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Copper Canyon 6 The Three Quarter Dome Trip 12/26/1998 to 1/1/1999

My 41st birthday was fast approaching so where else on the planet would I plan to spend it than on another Bananafish Tour adventure? Bill Wallace, head of the this San Pedro-based travel firm, confirmed that he was taking his former Southern Pacific three-quarter dome and I would also be able to ride in the new open car he created from lounge car "Domingo Mora". The trip's itinerary had been changed by the removal of the first class train out of Mexicali in the morning since the railroad had been privatized, so it would new leave Mexicali in the evening on the schedule of the old second class train which was the only passenger service left in the border town. I would be seeing new countryside south of Empalme and none of that most scenic Altar Desert, complete with the sand blasting I always endured. Days 1 and 2 would be a completely new experience, so I was excited as I drove down to Calexico to meet the group and about to start a new rail adventure in Mexico.

The route map from Mexicali to Caborca.

The route map from Caborca to Surfragio.

The Copper Canyon route map.

12/26/1998 I met the group at the AA parking lot in Calexico before we walked across the border into Mexico to a taxi stand and a group of five of us taxied to the Los Arcos Restaurant to wait for a latecomer and I read my copy of "Yes News" about the current happenings of that progressive rock band. A roll call was taken and with everyone present and accounted for and Bill's new wife, Laura, collected the Tourist Permits then arranged transportation to the train station but myself and a group of backpackers from Holland, who were just going Creel, rode in the back of a pickup truck, which is illegal in California, however I loved the experience. We all walked into a very crowded and busy Mexicali where we waited for Laura to take care of the Tourist Permits with Customs. Watching people drag boxes through the door one at a time while having their tickets checked each time they did proved quite interesting. As train time neared, our group was allowed to bypass Customs and board the train cars dedciated to our group.

Bananafish Tours three-quarter dome "Laura", ex. Bill Wallace 1995, who converted it to a dome-sleeper-lounge, exx. Bernave Reys Mexicali Baja "California Norte", exxx. Bill Wallace 1991, exxxx. Fred Kepner of Klamath Falls 1985 (for a potential museum which fell through), exxxxx. Mickey Stanley of Colorado Springs 1981 (where it was his office), exxxxxx. Amtrak dome-lounge 9374 1972, exxxxxxx. Southern Pacific 9374 (lease to Amtrak) 1971), exxxxxxxx. Southern Pacific dome-lounge 3605 1972, nee Southern Pacific tavern car 10312 built by Pullman-Standard in 1937.

It ran in Shasta Daylight service in 1955, then was slab-sided by Southern Pacific during 1969 and stored at Bayshore Yards during 1970 before being leased to Amtrak. In 2000, it was sold to the Canõn City and Royal Gorge Railway and reverted to its Amtrak number of 9374. In 2018, Canadian Pacific Railway acquired it and gave it its original Southern Pacific number but named it "Selkirk".

Of the seven cars that Bill owned, only two were on this train and my car was the second of the two, my good and dear friend, Southern 10-6 sleeper 2010 "Rapidan River". I was assigned the bed in the lounge section which gave me plenty of space since we had the dome car and I would have the whole area to myself. I settled in before walking forward to "Laura" and following brief period of exploration, I chose a seat downstairs for departure and we left Mexicali full and a few minutes after passing through the former Sonora-Baja California Railroad yard, we proceeded out of Mexicali into the night and I returned to my area, pulled down the bed and fell fast asleep, never experiencing the sandy environment of the Altar Desert.

12/27/1998 The next morning I awoke sand-free in Benjamin Hill and following what would be my normal meal on the trip of two peanut butter sandwiches, cheesettes (my allergy to cheese developed later in life) and chocolate chip cookies. The morning preparations were done faster than normal as I did not have a private room then I ventured off to explore Benjamin Hill. I found a former BC Rail C-636, an old friend from Canada which had pulled our train here from Mexicali and two coaches had been set off for their return trip to Mexicali tonight. With time before the arrival of our connecting train from Nogales, I walked up and over the pedestrian bridge over the yard and had an excellent view of Benjamin Hill then walked around the streets of town, thinking about my colleague Anna from McFadden Intermediate School who accompanied me on my previous visit two years ago. She was so much fun and I wished she was with me this time. I also had time to watch the freight train being made up for its run northwest to Mexicali.

