Córdoba and Huatusco Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Córdoba and Huatusco Railroad (Ferrocarril de Córdoba a Huatusco, FCCH) was a narrow gauge railroad connecting Huatusco
with Córdoba
. It was opened in 1902 and closed in 1953.
town of Huatusco from the Ferrocarril Mexicano (FCM) at Córdoba. Julio Limantour was an investment partner in the banking firm of Hugo Scherer Jr. and Company for many years. He was well known in Mexico City’s business circles and abroad. Along with engineer Juan Navarro and Carlos Moricard, Limantour joined in a society to build a railroad line in Veracruz. In 1900 Navarro had acquired the rights to a railroad concession granted in 1898 to build a railroad line to run from Córdoba to Huatusco. The line was surveyed by the son of Porfirio Díaz
, and 33 kilometers of gauge rails reached Coscomatepec in 1902.
The route across the flanks of Pico de Orizaba
required expensive construction. The bridge at Tomatlán
was 78 meters above a tributary of the Río Jamapa; and 7 kilometers of 3.7% grade with 19 degree curves were required to reach Coscomatepec from Tomatlán. The construction of the railroad as well as the transportation of passengers, products and supplies were affected by the weather, topography, and infectious diseases, which were more prevalent near the coast. Construction was also delayed by the need for specialized equipment, some of which had to be acquired from firms in the United States and overseas. Funds were unavailable to complete the final 19 kilometers to Huatusco, and the line was sold to the Ferrocarril Mexicano in 1909 after Limantour's death.
FCM purchased three new passenger coaches for their gauge line and transferred a Shay locomotive
from their Zacatlán Branch for use as a helper from Tomatlán to Coscomatepec. Mixed trains ran through 1951 with a 26-ton 2-6-0 pulling the coaches, a 4-door boxcar
as a baggage car
, and a flatcar
with cloth roof to shade 3rd class seating on a longitudinal bench. Rails were removed in 1953, and the locomotives were scrapped in 1954.
Huatusco
Huatusco is the better known name of "Huatusco de Chicuellar", a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz, on the Xalapa–Mexico City railroad...
with Córdoba
Córdoba, Veracruz
Córdoba, officially known as Heroica Córdoba, is a city and the seat of the municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It was founded in 1618....
. It was opened in 1902 and closed in 1953.
History
The FCCH built in an effort to provide rail service to the VeracruzVeracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
town of Huatusco from the Ferrocarril Mexicano (FCM) at Córdoba. Julio Limantour was an investment partner in the banking firm of Hugo Scherer Jr. and Company for many years. He was well known in Mexico City’s business circles and abroad. Along with engineer Juan Navarro and Carlos Moricard, Limantour joined in a society to build a railroad line in Veracruz. In 1900 Navarro had acquired the rights to a railroad concession granted in 1898 to build a railroad line to run from Córdoba to Huatusco. The line was surveyed by the son of Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
, and 33 kilometers of gauge rails reached Coscomatepec in 1902.
The route across the flanks of Pico de Orizaba
Pico de Orizaba
The Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl , is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It rises above sea level in the eastern end of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla...
required expensive construction. The bridge at Tomatlán
Tomatlán
Tomatlán is a town and municipality, in Jalisco in central-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 153 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 142 294 people ....
was 78 meters above a tributary of the Río Jamapa; and 7 kilometers of 3.7% grade with 19 degree curves were required to reach Coscomatepec from Tomatlán. The construction of the railroad as well as the transportation of passengers, products and supplies were affected by the weather, topography, and infectious diseases, which were more prevalent near the coast. Construction was also delayed by the need for specialized equipment, some of which had to be acquired from firms in the United States and overseas. Funds were unavailable to complete the final 19 kilometers to Huatusco, and the line was sold to the Ferrocarril Mexicano in 1909 after Limantour's death.
FCM purchased three new passenger coaches for their gauge line and transferred a Shay locomotive
Shay locomotive
The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive...
from their Zacatlán Branch for use as a helper from Tomatlán to Coscomatepec. Mixed trains ran through 1951 with a 26-ton 2-6-0 pulling the coaches, a 4-door boxcar
Boxcar
A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...
as a baggage car
Baggage car
A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...
, and a flatcar
Flatcar
A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...
with cloth roof to shade 3rd class seating on a longitudinal bench. Rails were removed in 1953, and the locomotives were scrapped in 1954.
Locomotives
| Number | Builder | Type | Date | Works number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baldwin Locomotive Works Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of... |
2-6-0 | 2/1902 | 20092 | named Elena |
| 2 | Baldwin Locomotive Works Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of... |
2-6-0 | 2/1902 | 20140 | named Luisa |
| 3 | Baldwin Locomotive Works Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of... |
2-6-0 | 3/1905 | 25368 | named Beatriz |
| 4 | Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line... |
28-ton Shay | 12/1905 | 1616 | ex-Ferrocarril Atlamaxac #3 acquired 1910 scrapped 1945 |