Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (N de M)
Published: January 4, 2026
By: Adam Burns
For much of the twentieth century, Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México—better known by its classic initials N de M, and later as FNM/Ferronales—was more than a transportation company. It was a physical expression of Mexican statecraft: a sprawling network meant to bind distant regions to the capital, channel exports to ports and border crossings, and project federal authority across mountains, deserts, and tropical lowlands. Its story runs through nearly every major political and economic shift Mexico experienced from the late Porfirian era to the neoliberal reforms of the 1990s.
A pair of handsome NdeM FP9s, led by #7022, have train #7 at Felipe Pescador, Mexico in June, 1964. Rick Burn photo.Origins: Railroads before “Nacionales”
Railroading arrived in Mexico during the nineteenth century through a long series of concessions and financing schemes—many driven by foreign capital, foreign engineering expertise, and the commercial priorities of export-oriented development. Mexican governments saw railroads as strategic infrastructure: lines were expected to connect the interior to ports, improve internal trade, and accelerate modernization. Early efforts were intermittent and vulnerable to political instability, but by the last decades of the century, rail construction became a centerpiece of national development policy.
That transformation is strongly associated with the long administration of Porfirio Díaz (the Porfiriato), which promoted industrial growth, mining expansion, and deeper integration with U.S. and global markets. Railroads—often built and operated by large companies with substantial foreign ownership—expanded rapidly, linking Mexico City with regional centers and opening direct corridors to the United States and the Gulf Coast.
Consolidation and the Birth of Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México
By the early 1900s, the rail map of Mexico included major systems that sometimes competed, sometimes overlapped, and often depended on complex financial arrangements. Mexican policymakers increasingly favored consolidation: a unified or coordinated network was seen as more efficient, easier to regulate, and better aligned with national priorities.
A key milestone came with the creation of Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México in the early twentieth century, tied to a broader strategy to group and consolidate major lines. Mexican government sources commonly date the company’s creation to March 28, 1908, emphasizing the fusion of major rail enterprises and the effort to stabilize and rationalize the system.
In practice, the firm and its predecessor arrangements absorbed or coordinated important components of Mexico’s rail network, including lines reaching major border gateways and commercial hubs. One especially significant development was the strengthening of the trunk link between Mexico City and the U.S. frontier—vital both for trade and for passenger movement—helping establish the “national” character that the company’s name implied.
NdeM G16 #7311 at Escubedo, Mexico in September, 1965. Rick Burn photo.A Railroad in Revolution
If the Porfirian age celebrated the railroad as a symbol of modernity, the Mexican Revolution demonstrated how quickly the same infrastructure could become contested terrain. Railways became strategic assets: armies needed rolling stock and rails for mobility, supply, and control of territory. Lines were sabotaged, bridges destroyed, and equipment commandeered. Beyond the immediate damage, the revolutionary decade strained finances and complicated ownership and management.
Even so, the central reality remained: Mexico’s long distances and challenging geography made rail indispensable. The postrevolutionary state, eager to consolidate authority and stimulate growth, treated the rail network as a tool for national integration—not just commerce.
Nationalization: From Mixed Control to a State Railroad
The decisive shift toward a fully state-centered railroad came in the late 1930s under President Lázaro Cárdenas. Here the historical record often distinguishes between expropriation actions and the subsequent reorganization of operations and ownership.
Contemporary accounts note the expropriation of Mexican rail properties in June 1937, describing the transfer of rail assets into state hands.
Other sources frame the “National Railways of Mexico” as Mexico’s state-owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, reflecting how the reorganized, consolidated state railroad functioned institutionally from the following year.
Regardless of which date one emphasizes, the meaning is clear: by the late 1930s, Mexico had chosen a model in which the national rail system would be guided as public infrastructure—expected to serve broad economic and social goals, even when that conflicted with narrow profitability.
System Map (1952)
Mid-Century Operations: Freight, Passengers, and Nation-Building
In the decades after nationalization, N de M became the backbone of long-distance inland transport. Mexico’s rail corridors served multiple purposes:
- Freight movement of minerals, agricultural goods, and industrial output.
- Passenger services, including long-distance trains that connected Mexico City with regional capitals and border cities.
- Strategic connectivity, ensuring that remote regions were not isolated from national markets and administrative reach.
Passenger rail, in particular, played a major social role during the mid-twentieth century, when highways and aviation were less dominant than they would later become. At its peak, the N de M system was not only a utility but a cultural reference point—stations, named trains, and rail corridors woven into daily life.
The system also had to respond to global technological change. Across North America, railroads shifted from steam to diesel-electric power; Mexico followed that general trend, modernizing motive power and infrastructure where budgets allowed. But modernization competed with other demands: maintaining vast track mileage, serving routes with uneven traffic, and operating within public-sector constraints.
