The first thing I must tell you is that this trip was taken about 13 years ago, so the exact facilities and amenities may differ somewhat these days. There are far more luxurious and up-to-date trains plying this route, so I would advise finding a good travel agent to assist in planning your trip.

Getting to Chihuahua

We flew from Baton Rouge to El Paso on Continental via Houston. Nothing special here. The flight arrangements dictated that we would have to spend the night in one of the garden spots of Mexico, Ciudad Juarez. I believe that the Presidente Hotel there has since morphed into something else (or has been razed for a maquiladora), and you wouldn't be carried away with the place anyway. We flew to Chihuahua from Cd. Juarez the next morning on AeroMexico, and were treated to weak coffee and cookies aboard. Such culinary mastery astounded me.

Chihuahua

As this is a review of the train, and not the city, I shall not go into too much detail here, except to say that you should not miss the great Cathedral and La Villita, Pancho Villa's mansion. The city is mildly interesting, but does not have the great wealth of old buildings as, say, Oaxaca or San Miguel de Allende. We stayed at the Hyatt Exelaris, since de-Hyatted. At the time, this was the best in town.

Tickets

Our travel agent (not known for resourcefulness), had suggested that we obtain the tickets ourselves. We went down to the station at about 5:30 AM and secured tickets in Primera Classe to Divisadero and beyond to Los Mochis. If we had known that there were better, newer trains on this route at the time, we would likely have taken one of these. For Primera Classe tickets, the one-way cost was something very nominal like $60.00 each.

The Train

Our train was not new. It appeared to be of 1950's vintage, and was reasonably clean. Our seats were in an old day coach that had obviously seen better days. The itchy green knit fabric of the seats was familiar from previous trips on Mexican trains. The seats were comfortable enough, and the windows were cleaner than in most of the other cars.

Coaches

There were several Segunda Classe coaches on the train. These were fun to go into for a while, in order to meet local travelers, but were hardly comfortable in the sense that the average tourist might be pleased with them. The windows opened, though, and vendors were forever coming through with buckets of Negra Modelo on ice and other food and trinkets for sale.

Dining Car

The dining car was really a period piece. With its cracked leather panels, stainless steel trim and etched glass, it evoked something of a lost era in train travel. The steward told me that this particular car had once been used on the California Zephyr, the "crack" train from Chicago to Los Angeles. From its shabby, but once-elegant appointments, I could easily imagine the car in its heyday. As it was, the potted palm in the corner drooped like something out of an old Roadrunner cartoon, and the banquette seats itched again.

Food

Our breakfast arrived as we chugged along the desert prairie just beyond Chihuahua. Everything was fine, until we went around a sharp bend. Suddenly, the banquette pitched to the right, and my breakfast and I were in the aisle together. An unhappy marriage of eggs and shirt was quickly annulled by the steward, and I was re-installed at the table. The food on this train was freshly prepared, and actually quite good. I had something like huevos rancheros for breakfast (twice--one for the floor, one for me), and lunch later that day was good as well. The more elaborate trains on this route probably have fancier dining cars, but this one was special because of the faded luxury.

Dome Car

What is the point of a dome car if you can't see?? The old Vista Dome car on this trainset was another relic of the early 1950's. its graceful lines could not conceal the lack of a view. There were a couple of places where someone had scratched away the milky film covering the glass, but it was pretty useless, overall. We ended up heading to the last car of the train for picture-taking.

Scenery

The scenery is why this is a "must do" trip. Outside of Chihuahua, the scenery is not too different from parts of the American west. As you draw closer to Divisadero, the rocky hillocks and crevices begin to show themselves. On the other side, you will find the scenery breathtaking, especially during the hour or two outside of Los Mochis. Unfortunately, in this direction, the best scenery can be hidden in darkness. We took this trip in December-January, so it got dark early. You will have a better shot at daylight in the summer.

Divisadero

The train stops at Divisadero at about 2:00 PM. We alighted and went directly up to the hotel, the Cabanas Divisadero Barrancas to claim our room for the night. There has since been a much tonier addition to the place, but when we visited, the place had a basic, yet pleasing, lodge-like feeling. The 52 rooms were spread out along the edge of the canyon in a long, low building. Rooms were basic, beyond the presence of fireplaces (staff members will happily build a fire for you). Dinner in the main lodge building was served at a communal table and was good, if not too memorable from a culinary vantage point.

On our way back to the room after dinner and a few drinks, I was alarmed to note the crosses placed by the (sturdy, thank God) fence along the path by the rooms. There is a 2000 foot drop-off here, so hold on to that railing!!.

One experience we were sorry to miss here was the opportunity to travel to the bottom of the canyon with the parish priest we met in the bar. this gentleman did parish work with the Tarahumara Indians and offered to take us with him on an overnight trip on horseback down the canyon. my Aunt Louise was uninterested in sitting on a horse all day, so we had to pass up this opportunity. Old city girls, like my aunt from Boston are sometimes squeamish about such ideas.

Get a guide from the hotel to take you on one of the trails around the upper reaches of the canyon. The canyon approaches (or even surpasses, some say) the magnificence of the Grand Canyon. There are not always railings, so be absolutely sure to watch your step. if you have vertigo, these walks are definitely not for you.

The Luxury Car

Having booked what we had assumed to be first class tickets, we were dismayed to see a gleaming dome car affixed to the end of the train the next afternoon. After boarding, we inquired, and discovered that this was a chartered car for a private tour company. The guests therein were paying many times what we had paid for our tickets, so I could not begrudge them their luxuries. I just wish we had known about it in the first place.

What I Would Plan Differently

If I were to plan this trip again, I would certainly check out the various routes and schedules more carefully. We did not stop at Creel, which some say is fascinating, and others say is boring...As we did not stop there, I did not have the opportunity to arrive at my own conclusion. Many trains do stop there. I would also be likely to take a better train. I believe that the old FNM, or Ferrocaril Nacional de Mexico train we were on may actually have been sold off for private service entirely, leaving only the luxury trains and a milk-run Segunda Classe train for local service. As the latter stops everywhere, it may not be the best option.

Los Mochis

The end of the line, Los Mochis is a moderately interesting town at the edge of the Sinaloan desert. We stayed at the Hotel Santa Anita, another 1950's place owned by the Balderrama family, who own the hotels at Creel and Divisadero as well. Their dining room was quite good, and the place was spotlessly clean. Our journey would continue on from here. The ferry from Topolobampo (about 8 miles away) would take us over to La Paz, an all-day trip over the Sea of Cortez in a 1950's ferry with staterooms (get one, they were only a few dollars!). That may be fodder for another essay.

Overall

If you like amazing mountain and desert scenery, this is one of the world's great train journeys. Plan more carefully than we did, but be sure to go at least once in your life.







Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Singles
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May