The two-hour late train from Nogales finally arrived and connected to ours and we departed in the afternoon Sonoran sun. Leaving Benjamin Hill, I rode in the dome and enjoyed the passing scenery then after a couple of enjoyable hours, we paused at Hermosillo before continuing our journey south. We passed Bay San Carlos and the Bay of Guyamas, both very beautiful sites, before arriving at Empalme to find our sister northbound train waiting at the station. Once we departed, we travelled directly east towards Ciudad Obregón as I witnessed another beautiful Mexican sunset and the early evening sky provided a perfect view of Venus, Mars and Jupiter. I noticed a huge Walmart at Obregón before we proceeded to Navajo, San Blas and Sufragio, arriving at the latter where the group detrained for the hotel at El Fuerte while I remained on the cars. After switching the cars onto a siding, I made up my bed and fell asleep sober in Sinaloa.

Waking up sober once more in Sinaloa, this time on a cool and windy morning, we had been moved to the interchange track while I slept. After my morning duties were complete, passengers then waited for the First Class train to pick us up and I learned that the Second Class one was over two hours late with no word on our train. Much later, the Second Class train finally arrived with Army soldiers looking for drugs as they inspected every train that passes through. After it departed east, the weather improved and it turned out to be a beautiful warm winter day. The group from Holland decided to have a picnic on the grass by the cars which attracted hobos and dogs and I watched all this with interest as I sat on the 886 kilometer post of the Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico (Chihuahua-Pacific Railway) line which was only a foot above the ground. Mexico uses the metric system.

Our train finally arrived at noon, led by Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico (FNM) GP38-2 9296, nee National Railways of Mexico 9296, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1975, but unfortunately it was going the wrong way towards Los Mochis. I thought it would turn around about 3:30 or 4:00 PM and come back. With the weather now downright delightful, I followed the lead of my friends from Holland so I became shirtless and in my shorts, working on my Sinaloa suntan sitting on the 886 marker. Three locomotives and a caboose arrived from the east and I wondered for a moment if that was a rescue train, but no such luck as it just continued on its way to Los Mochis. Next was a southbound freight on the former Chihuahua-Pacific Railway and one yard crew went to work making up a northbound freight train then it became a study of flat yard switching and how the hobos climbed onto the roof of the cars without a ladder. The Flemish group played soccer with some local children before they had a cheese and cracker session on a blanket and visited the Station's restaurant. A CHP employee visited and informed us that the first class train should arrive by 4:00 PM.

Sure enough, at 3:50 PM, here came our First Class train and our cars were quickly attached to the rear and off we went from Sufragio to points northeast, eight-and-a-half hours late. We sprinted through San Blas and through the heavy plant growth infringing on the right-of-way due to the plentiful rainfall courtesy of El Ninño. We arrived at El Fuerte, met our group and other passengers who boarded and I helped to load some firewood through the rear door of the dome with the help of some local children. Departing in the last light of day, I was still riding the vestibule as we passed the brightly-lit cement plant which eliminated stargazing for a few minutes until the train left its influence, returning us to the moonless darkness of the night. We stopped at Loreto to pick up the new open car, which Bill had converted from lounge car "Domingo Mora" and cut off one third of it, creating a very unique open car. It was placed on the rear of the train, so everyone was going to experience travelling up the former Chihuahua al Pacifico line under the most star-filled sky I had ever seen.

We departed Loreto as the group discovered the open car and since I had been on this route before, was asked how would see anything in the dark. I assured them that the Rio Fuerte bridge was in ten minutes and advised them to use their flashlights that they had brought. We entered the Aguacaliente bridge, 147.63 feet above the river and three-tenths-of-a-mile long, everyone turned on their flashlights and I came up with the name for our trip, "The Starlight Express", which everyone liked.