From a railfan perspective, the railroad operated numerous classic diesel models that could be found throughout the U.S. including Alco C420s, C628s, and even former Santa Fe PAs; Baldwin's unique "Centipede"; and numerous EMD models ranging from F2s to FP9s and SD45s. There were also unique builds for the railroad like th EMD G12 and G16.
NdeM F7A #6312 is ahead of a short train #64 near the coach yards in Mexico City in September, 1965. Rick Burn photo.The Late 20th Century Challenge: Competition, Costs, and the Search for Reform
By the 1970s and 1980s, many national rail systems around the world faced similar problems: rising costs, intense competition from highways and trucking, and capital backlogs. Mexico’s railways were no exception. Financial pressures and operational inefficiencies—made harder by the sheer scale of the network—pushed policymakers toward restructuring.
A major turning point came in 1987, when the Mexican government merged N de M with other regional rail operators into a broader parastatal framework widely associated with the name Ferronales (often abbreviated FNM). The goal was to streamline management and coordinate operations across the country’s rail regions.
This consolidation, however, did not eliminate fundamental challenges. Freight rail still mattered enormously, but the business required investment and commercial flexibility. Passenger services, often politically popular, were increasingly difficult to sustain at scale.
Privatization: The Concession Era of the 1990s
Mexico’s broader economic reforms in the 1990s—market liberalization, privatization of state enterprises, and new investment strategies—reached the railways in a dramatic way. In 1995, Mexico pursued a legal and structural path enabling the privatization of the national railroad system via long-term concessions. Under this approach, the infrastructure and operating rights were reorganized and auctioned or granted as concessions, typically around 50 years, to private operators responsible for running and maintaining the network segments they controlled.
In simplified form, the state moved from being the direct operator to being the grantor and regulator of concessions. Major freight corridors were grouped into principal systems, and investors could compete for them. The shift aligned Mexico with broader global trends in rail reform—especially where governments sought investment, productivity gains, and relief from operational subsidies.
One of the most consequential social outcomes of this era was the end of most traditional intercity passenger rail. As restructuring accelerated, FNM suspended passenger rail service in 1997, marking the close of an era for long-distance passenger travel under the national railroad brand.
Over the following years, the principal freight corridors were operated by new or restructured companies, including major systems such as Ferromex, Ferrosur, and others, along with important terminal arrangements in the Mexico City region.
Dissolution and Liquidation: The End of FNM as an Operator
Even after concessions shifted operations away from the old parastatal, the legal and administrative end of Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México took time. Mexican government documentation and oversight reports describe the formal liquidation framework and the publication of “Bases” to carry it out in 2001.
Summaries of the company’s timeline note that FNM was officially extinguished in 2001, while continuing to exist legally as a state entity under liquidation (Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México en Liquidación) for purposes that included asset disposition, legal matters, and related obligations.
This distinction matters: railroads leave behind more than locomotives and track. They leave rights-of-way, environmental responsibilities, pension obligations, real estate holdings, and complex legal histories. Liquidation can be a long administrative afterlife—especially for a system that once spanned a nation.
A pair of striking NdeM FP9s, led by #7022, have train #8 at Chihuahua, Mexico in June, 1964. Rick Burn photo.Legacy: What NdeM Still Means
Today, the railroad lives on in several ways.
First, in geography. Many of the principal freight corridors shaped by N de M remain the same strategic pathways used by modern concessionaires—routes linking industrial regions to ports, and connecting Mexico to the U.S. border for intermodal and bulk freight traffic.
Second, in preservation and memory. Surviving locomotives, passenger cars, and station architecture serve as touchstones for a period when rail travel helped define national mobility. Preserved equipment and museums—such as collections that include former N de M locomotives—keep the material culture of the system visible to the public.
Third, in the continuing debate over public infrastructure. N de M’s life cycle—rapid expansion under modernization policy, consolidation and nationalization under a state-building agenda, then privatization under market reform—mirrors a broader argument about what essential infrastructure should be and who should run it. Freight rail in Mexico remains economically vital. But the disappearance of most traditional passenger rail after 1997 still stands as a major watershed in how Mexicans move across their country.
Rick Burn photographed NdeM FPA-2 #6528 north of Escobedo, Mexico in September 1965 while aboard train #7.Conclusion: A Railroad as a Mirror of Modern Mexico
The history of Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México is, in many respects, the history of modern Mexico told through steel rails. It begins with nineteenth-century ambitions to connect a vast and varied country. It accelerates under Porfirian industrial modernization and foreign investment. It is tested and battered during revolution.
It becomes an arm of the postrevolutionary state through expropriation and nationalization in the late 1930s. It struggles with the late twentieth century’s economic and technological pressures. And it ends—at least as an operator—through the concession-based privatizations of the 1990s, followed by formal dissolution and liquidation in 2001.
Yet N de M is not simply a defunct company name. It remains a framework for understanding how Mexico tried—again and again—to solve a central problem of nationhood: how to bind together distant regions, expand opportunity, and move people and goods efficiently across a difficult landscape. For most of the twentieth century, the answer ran on rails stamped N de M.
