M E X I C O

The Tramways of
Pachuca
BY
Allen Morrison

The capital of Hidalgo state is in one of Mexico's largest mining districts, 100 km northeast of Mexico City. Altitude ranges from 2,500 to 2,800 m (8,200 to 9,200 ft). This is the highest capital in Mexico. Pachuca is an unusual place and had a very unusual tram system. Instead of large U.S.-style streetcars on broad avenues and plazas, as in other Mexican cities, Pachuca had tiny German trams on narrow-gauge track in twisting, narrow streets.

The date of the area's first mine railway is unknown (mine exploration began in the 15th century), but conventional railroads arrived around 1880. Three lines connected Pachuca with Mexico City; one of them, the Ferrocarril Hidalgo, used animal power during its first year of operation. In 1883 the Real del Monte (a.k.a. Mineral del Monte) mine [see map] built a 14 km steam railroad to carry its workers to and from town. The street railway in Pachuca, which used both animal and steam power, had 27 km of 914 mm / 3 ft gauge track by 1905.

In February 1906 the Real del Monte mine was acquired by U.S. Smelting, Refining & Mining Co., which hired Siemens-Schuckert Werke of Germany for electrification. (Siemens will electrify the San Luis Potosí tramway in 1912.) Siemens brought five electric locomotives to Pachuca, including the 4-wheel model shown below [col. Allen Morrison]:

The locomotives of the Ferrocarril Real del Monte also pulled passenger cars from the mine to the city [see map], but it is not known when this service began. In 1912 the new Compañía de Luz, Fuerza y Ferrocarriles (Light, Power and Railways Company) purchased the Pachuca street railway and ordered five electric passenger trams from Maschinenfabrik Augsburg Nürnberg ("M.A.N.") in Germany. The photograph below, taken at the German factory, shows one of the larger cars, numbered 1-3, which had twin headlights and six side windows [M.A.N.]:

The next photograph shows one of the two smaller cars, numbered 4 and 5, which had a single headlight and only four windows [M.A.N.]:

The date when the M.A.N. trams began carrying passengers in Pachuca could not be found. The following photograph, dated 1918, shows one of the small 4-wheelers at the Ferrocarril Central station [see map]. It has had its headlight moved to the roof. Track gauge of Pachuca's electric tramway, as of its mule lines, was 914 mm / 3 ft [col. Juan Manuel Menes Llaguno]:

The larger cars ran on the suburban lines. This one, signed for "Santa Gertrudis" mine, is about to leave its downtown terminal at Plaza Anaya [see map]. Note the classic curved wire bracket, a signature of German tramway construction throughout the world [col. Juan Manuel Menes Llaguno]:

The electric train below is on the Real del Monte line [see map]. The passenger trailer dates from steam days. The 14-km journey allegedly required two hours [col. Juan Manuel Menes Llaguno]:

Here is another view of the Real del Monte line, which must have been costly to construct and wonderful to ride [see map]. Residents rode it for pleasure on Sunday afternoons [col. Juan Manuel Menes Llaguno]:

Some of the locomotives were equipped with full pantographs [col. Juan Manuel Menes Llaguno]:

The photogaph below, from a 1911 Siemens catalog, shows the type of locomotive in the picture above [col. Ferenc Kis, courtesy Giovanni Fullin]:

The 1924 edition of the McGraw Electric Railway Directory (published in New York) stated that Compañía de Luz, Fuerza y Ferrocarriles de Pachuca operated 21 miles (34 km) of track, 5 locomotives, 5 motor cars and 60 'other' cars that year. Apparently CLFFP controlled the suburban as well as the local lines. The fate of the system after that date is unclear.

An electric railway still operates inside the Real del Monte mine today, but the 14 km line over the mountain to Pachuca seems to have disappeared in the 1930s. The local tram lines in Pachuca were probably abandoned about 1940. Suburban trains may have continued running to Dos Carlos mine [see map] until it closed in 1953.

There were no other electric railways in Hidalgo state. There were animal-powered tramways in Apan (Apam), Huichipan, Tepeapulco, Tula de Allende and Tulancingo. In addition, at least a dozen haciendas had private animal-powered lines.

BIBLIOGRAPHY (in order of publication)

Geographic Branch M.I.D.G.S. [probably Military Intelligence Division General Staff, according to Mexican railway specialist R. Todd Minsk]. Plan of the City of Pachuca. Washington, 1919. Large street map shows the tramway system in detail. This map - and the 1988 map noted below - were used to draw the map for this webpage.

Juan Manuel Menes Llaguno. Litografía de una Ciudad que Fue. Pachuca, 1976. Town history and 100 photographs - some of which appear on this webpage. Sr. Menes Llaguno kindly allowed me to copy the originals in his collection.

Juan Manuel Menes Llaguno. Un viaje al Pasado de Pachuca. Pachuca, 1984. Expansion of the book above: 160 photographs, including a few showing trams that are not on this webpage.

Rafael Cravioto Muñoz. Memorias de un Adolescente; Crónicas y Poemas. Pachuca, 1986. Chapters 5 "Los Tranvías" and 10 "Los Transportes Urbanos y Semiurbanos" relate wonderful facts and fantasies about Pachuca's toy-line trams.

Estado de Hidalgo. Plano de la Ciudad de Pachuca: 88-89. Pachuca, n.d. [1988?]. Recent street map confirms street and place names.

Compañía Real del Monte y Pachuca, Archivo Histórico. Guia general del Archivo Histórico de la Compañía de Minas de Real del Monte y Pachuca. Mexico City, 1993. Brief history of the mine, description of the archive.

Antonio Lorenzo Monterrubio. Arquitectura, urbanismo y sociedad en la ciudad de Pachuca durante el porfiriato. Mexico City, 1995. The chapter "Vías de comunicación", pp. 82-88, outlines railroad development but does not mention trams! Tram picture, p. 170.

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