THE DEPOTS OF SOUTHERN PACIFIC
SUBSIDIARIES IN MEXICO

This page is dedicated to the depots built for Mexican railroads (ferrocarrils) which were controlled by the Southern Pacific railroad.   Many of the depots listed as standing are from a list compiled by the Museo Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Mexicanos, dated 1994.  Prior to this website, no current list existed.  As a result, those listed as standing which have an asterisk (*) next to them come from that list, but have no photographic proof of such as of June 22, 2005.

My profound thanks to members of the Mexlist for their help and the information provided therein, especially
Alberto Barnett (3 May 2005), R. Minsk (standing depots list, 4 May 2005), Charles Jay (Guaymas info and Emplame info and photo, 22 Jun 2005), Hector Gonzalez (I-C and T&T depots 23 Jun 2005)

Any errors are mine.  If you have any information or corrections, please contact me.

This page is part of David Coscia's SP site
July 24, 2006

ABBREVIATIONS
Mexican States
BC = Baja California             Jal = Jalisco         Nay = Nayarit         Sin = Sinaloa        Son = Sonora        

CS = Common Standard, a numbered series of plans for anything and everything used and built by the Southern Pacific.  
                         For depots, there were 25 standard plans.  Many depots were not built to a plan.
KP = Kilometer post markers, used to measure distances along the line
SP = Southern Pacific Railroad, parent company of these lines

STATIONS AND DEPOTS
It is important to know that a "station" and a "depot" are not the same.  A "station" is defined as "a place identified in the timetable by name."  As for "depot," the best definition is "a building located at a station, which has an office operated by a station agent."  There are three types.  A freight depot ships and receives freight.  A passenger depot allows passengers to board and detrain.  A combination depot has a freight room and a passenger waiting area

A building with a station name on it does not make it a depot.  It must meet the above definition.  The most common occurance of a building that does not meet the definition is a telegraph office.  These were used for controlling the movement of trains prior to radios.  A good example would be a an office in the middle of a desert.  There is a building there, but no passengers or freight come to this building.  However, the telegraph operator would live there, so it would have living quarters, and thus be a large building that might look like a depot. 

FERROCARRIL DE NACOZARI

Construction on this line began soon after August, 1899.  It was completed in 1904.  Southern Pacific planned on abandoning this line in 1965.  Instead, a deal was struck with the government of Mexico and it was nationalized on August 16, 1965.¹
(Kirchner, John.   "The Ferrocarril de Nacozari"  SP Trainline 85, (Spring 2005) SPH&TS)

KP	Station Name	Built Builder	Destroyed	Information and photographs	L x W
0.0	Agua Prieta, Son	1904? FdeN	standing	style of CS# 23 with plastered walls, Trainline photo p. 27, photographed July 3, 2006
52.5	Fronteras, Son	1904? FdeN	standing	not a CS style, now a museum (name?), Trainline photo p. 30 and 39.
72.8	Esqueda, Son	1904? FdeN	standing	CS#?, any photos?
123.2	Nacozari, Son	1904? FdeN	standing	style of CS# 23 with hipped roof but no bay window and plastered walls, Trainline photo p. 27 of

FERROCARRIL TIJUANA & TECATE

This line was begun in 1912, and was completed in 1919.  Construction was severely delayed by the Mexican Revolution during those years.  Service began in 1919.  The line was nationalized on July 1, 1970.²
(Hanft, Robert.  The San Diego & Arizona: The Impossible Railroad)

KP	Station Name	Built Builder	Destroyed	Information and photographs	L x W
0.10	Tijuana, BC	1910 T&T	fire, 1917	1st, CS#23?, photo p. 214
0.10	Tijuana, BC	1917 T&T	standing	2nd, CS#?, photo p. 130
4.10	Agua Caliente, BC	none		hotel had a flag stop
	Garcia, BC	T&T
	Valle Redondo	1912 T&T
59.90	Tecate, BC	1919 T&T	standing	photo p. 105; photo by Steve Bovee

FERROCARRIL INTER-CALIFORNIA

Construction of this line began in 1905.  It took four years to build because of delays caused by the series of Colorado River floods with created the Salton Sea.  Service began in 1909.  The border crossing east of Algodones was cut in January 1958.  The section from Pascualitos to Algodones was closed in 1959. 
The remaining section from Mexicali to Pascualitos became part of the Ferrocarril de Sonora-Baja California (S-BC), which connected at Pascualitos.³
(Kirchner, John. Baja California Railways)

