I didn’t know anything about this railway or about the Copper Canyon before this trip. Initially, I had thought I might travel overland all the way back home, or at least to Arizona, but as I read the tour book, this detour sounded more and more appealing. Indeed, it was one of the best parts of my trip.
The official name is the Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacifico, but it is known as El Chepe (for the initials Che and Pe). It was built between 1900 and 1961. It runs 418 miles, over 37 bridges and 86 tunnels, and at one point goes in a full circle, up, up, to gain elevation. I couldn’t depict the twists and turns on my map, but here is a view of the full length of my trip, the last two straight lines representing the very not straight route of El Chepe. And below that are some photos of the train ride. Windows at either end of the individual cars are wide open, so I could lean right out and take pictures and videos (I would have freaked if the kids had been there; because it was just me, I leaned right out!).
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| The window I hung out of, on the train… |
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| …to get this shot. |
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| Scenery along the route. |
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| Bridges and river systems along the route of El Chepe. |