Diesel Roster (Pre-1987)
Alco
| Model Type | NdeM Number | FNM Number | Serial Number | Completion Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PA4 | 16 & 17 | 16 & 17 | 76535, 76537 | 10/1948–11/1948 |
Ex-D&H 16 & 17 < nee ATSF PA1 59L & 60L.
Disposition: #16 to Smithsonian Institute (Portland, Oregon) to Museum of American Railroad for restoration; #17 to Nat'l Railroad Museum of Mexico as FNM DH17. |
| PA4 | 18 | 18 | 76541 | 12/1948 |
Ex-D&H 18 < nee ATSF PA1 62L.
Disposition: #18 to Smithsonian Institute / Doyle McCormack; restored as “Nickel Plate 190”; to Delaware-Lackawanna. |
| PA4 | 19 | 19 | 75318 | 5/1947 |
Ex-D&H 19 < ATSF 66L < nee ATSF PA1 54B.
Disposition: #19 to Nat'l Railroad Museum of Mexico as FNM DH19. |
| C420 | 201 & 204 | 201 & 204 | 84723, 84726 | 12/1963–1/1964 | Scrapped; hi-nose; ex-Vermont Northern 201 & 204 < D&H 201 & 204 < nee LIRR 201 & 204. |
| C420 | 217 | 217 | 84788 | 5/1964 | Scrapped; hi-nose; ex-D&H 217 < nee LIRR 217. |
| C420 | 220 | 220 | 84791 | 5/1964 | Hi-nose; ex-D&H 220 < nee LIRR 220; to museum in Mérida, Mexico. |
| C628 | 601–609 | 601–609 | 3373-01–3373-09 | 3/1964–5/1964 | Ex-D&H 601–609. |
| C628 | 610–618 | 610–618 | 3407-01–3407-09 | 5/1965 | Ex-D&H 609–618. |
| S1 | 5000–5004 | -- | 71664–71668 | 9/1944 | -- |
| S6 | 5300 | -- | 81716 | 1/1956 | -- |
| S2 | 5500–5509 | -- | 72739–72748 | 8/1944 | -- |
| S2 | 5510–5519 | -- | 77450–77459 | 4/1950 | -- |
| S2 | 5520–5522 | 5522 | 78017–78019 | 6/1950 | -- |
| S4 | 5523–5530 | -- | 78616–78623 | 7/1951–8/1951 | -- |
| RS1 | 5600 (2nd) | -- | 78042 | 5/1950 | -- |
| RS1 | 5601 (2nd) & 5602 (2nd) | 5602 (2nd) | 78088, 78089 | 5/1950 | -- |
| RS1 | 5603 (2nd)–5605 (2nd) | -- | 78092–78094 | 5/1950 | -- |
| RS1 | 5606 & 5607 | -- | 77847, 77073 | 2/1950–3/1950 | Bought by ASARCo, but lettered NdeM. |
| RS1 | 5608 & 5609 | -- | 77989, 77990 | 4/1950 | -- |
| RS1 | 5610–5618 | -- | 78033–78041 | 4/1950–5/1950 | -- |
| RS1 | 5619 (2nd)–5621 (2nd) | -- | 76430–76432 | 4/1954 (uncertain) | -- |
| RS1 | (5620 & 5621) | -- | 78088, 78089 | 5/1950 | Re-#’d 5601 (2nd) & 5602 (2nd). |
| RS1 | 5622–5624 | -- | 78092–78094 | 5/1950 | -- |
| RS1 | 5622 (2nd)–5624 (2nd) | 5623 (2nd) | 81347–81349 | 10/1956 | -- |
| RS1 | 5625–5631 | 5628–5630 | 82011–82017 | 10/1956–11/1956 | -- |
| RS1 | 5632–5638 | 5634 & 5638 | 82019–82025 | 12/1956–1/1957 | -- |
| RS1 | 5639–5643 | 5639, 5640, 5642 | 82343–82347 | 1/1957–2/1957 | -- |
| RS1 | 5644–5650 | 5647 | 82348–82354 | 7/1957–8/1957 | -- |
| RS1 | 5651 | -- | 82357 | 3/1958 | -- |
| RS1 | 5652–5656 | 5654 & 5656 | 82923–82927 | 12/1958 | -- |
| RS1 | 5657–5662 | 5661 | 83619–83624 | 12/1959–1/1960 | -- |
| RS1 | 5663 | 5663 | 83680 | 3/1960 | -- |
| RSD1 | 5700–5705 | -- | 74671–74676 | 1/1946; 4/1946–5/1946 | Ex-NdeM 5600 (1st)–5605 (1st). |
| RSD35 | 5900–5904 | 5902 | 84489–84493 | 5/1963–6/1963 | A DL535. |
| RSD5 | 6900 | -- | 80884 | 11/1955 | -- |
| RSD5 | 6901 | -- | 80885 | 11/1955 | -- |
| RSD12 | 7400 & 7401 | 7401 | 82919, 82920 | 8/1958 | Hi-nose; w/ steam generator. |
| RSD12 | 7402–7408 | 7402–7407 | 83548–83554 | 12/1959–3/1960 | -- |
| RSD12 | 7409–7418 | 7410–7412, 7414, 7416–7418 | 83626–83635 | 3/1960–6/1960 | -- |
| RSD12 | 7419–7423 | 7420–7423 | 83851–83855 | 3/1961 | -- |
| RSD12 | 7424–7428 | 7424, 7425, 7427 | 83806–83810 | 4/1961 | -- |
| RSD12 | 7429–7440 | 7429, 7430, 7432, 7433, 7435–7440 | 83956–83967 | 4/1961 | -- |
