#nogales

Arrowhead Motel, Nogales, AZ

Rail Over the Border

Here's a southbound train crossing over the border in Nogales, Arizona into Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. A Border Patrol Agent told me this happens six to eight times a day.

The train rolled up slowly to the gate, which is right in the center of town, it stopped for a few minutes (presumably to change crews, as I had seen vans with drivers waiting), and then continued south at a slow rate. After the last car rolled through, the gate was closed.

The line south out of Tucson is now of the Union Pacific; the line on the other side of the border is Ferromex (which is short for Ferrocarril Mexicano—while that sounds like a national line, it is now a private consortium).

Going back in time, the route here on the US side was originally that of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (operating under the name of the New Mexico and Arizona Railroad) while the rail line on the Mexican side was originally the Sonora Railway (funded by the ATSF so that they would have access to the port of Guaymas on the Pacific.

Nogales, Sonora Mexico.

I love that I’m only an hour away from the border of mexico. As a kid, we used to go into Nogales all the time for blankets, tequila (the adults got the tequila of course) and other Mexican treats.

It’s a little more rundown than I remember, but it’s still a vibrant little city full of street venders, cobblestone alleyways, food, pharmacies and dentists! The dental “tourism” as they call it, seems to be pretty lucrative for the people of Nogales and tons of savings for the foreigners who come to get their dental work done.

I bought some blankets and other souvenirs including a tasty mezcal. We had lunch at a tiny little, literal hole in the wall place, and had the best chilaquiles en pollo… so good!

They have a nice, over 100 year old, church right on the downtown square…

I’ve always loved Mexican culture and people. They are hardworking and proud. If you live in Arizona, take a drive on down to Nogales.. you can park your car on the US side and just walk over the border. You can shop and have lunch… and then be back in the US same day.