Twenty-five minutes later, we entered Tunnel 86, the longest on the line at 1.24 miles. As it was the last tunnel to be completed and the workers could take a well-deserved rest, they named it "Tunel el Descanso". All flashlights were aimed at the ceiling, fully illuminating the inside of the tunnel. Ten minutes after that was the Chinipas River Bridge, the highest on the railroad at 332 feet and and 1,017 feet long. Even in the dark, you could tell it was a long way down to the water. As the train proceeded into the narrow canyon, the stars outlined the canyon walls in a most beautiful scene, the Starlight Express indeed! I had a pen-length flashlight which happened to be extremely bright in situations of total darkness, so much so that when I glimpsed something along the river, I shone my light down the slope revealing three derailed freight cars. I then taught the group the difference between real tunnels and fake tunnels used to keep the rocks off the tracks.

As we crossed the lower Santa Barbara bridge, I announced that we were approaching Temoris and borrowed the marine flashlight which had the strongest beam of all and pointed at the station across the canyon and the Santa Barbara bridge as the train crossed over, managing to light up the waterfall and the lower monument high above us. We stopped at Temoris station then next was the climb up the middle level to the 3,075 foot La Pera (Pear) Tunnel with a 180 degree curve inside to allow us to reach the upper level. Even in the darkness, everyone was really impressed with Temoris. We departed with the marine flashlight tour continuing. As we travelled through La Pera Tunnel, I lit up the 25 year monument first below us and quickly switched to the completion of the railroad monument high above us before we entered the tunnel-after-tunnel section. It was then time for me to turn in for the night and the passengers thanked me for a great Starlight Express experience.

I awoke the next morning and learned that when our group arrived at Posada Barrancas to detrain to go to the Mansion Tarahumara Hotel, half of them were still on the train when it left, so they all rode up to Divisadero with me and had to wait for the bus to arrive and take them back to the hotel. Divisadero was absolutely silent in the mid-morning hours as no one was stirring; it was a bright and sunny morning with cool temperatures as I detrained for a morning hike to climb up the ridge that overlooked Divisadero from the northeast. The view was spectacular as it gave me a whole new outlook as well as the cliffs below. Once back, I fixed my lunch before venturing out among the Indians to look for rocks for Maureen Angle, the science teacher at McFadden Intermediate, and made several purchases I knew she would be happy with, then returned to the open car to work on my suntan and to wait until the group returned.

The group returned with various stories to tell of their adventures last night with everyone saying how much they liked the Mansion Tarahumara, then settled back in as the First Class train from Chihuahua arrived and stayed ten minutes before departing, then the wait began for our eastbound train to Creel. The mid-level clouds took over the sky and the temperature began to drop. Passengers began to wonder if we would see any of this line in daylight and I mentioned the Rock of Fertility and El Lazo, where there was a 360 degree loop, that could be seen in total darkness. Bill and I went to the hotel at Divisadero and had the clerk radio Creel and Chihuahua City for a possible estimated time of arrival, which was 6:00 PM, so it would only be another hour and a half; much better than the eight-and-a-half-hours yesterday.

Everyone's spirits improved when at 5:50 PM, we all heard a whistle and the train arrived, first picking up our cars and replacing them with the cars of the Sierra Madre Express. Twenty minutes later, we departed in the twilight which lit up the cliffs, where I had been earlier, with a quick burst of sunlight and made for a most beautiful sight. The train sped on its way to Creel as snow became commonplace on the ground. All light was then lost and we would make the rest of the trip in the dark. The ladies who wanted to see the Rock of Fertility joined me and waited patiently until we passed through Tunnel 12 and I spotted it so turned on my pen flashlight so they could see it before returning inside. That left the group who wanted to see El Lazo so we waited patiently then when I thought we were there, I showed them the line we would be on in a few minutes after we circled El Lazo (The Loop). We made the left hand turn through the two tunnels before crossing over the tracks we had come up on, with the group lighting them up with their flashlights. They thanked me before going inside, leaving me alone in the open car with the stars all to myself the rest of the way to Creel.

All of us detrained across the street after the train cars were spotted and went to the Parador de la Montana Hotel then after checking in, we had a group dinner at the restaurant across the street before I walked back to "Rapidan River" and another night of great slumber aboard the train.