| RSD12 | 7441–7457 | 7441–7455, 7457 | 84083–84099 | 8/1962 | -- |
| RSD12 | 7458–7472 | 7459, 7460, 7462–7472 | 84278–84292 | 8/1962–9/1962 | -- |
| RS3 | 6700–6703 | -- | 80124–80127 | 7/1952 | -- |
| RS3 | 6704–6706 | -- | 81894–81896 | 4/1956 | -- |
| C424 | 8100–8106 | -- | 3372-01–3372-07 | 3/1964 | Diverted to Wabash (as B901–B907) instead of delivery to NdeM. |
| C424 | 8100 (2nd)–8106 (2nd) | 8100, 8104, 8106 | 3380-01–3380-07 | 6/1964 | -- |
| C424 | 8107–8129 | 8107–8111, 8113, 8114, 8116–8122, 8126–8128 | 3372-08–3372-30 | 6/1964 | -- |
| C424 | 8130–8133 | 8130–8132 | 3382-09–3382-12 | 10/1965 | -- |
| C424 | 8134–8144 | 8135–8140, 8143, 8144 | 3428-01–3428-11 | 10/1965–11/1965 | -- |
| FPA2 | 6500 & 6501 | -- | 78724, 78275 | 11/1950 | -- |
| FPA2 | 6502A–6506A | -- | 78996–79000 | 8/1951 | #6503A rebuilt with a French engine (not successful). |
| FA2 | 6507A–6516A | -- | 78986–78995 | 7/1951–8/1951 | -- |
| FA2 | 6517A–6520A | -- | 79283–79286 | 9/1951 | -- |
| FA2 | 6519A (2nd) | -- | 80824 | 12/1953 | -- |
| FA2 | 6521A & 6522A | -- | 79742, 79743 | 3/1952 | -- |
| FPA2 | 6523A–6527A | -- | 80009, 80020–80023 | 9/1953–10/1953 | -- |
| FPA2 | 6528A–6532A | -- | 79175–79179 | 12/1953–2/1954 | -- |
| FPA2 | 6533A | -- | 79196 | 2/1954 | -- |
| FA2 | 6534A | -- | 80897 | 4/1954 | -- |
| FB2 | 6507B–6516B | -- | 79023–79032 | 7/1951–8/1951 | -- |
| FB2 | 6517B–6520B | -- | 79327–79330 | 9/1951 | -- |
| FB2 | 6519B (2nd) | -- | 80910 | 12/1953 | -- |
| FB2 | 6521B & 6522B | -- | 79766, 80009 | 3/1952 | -- |
| FB2 | 6523B–6527B | -- | 80905–80909 | 9/1953–12/1953 | -- |
| FB2 | 6528B–6533B | -- | 79206–79211 | 12/1953–2/1954 | -- |
| FB2 | 6534B | -- | 81166 | 4/1953 | -- |
MLW/Alco
| Model Type | NdeM Number | FNM Number | Serial Number | Completion Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C424 | -- | 3200 | 84837 | 12/1964 | Built by Alco; ex-CN 3200. |
| C424 | -- | 3203–3205 | M3443-02–M3443-04 | 3/1966 | Ex-CN 3203–3205. |
| C424 | -- | 3207, 3215 & 3219 | M3444-02, M3444-10, M3444-14 | 5/1966–8/1966 | Ex-CN 3207, 3215 & 3219. |
| C424 | -- | 3222 & 3226 | M3477-01, M3477-05 | 1/1967–2/1967 | Ex-CN 3222 & 3226. |
| C424 | -- | 3234 | M3478-06 | 5/1967 | Ex-CN 3234. |
General Electric
| Model Type | NdeM Number | FNM Number | Serial Number | Completion Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U30C | 701–706 | -- | 36232–36237 | 2/1967–3/1967 | Ex-D&H 701–706. |
| U30C | 707–712 | -- | 36493–36498 | 12/1967 | Ex-D&H 707–712. |
| U30C | 930–933 & 935 | -- | 36650–36653, 36655 | 1/1968–2/1968 | Ex-C&NW 930–933 & 935. |
| GE-7on | 5100–5102 | -- | 30010–30012 | 5/1948 | #5102 ex-Compania Terminal de Vera Cruz 52; repowered w/ Alco 251. |
| UD18B | 8000 & 8001 | -- | 32474, 32475 | 6/1956 | Hi-nose; ex-GE Demonstrators 1800 & 1801. |
| UD18B | 8002–8009 | -- | 32477, 32485 | 11/1956 | Hi-nose. |
| U36C | 9300–9318 | 9300–9318 | 40240–40256 | 1/1975–2/1975 | -- |
| C36-7 | 9317–9326 | 9317–9326 | 42269–42278 | 3/1979 | -- |
| C36-7 | 9327–9341 | 9327–9341 | 42636–42650 | 3/1980–5/1980 | -- |
| C30-7 | 6700 (2nd) | 6700 (2nd) | 42208 | 12/1978 | -- |
| C30-7 | 6701–6706 (2nd) | 6701 (2nd)–6706 (2nd) | 42651–42656 | 11/1979 | -- |
| C30-7 | 6707–6729 | 6707–6729 | 42657–42679 | 11/1979 | -- |
| C30-7 | 6730–6759 | 6730–6736, 6738–6759 | 42740–42769 | 12/1979 | -- |
| C30-7 | 6760–6784 | 6760–6762, 6764–6778, 6780–6784 | 42814–42838 | 1/1980 | -- |
| C30-7 | 6785–6799 | 6785–6799 | 43038–43052 | 7/1980 | -- |