KP	Station Name	Built Builder	Destroyed	Information and photographs	L x W
0.47	Mexicali, BC	1905 I-C	flood, 1906	1st, CS# 23? Oakdale-design,	168 x 25
0.47	Mexicali, BC	1906 I-C	standing, *	2nd, CS#?
6.89	Packard, BC	1905 I-C		CS #22 combo, 2 story passenger 1 story freight	32 x 28 64 x 28
	Pascualitos	1907? I-C		built by I-C or S-BC?
59.46	Paredones, BC	1909? I-C		2 story adobe, photo p. 81
83.05	Algodones, BC	1909? I-C		CS #22?, photo p. 81

SUD-PACIFICO DE MEXICO

The original line from Nogales to Guaymas was completed October 25, 1882 by the Ferrocarril de Sonora (FdeS).  This line was a subsidiary of the Atchisen, Topeka, & Santa Fe (ATSF).  In July 1898, the FdeS was leased to the SP in exchange for the Mojave to Needles line in California.  In December 1911, SP purchased the FdeS from the ATSF.  It was renamed Sud-Pacific de Mexico (SPdeM) and completed the line to Guadalajara in 1927.  Construction was seriously delayed by the Mexican Revolution, and problems building in the mountainous Barrancas area.  This line was nationalized on December 21, 1951.⁴
(Signor, John, and John Kirchner.  The Southern Pacific of Mexico and the West Coast Route)

KP	Station Name	Built Builder	Destroyed	Information and photographs	L x W
0.0	Nogales, Son	1882 ATSF or FdeS	razed, 1898	1st, built on border, shared with the other road
0.0	Nogales, Son	1898 FdeS	razed, 1960's	2nd,entirely in Mexico due to border change photo p. 63
87.0	Magdalena, Son	SPdeM	standing	photo p. 30
209	Carbo, Son	SPdeM	standing, *
282	Hermosillo, Son	SPdeM	standing, *	photo p. 31
316	Torres, Son	SPdeM	standing, *
371	Ortiz, Son	SPdeM	standing, *	CS#22?, photo p. 27
415	Empalme, Son	SPdeM	razed, late 1960's	on map p. 36;  photo provided by Charles Jay
512	Corral, Son	SPdeM	standing, *
593	Navojoa, Son	SPdeM	standing, *
733	San Blas, Sin	SPdeM	standing, *	photo p. 77
802	Bamoa, Sin	SPdeM	standing, *	photo p. 75
951	Culiacan, Sin	SPdeM	standing, *
1003	Quila, Sin	SPdeM	standing, *
1071	La Cruz, Sin	SPdeM	standing, *
1172	Mazatlan, Sin	1924? SPdeM	standing, *
1320	Acaponeta, Nay	SPdeM	standing, *
1486	Tepic, Nay	SPdeM	standing, *	photo p. 84
1602	Ixtlan, Nay	1925 SPdeM	standing, *
1624	Barrancas, Jal	SPdeM	standing, *	photo p. 89
1653	La Quemada, Jal	SPdeM	standing, *
1662	Magdalena, Jal	SPdeM
1688	Tequila, Jal	SPdeM	standing, *	photo p. 95
1701	Amatitan, Jal	SPdeM
1762	Guadalajara, Jal	SPdeM	NdeM standing, *	shared with NdeM beginning in 1927

RAMALS DEL SUD-PACIFICO DE MEXICO
Ramal	KP	Station Name	Built Builder	Destroyed	Information and photographs	L X W
Alamos	62.30	Alamos, Son	SPdeM
Guaymas	8.40	Guaymas, Son	SPdeM	standing	built of stone
Del Rio	124.90	Del Rio, Son	SPdeM
El Dorado	23	El Dorado, Sin	SPdeM	standing, *
Hermosillo	3.80	Union, Son	SPdeM
Naco	0.00	Naco, Son	SPdeM	standing, *	photo p. 27
Naco	47.30	Del Rio, Son	SPdeM
Naco	61.50	Cananea, Son	SPdeM	standing, *
Tonichi	155.50	Tonichi, Son	SPdeM