Bananafish Tours 10-6 sleeper "Rapidan River", ex. Amtrak 2864 "Rapiada River", nee Southern 10-6 sleeper 2010 "Rapidan River" built by Pullman-Standard in 1949. PPCX 800263.

12/30/98 The next morning I walked to the hotel and was offered a shower from the first of the group's couples I met and felt completely refreshed. I had breakfast of hot cakes before the group went on the Tarahumara Indian cave tour but I stayed in town to shop, visiting a record store, where I bought a Best of Rod Stewart tape made in Mexico and toured the town's museum. For a small community, it was excellent, although I missed a freight train, then returned to our cars to await departure.

Everyone was happy when the First Class train arrived at 12:30 PM, only twenty minutes late. Following the switching moves including our cars, a box car and spotting a South Orient car, we were on our way to hopefully see Temoris in the daylight. I was the first to venture to the open car and chose the best spot that was out of the wind on this very cool Decembre afternoon, then was joined by other members. The snow on the ground created a completely different feel to this trip and was an additional feature of beauty that I had always dreamed of seeing.

We crossed the dirt road and I alerted everyone to the Rock of Fertility and many cameras clicked and videotape rolled we passed. The rest of the run to Divisadero passed extremely quickly and before we detrained for the fifteen minute layover, we picked up the cars from the Sierra Madre Express.

Once underway, we made fast tracks to San Rafael and I pointed out the Mansion Tarahumara as we passed. The basket-selling women at San Rafael made a few more sales to our group in the open car before we departed and it was a beautiful late afternoon as we crossed the La Laja bridge and travelled downgrade around the curves and over the less lofty bridges.

We had to enter sidings twice to let two eastbound trains by. At Bahuichivo, we dropped off the Sierra Madre Express cars before continuing our downward trek. The group had dinner which allowed me the open car to myself, except for a couple of people Bill invited back from the regular train. Bill then asked me to go up to the locomotive to get Laura for dinner and as I was walking through the train to the rear locomotive, I was greeted by a soldier with an automatic weapon who was very surprised to see me. Upon my request, the brakeman went up to get her and I was asked to sit in the engineer's seat while I was waiting. About five minutes later, Laura and two young women returned with Laura saying that if you stood on the front pilot and threw your arms up in the air, it was as if you were in the film "Titanic".

Following the walk back through the First Class train, I returned to the peace and quiet of the open car which I now enjoyed alone and worked out how many kilometers it was to Temoris then returned to the dome car and gave a ten kilometer announcement. When there was about five more to go, most of the group were out in the open car and by the time we were at the tunnel-after-tunnel section, everyone was there as we exited that tunnel, thereby allowing all a daylight view of Temoris in the last light. As the train entered the La Pera tunnels, I suggested they change to the other side of the car for the view below when we exited then said a little prayer, thanking God for my sobriety and seeing Temoris in daylight once on this trip.

We descended the middle level before stopping at Temoris station then once on the move again, we passed underneath the monuments, by the waterfall and curved over the Santa Barbara bridge to the lowest level. Most of the group return to the warmth of the train while a few of us decided to stay outside in the cool fresh air as another night started under the stars. I talked to a woman from Germany who had come back from the regular train for about forty- five minutes before she returned inside. From the comfort of a chair, I enjoyed the Chinipas River bridge, El Descanso tunnel and finally the Rio Fuerte bridge before calling it a night and returned to "Rapidan River", made up my area and fell asleep knowing that tomorrow morning I would wake up in the train yard in Sufragio and all of the group would board the lounge car and be taken to Los Mochis to a waiting hotel. I fell asleep at age forty and woke up at age forty-one the next morning.

Awakening on my 41st birthday seemed no different than any other day and it was nice and sunny. Following breakfast, I went for a peaceful walk around the yards of Sufragio then returning to "Rapidan River", I enjoyed a musical interlude before the group's return on the buses, all very happy to see me. Everyone settled into their rooms and I returned to the fresh air before Bill walked over to the yard crew and came back announcing, "If anyone wants to learn how to run a locomotive, the yard crew would do it for a tip." We climbed up onto the front of the locomotive and everyone wanted me to go first as it was my birthday. I declined since I had already run a locomotive in Mexico and that would give more opportunities for other people, so stood on the front porch with Laura and others going up and down the yard tracks.