| U36C / U36CG | 8900–8937 | 8900–8905, 8907–8917, 8919, 8920, 8922–8929, 8931–8934, 8937 | 39350–39387 | 7/1973–11/1973 | U36Cs. |
| U36C / U36CG | 8938–8957 | 8938–8943, 8945, 8946, 8948, 8951, 8952, 8954–8957 | 39797–39416 | 4/1974–5/1974 | U36CGs. |
| U36C / U36CG | 8958–8996 | 8958–8970, 8972–8978, 8980–8992, 8995, 8997 | 39768–39796 | 1/1974–3/1974 | U36Cs. |
| U18B | 9000–9019 | 9000–9005, 9007–9012, 9014–9017, 9019 | 39641–39660 | 7/1974–10/1974 | -- |
| U18B | 9020–9044 | 9020–9025, 59044 | 39661–39685 | 7/1974–10/1974 | -- |
| U23B | 9100–9121 | 9100–9102, 9114–9117, 9119–9121 | 40326–40347 | 3/1975–5/1975 | -- |
| U23B | 9122–9129 | 9122–9129 | 40348–40355 | 5/1975–6/1975 | -- |
| B23-7 | 9130–9139 | 9130–9133, 9135–9139 | 42626–42635 | 12/1979–1/1980 | -- |
| B23-7 | 9140–9145 | 9140–9145 | 43328–43359 | 8/1980–9/1980 | -- |
| B23-7 | 9146–9177 | 9146–9160, 9161, 9162, 9164, 9167–9169 | 43328–43359 | 11/1980–1/1981 | -- |
| B23-7 | 9178–9180 | 9178–9180 | 43291–43293 | 6/1981 | -- |
| B23-7 | 10001–10013 | 10001–10013 | 43382–43394 | 10/1980–2/1981 | -- |
| B23-7 | 10014–10046 | 10014–10032, 10034–10044, 10046 | 43500–43532 | 2/1981–12/1981 | -- |
| B23-7 | 10047–10052 | 10047–10052 | 43580–43585 | 12/1981–1/1982 | -- |
| B23-7 | 12000–12006 | 12000–12003, 12005, 12006 | 43294–43299 | 2/1982–3/1982 | -- |
| B23-7 | 12007–12011 | 12007–12011 | 43395–43399 | 4/1982–5/1982 | -- |
EMD
| Model Type | NdeM Number | FNM Number | Serial Number | Completion Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD45 | 801 | 801 | 32642 | 6/1966 | D&H 801 < nee EMD Demos 4354. |
| SD45 | 802 & 803 | 802 & 803 | 31694, 31695 | 1/1966 | D&H 802 & 803 < nee EMD Demos 4352 & 4353. |
| GA8 | 5400–5409 | 5401, 5403, 5405, 5409 | 29080–29089 | 9/1964–11/1964 | Narrow gauge (3-ft). |
| GA8 | 5410–5416 | 5410, 5412, 5416 | 32278–32284 | 6/1967 | Narrow gauge (3-ft). |
| GA8 | 5417 & 5418 | 5417 & 5418 | 32298, 32570 | 6/1955; 5/1956 | Narrow gauge (3-ft); ex-Coahuila & Zacatecas 801 & 802. |
| G12 | 5801–5805 | 5800, 5802–5805 | 21159–21164 | 12/1955–1/1956 | -- |
| G12 | 5806–5825 | 5806, 5808–5814, 5816–5818, 5821, 5823 | 22605–22624 | 10/1956–11/1956 | -- |
| G12 | 5826–5832 | 5826–5828, 5830, 5832 | 22884–22890 | 10/1956–12/1956 | -- |
| G12 | 5833–5840 | 5833, 5834, 5837 | 24722–24729 | 8/1958 | -- |
| G12 | 5841–5854 | 5842–5844, 5846–5848, 5851–5854 | 25918–25931 | 6/1960 | -- |
| G12 | 5855–5864 | 5855–5858, 5861, 5863, 5864 | 26716–26725 | 9/1961 | -- |
| G12 | 5865–5878 | 5866–5878 | 27842–27855 | 9/1961 | -- |
| G12 | 5879 | 5879 | 28343 | 3/1963 | -- |
| G12 | 5880–5889 | 5880–5889 | 29070–29079 | 6/1964–9/1964 | The 5800s were originally A-1-A trucked; center axle later removed. |
| GP7 | 6600 | 6600 | 16114 | 3/1952 | -- |
| GP7 | 6601 | 6601 | 16115 | 3/1952 | -- |
| F2A | 6200A–6206A | -- | 3528–3534 | 6/1960 | -- |
| F2A | 6207A–6213A | 6208A | 3690–3696 | 8/1946–10/1946 | All F2As & Bs rebuilt by EMD as 1350-hp F7A & F7B. |
| F2B | 6200B–6206B | -- | 3535–3541 | 8/1946–10/1946 | All F2As & Bs rebuilt by EMD as 1350-hp F7A & F7B. |
| F2B | 6207B–6213B | -- | 3697–3703 | 10/1946 | All F2As & Bs rebuilt by EMD as 1350-hp F7A & F7B. |
| FP7 | 6300–6308 | -- | 10888–10896 | 12/1949 | -- |
| FP7 | 6309 | -- | 11011 | 1/1950 | Built as NdeM 6319; re-#’d to 6309. |
| FP9 | 7010–7019 | 7010–7019 | 22530–22539 | 8/1956–10/1956 | -- |
| FP9 | 7020–7034 | 7020–7034 | 22651–22665 | 10/1956–11/1956 | Source had “2651-22665”; normalized as 22651–22665. |
