...next year for Los Dia de Los Muertos ( and Dia del Ferrocarrilero) I'm going to make a dedicated model train set....the "Ferrocarril de los Muertos"

Using some leftover LGB gear and Day of the Dead paper mache miniatures. It should be quite a party...with a wedding car, a borracho car, a revolutionary car and a dance car. Whoo Hoo! this should be fun!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Floated an idea past my wife yesterday after telling her about this, and to my surprise she didnt laugh, or make threats, and (most importantly) didnt say no..

So...next year for Los Dia de Los Muertos ( and Dia del Ferrocarrilero) I'm going to make a dedicated model train set....the "Ferrocarril de los Muertos"

Using some leftover LGB gear and Day of the Dead paper mache miniatures. It should be quite a party...with a wedding car, a borracho car, a revolutionary car and a dance car. Whoo Hoo! this should be fun!

NOW THAT is the spirit. And speaking of spirits, have you been hitting the bottle? [;)] [:D] [;)]

Actually your idea sound sorta fun. I hope when all is said and done you show us a few photos from it. We will be looking forward to it. [:)]

[Anonymous]

Ed, is it true that all the Mexican overnight trains are a thing of the past? ALL of them? Even "El Regiomontano"?

Such a pity.

Allen

[egmurphy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by smalling_60626

Ed, is it true that all the Mexican overnight trains are a thing of the past? ALL of them? Even "El Regiomontano"?

How did that old phrase go..... "Say it ain't so, Joe." Unfortunately, it's true. Not only the overnight trains, virtually all passenger service has been eliminated.

Regards

Ed

[Anonymous]

And, like us, sooner or later they'll have to bring some of it back and it will be a lot more trouble than if it had not been completely eliminated.

I must say, though, we found the bus service excellent and plentiful. Really enjoyed the first-class routes and, at least at that time, they were dirt cheap.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

H I S T O R Y

I LOVE IT. [:D]

So, Happy Dia del Ferrocarrilero day. (Well it is coming soon [;)] )

Now it's today. [:D] [;)] [:D]


HAPPY DIA DEL FERROCARRILERO DAY, ED [:D] [:D] [:D]

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Floated an idea past my wife yesterday after telling her about this, and to my surprise she didnt laugh, or make threats, and (most importantly) didnt say no..

So...next year for Los Dia de Los Muertos ( and Dia del Ferrocarrilero) I'm going to make a dedicated model train set....the "Ferrocarril de los Muertos"

Using some leftover LGB gear and Day of the Dead paper mache miniatures. It should be quite a party...with a wedding car, a borracho car, a revolutionary car and a dance car. Whoo Hoo! this should be fun!

NOW THAT is the spirit. And speaking of spirits, have you been hitting the bottle? [;)] [:D] [;)]

Actually your idea sound sorta fun. I hope when all is said and done you show us a few photos from it. We will be looking forward to it. [:)]

10-4 you can count on that![;)][:D][:p]

And I quite hitting the bottle, it kept hitting back [:0][:o)][:I]

Happy Railroad Workers Day[:D]