Laura mentioned the Titanic 'arms in the air' again which we all did before she encouraged everyone to sing "Happy Birthday" to me on the front of the engine as it was moving down the tracks, which really put me in the spirit of my birthday, as well as racking up the miles going back and forth. After seven round-trips, I detrained to have lunch as the crew had to run up to San Blas to get their lunch, thus ending a unique experience that could only happen in Mexico. Two members of our group tagged along for the ride to San Blas in search of liquor and when they had returned, one of the crew members stated that he had not been paid for the services he had provided after our northbound train had been made up for the return journey to Mexicali . It was explained to him that everyone had paid for their service and that his other two partners did not divide the funds with him. He still was not happy, so Bill gave him some money to keep him happy. If everyone was kept happy, then on some other future, trip the same offer could be made and others could have a unique Mexican railroading experience of running a locomotive.

Leaving Sufragio on the Second Class train, now the only train left, provided me my first daytime views of the Sinaloa and Sonora countryside to Empalme. My goal for this journey was to photograph the depots and places we stop long this route. I took my spot in the vestibule for the quick trip to San Blas then from here on, other than named places, I had no idea what awaited me.

We curved off to cross the Rio Fuerte, saying goodbye to the CHP tracks that paralleled our tracks from Sufragio. The call for lunch was made and everyone except for me went to the dome car, so I had the vestibule to myself and took a sleeping car ladder, thus giving me a chair to sit on for the reminder of the afternoon. The Second Class train gained its nickname "The Burro" because of all of the stops it made on its way north, hence its slower schedule than the now extinct La Bala (The Bullet). We stopped a couple of times in the middle of nowhere to drop off passengers for small villages and the main north/south highway ran alongside after we had crossed into Sonora. I just relaxed and enjoyed the countryside, waving to the passersby and having a really good time.

At Esperanza, the station was abandoned and covered with graffiti, something I had not seen that much of in Mexico. We met our southbound counterpart before passing through a forest of Saguaro cacti then arrived at Empalme in the last light of day.

I walked back to photograph a few locomotives and as I walked towards the front of the train, the sky was producing one of the best sunsets of the trip. We passed the former FCP shops on the way out of town and had an excellent view of the Bay of Guyamas in twilight. I then enjoyed the star-filled sky from the rear door of the dome before taking a nap and asking for a late evening wake-up call. I slept for about three hours before Bill woke me up and with my batteries recharged, returned to the dome car for the New Year's Eve party then went back to the "Rapidan River" vestibule before arriving at Benjamin Hill. Following a rather lengthy station stop, where one of the railroad workers was trying to cause Bill some problem with the dome car and while they were trying to solve the problem, all of the cars were watered. We proceeded out into the darkness of the Altar Desert and I returned to the party, but found the smell of champagne on people's breath bothersome, so steered clear and only stayed only until midnight Sonora time before returning to bed for my last night on the train. One hour later, it would be midnight in California and while I slept, I had visitors who sprinkled me with glitter, some which got in my eyes. However, I would have the last laugh in the morning when my drunken friends were hung over.

1/1/1999 I awoke following the all-night trek across the Altar Desert sand-free once more, stone cold sober and wide awake happy. I walked back to the dome car to get a cup of tea and enjoyed the pre-dawn scenery and as the train crossed the Colorado River and entered Baja California Norte, I reflected on what a unique trip this had been. I then settled up with Laura as we crossed through the steam fields before entering Mexicali and we pulled into the station, ending my sixth Bananafish Tours adventure on Day 1,079 of my sobriety. Five of us piled into a taxi to the border before we walked across, with US Customs asking me what I was bringing into the United States. "Rocks," I replied, to which the agent responded "That is a new one for me. Have a great New Year's Day!". We walked to the AA parking lot and following a ten minute wait for the people parked in front of me to return, I was back on the highway driving home to Santa Ana and another ride to Solana Beach tonight.

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