| GP9 | 7100 | 7100 | 22906 | 10/1956 | Delivered as 6602; then re-#’d to 7100. |
| GP9 | 7101 (2nd) & 7102 (2nd) | 7101 (2nd) & 7102 (2nd) | 25444, 25445 | 6/1959 | -- |
| GP9 | 7103–7107 | 7103–7107 | 24702–24708 | 8/1958 | #7101 & #7102 wrecked; rebuilt as 7101 (2nd) & 7102 (2nd). |
| G16 | 7300–7312 | 7300, 7303, 7304, 7306, 7308–7312 | 24709–24721 | 8/1958–9/1958 | -- |
| G16 | 7313–7322 | 7313–7318, 7320–7322 | 25932–25941 | 7/1960 | -- |
| G16 | 7323 | -- | 26017 | 8/1960 | -- |
| GP18 | 7501–7517 | 7504, 7507, 7511, 7517 | 26726–26743 | 6/1961–8/1961 | -- |
| GP18 | 7518 & 7519 | 7518 | 26670, 26671 | 8/1961 | -- |
| GP35 | 8200–8214 | 8200–8204, 8206–8213 | 29040–29054 | 8/1964–12/1964 | -- |
| GP35 | 8215–8229 | 8215–8229 | 29055–29069 | 8/1964–12/1964 | Hi-nose; w/ steam generator. |
| GP35 | 8230–8254 | 8230–8244, 8246, 8248, 8250–8254 | 30713–30737 | 10/1965 | Some GP35s converted by FNM to GP38Ms. |
| GP40 | 8400–8409 | 8400–8405, 8407–8409 | 32253–32262 | 6/1967 | -- |
| SD40 | 8500–8502 | 8500–8502 | 33895–33897 | 6/1968 | -- |
| SD40 | 8503, 8505, 8508–8511, 8513–8521 | 8503–8521 | 33385–33403 | 5/1968–6/1968 | -- |
| SDP40 | 8522–8531 | 8522–8531 | 33371–33380 | 5/1968 | -- |
| SDP40 | 8532–8535 | 8532–8535 | 36156–36159 | 5/1970 | -- |
| SD40 | 8536–8575 | 8536–8544, 8546–8575 | 38893–38932 | 11/1971–12/1971 | -- |
| SD40 | 8576–8585 | 8576–8585 | A2603–A2612 | 2/1972 | Built in Canada by GMDD. |
| SD40-2 | 8700–8703 | 8700–8703 | 712426–712429 | 9/1972 | -- |
| SD40-2 | 8704–8709 | 8704–8709 | 712430–712435 | 9/1972 | -- |
| SD40-2 | 8710–8715 | 8710–8715 | 712607–712612 | 12/1972 | -- |
| SD40-2 | 8716–8755 | 8716–8722, 8724–8742, 8744–8755 | 712852–712891 | 11/1973–12/1973 | -- |
| SD40-2 | 8756–8767 | 8756–8761, 8763–8767 | 756108-1–756108-12 | 12/1975 | -- |
| SD40-2 | 8768–8777 | 8768–8777 | 798047-1–798047-10 | 2/1980 | -- |
| SD40-2 | 8778–8796, 8798 | 8778–8798 | 798077-1–798077-21 | 8/1980–9/1980 | Built in Canada. |
| SW1504 | 8800–8829 | 8800–8829 | 712667-71296 | 5/1973 | Serial appears truncated in source (“712667-71296”). Preserved as-is. |
| SW1504 | 8830–8859 | 8830–8859 | 712697–712726 | 5/1973 | -- |
| GP38-2 | 9200–9219 | 9200, 9202–9219 | 75633-1–75633-20 | 6/1975 | -- |
| GP38-2 | 9220–9299 | 9220–9225, 9227–9241, 9243–9282, 9284–9299 | 756076-1–756076-80 | 10/1975–12/1975 | -- |
| GP38-2 | 9400 | 9400 | 756076-81 | 12/1975 | -- |
| GP38-2 | 9401–9404 | 9401–9405 | 756056-1–756056-4 | 10/1975 | -- |
| GP38-2 | 9405–9414 | 9405–9410, 9412–9414 | 788030-1–788030-10 | 3/1979 | -- |
| MP15AC | 9801–9825 | 9801–9825 | 818040-1818040-25 | 6/1983 - 7/1983 | -- |
| GP38-2 | 9901–9909 | 9901–9909 | 818041-1–818041-10 | 6/1983–7/1983 | -- |
Baldwin Locomotive Works
| Model Type | NdeM Number | FNM Number | Serial Number | Completion Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR64-2000 | 6000 & 6001 | -- | 70320, 70321 | 12/1944; 3/1945 | Scrapped; ex-Baldwin Demonstrators 2000 & 2001; both had two VO-1000 engines. |
| DR64-2000 | 6100 | -- | 72671 | 8/1946 | B-unit. |
| DR 12-8-1500/2 | 6400 | -- | 72672 | 4/1947 | Originally delivered w/ steam generator; later converted to freight; all scrapped. |
| DR 12-8-1500/2 | 6401–6407 | -- | 72673–72679 | 1/1948–5/1948 | Originally delivered w/ steam generator; later converted to freight; all scrapped. |
