The most dramatic train ride in the western hemisphere

Thats how El Chepe has been called by Readers Digest, it might just be true, Riding across 39 bridges and through 87 tunnels its really a technological marvel, couple that with Albert Owen story and you are in for a nice tale.

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, USA, who was seeking to develop a socialist colony. Financial difficulties due to the cost of building a railroad through rugged terrain delayed the project, and the ChP was completed in 1961.
In 1998, the private rail franchise Ferromex took over the railroad from the Mexican government, which had operated all railroads since 1940.



Check the Wiki Or @ mexicoscoppercanyon.com Or @ Trainweb.org

Saludos

Where is what?, How fast can I get there?

Most people i know try to learn about the location of a place just to get there and don´t really learn much about how it was founded, or why it even exists.

I will try to provide information on the different places along the way and what they represent from severals points of view. Hopefully you will have a much nicer time when you get here, and leave with a better understanding of the place.

The following link gives a pretty good explanation of the start of the Railroad proyect and the foundation of what will eventually become Los Mochis Topolobampo or Bust

Additional information can be found on the following links:

Owen snnipet from the New York Times 1902

The Register of Topolobampo

Another View

Los Mochis Wikipedia entry

A quick introduction

Los Mochis its the starting point of the ChePe, the famous rail road that crosses the Tarahumaran Sierras, a really nice engineering marvel that crosses 39 bridges and through 87 tunnels as it climbs from sea level to over 8,000 feet at the sierras.


What is not as widely known its the trails that crisscross the region and can be used for nice overland expeditions in a 4x4 vehicle, next week I will start documenting some of those travels, that take us across lost roads, deep rivers and some unexpected adventures.



Saludos