| DR 12-8-1500/2 | 6408–6413 | -- | 72680–72685 | 6/1948–7/1948 | Originally delivered w/ steam generator; later converted to freight; all scrapped. |
| AS616 | 6800–6809 | 6809 | 75981–75990 | 3/1954–4/1954 | 6809 re-powered w/ EMD engine. |
| AS616 | 6810–6819 | 6814 | 75991–76000 | 4/1954–5/1954 | 6814 re-powered w/ EMD engine. |
NdeM Shop Builds
| Model Type | NdeM Number | FNM Number | Serial Number | Completion Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLP-6 | 7108 | 7108 | -- | (unknown)/1965 | Built by NdeM with parts from F-units and a GP7. |
Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW)
| Model Type | NdeM Number | FNM Number | Serial Number | Completion Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M630 | 8600–8809 | 8600, 8601, 8605–8609 | M6064-01–M6064-10 | 6/1972–8/1972 | -- |
| M630 | 8610–8619 | 8610–8612, 8613, 8617–8619 | M6064-11–M6064-20 | 6/1972–8/1972 | -- |
| M424W | 9501–9555 | 9501–9555 | 6114-10–6114-65 | 7/1980–5/1981 | Built with North American cab. |
Timetables (August, 1952)
Recent Articles
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California High-Speed Rail Chief Resigns
Oct 30, 26 08:36 PM
Ian Choudri resigned October 28, 2026 as chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The board named Joe Stephenshaw interim chief executive. -
The 1910 Portal Bridge Is Handed Over for Demolition
Oct 30, 26 04:03 PM
Amtrak handed the 1910 Portal Bridge over for demolition on October 29, 2026, during the final cutover to Portal North. Regular NJ Transit and Amtrak schedules are expected November 15. -
Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern Merger Review Runs to 2027
Oct 30, 26 03:59 PM
Union Pacific says the Surface Transportation Board's review of the Norfolk Southern merger gathers information through May 28, 2027. A closing still depends on board approval. -
Amtrak Board Will Hear Restructuring Comments on November 10
Oct 30, 26 03:41 PM
Amtrak's board will hear public comments on its restructuring on November 10, 2026, from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern. Written comments were due October 30. A proposal goes to the board in December. -
Canadian Pacific Selkirk 5931 Restored in Calgary
Oct 30, 26 01:36 PM
Heritage Park in Calgary unveiled a cosmetic restoration of Canadian Pacific 2-10-4 No. 5931 on October 27, 2026. One of two surviving Selkirks. It stays on display. -
Gettysburg Railway to Host Steam for Lincoln
Oct 30, 26 01:18 PM
Northern Central Railway of York No. 17 will recreate Lincoln's arrival at Gettysburg on November 18, 2026, with public steam trips November 19-21. -
NC&StL No. 576 to Steam for the Public in Nashville
Oct 30, 26 01:00 PM
Nashville Steam will fire NC&StL 4-8-4 No. 576 for the public on November 7, 2026, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 220 Willow Street. Admission is free. -
Pennsylvania Railroad E8s Join the T1 Trust
Oct 30, 26 12:38 PM
The T1 Trust has acquired former Pennsylvania Railroad E8A diesels 5702A and 5761A from the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. They are bound for Cumberland. -
Ligonier Valley Railroad: History, Roster, Timetable
Oct 30, 26 12:03 PM
The Ligonier Valley Railroad ran 10.5 miles from Latrobe to Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Opened December 1, 1877. Last day August 31, 1952. -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 30, 26 10:25 AM
Toledo, Peoria & Western diesel locomotives, each frame once. Thirteen Alcos, three Lima-Hamilton switchers, and 26 Electro-Motive units. -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Steam Roster
Oct 30, 26 09:14 AM
Toledo, Peoria & Western steam locomotives from the Rogers Consolidations of 1895 through the 4-8-4s of 1937 -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway: Map, Roster, History
Oct 29, 26 11:12 PM
History of the Toledo, Peoria & Western. The Peoria & Oquawka, George P. McNear, the Santa Fe and Pennsylvania years, and the railroad that came back in 1989. -
Cotton Belt Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 29, 26 07:58 PM
St. Louis Southwestern diesel locomotives, each frame once. Baldwin switchers, F units, and new Cotton Belt-lettered power through the GP60s of May 1990. -
Cotton Belt Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 29, 26 06:52 PM
St. Louis Southwestern steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Ten-Wheelers, and twenty class L-1 4-8-4s. The quantity column is 297. -
Cotton Belt Railroad: Map, Logo, History, Rosters
Oct 29, 26 10:56 AM
History of the St. Louis Southwestern, the Cotton Belt Route. The Tyler Tap, Paramore's silver spike, the Thebes Bridge, the Blue Streak, and Southern Pacific control. Steam and diesel rosters are sep… -
Pere Marquette Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 11:54 PM
Pere Marquette steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Mikados, Pacifics, and 39 Berkshires. The quantity column is 503. -
Pere Marquette Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 11:48 PM
Pere Marquette diesel locomotives, each frame once. Two SW1s, 14 NW2s, three GE 70-tonners, eight E7As, and six BL2s delivered lettered Chesapeake and Ohio. The quantity column is 33. -
Pere Marquette Railway: Map, Logo, Rosters, History
Oct 28, 26 11:44 PM
History of the Pere Marquette Railway. Timber roads, the Prince years, the Van Sweringens, the Ludington car ferries, and the Chesapeake and Ohio merger of June 6, 1947. -
Nickel Plate Road (Railroad): Map, History, Rosters
Oct 28, 26 10:51 PM
History of the Nickel Plate Road, the New York, Chicago and St. Louis. The Seney syndicate, the Van Sweringens, the Berkshires, and the Norfolk and Western absorption at 12:01 a.m. on October 16, 1964… -
Nickel Plate Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 10:48 PM
Nickel Plate diesel locomotives, each frame once. Alco switchers and PAs, GP7s and GP9s, and the GP30s. The quantity column is 440. The 1950 fleet was 117. -
Nickel Plate Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 10:43 PM
Nickel Plate steam locomotives built since 1900, including the Lake Erie and Western, the Clover Leaf, and the Wheeling engines that took Nickel Plate numbers. The quantity column is 786. -
EMD "E9" Locomotives: Specs, Roster, History
Oct 28, 26 10:37 PM
EMD E9 cab units and boosters, 2,400 horsepower, built April 1954 through January 1964. Gear ratios, specifications, and the production roster by owner, serial, and order. -
NYC 4-6-4 #5344, "Commodore Vanderbilt"
Oct 28, 26 04:31 PM
NYC J-1e Hudson 5344, the Commodore Vanderbilt. Alco, November 1931. Carl Kantola’s shroud, December 1934, then a Dreyfuss bullet nose in 1939. Scrapped at Collinwood in 1954. -
New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois Railroad: A South Bend Shortline
Oct 28, 26 11:05 AM
The New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois, the Jersey Line, ran from South Bend to Pine. Singer built it in 1905. Wabash stock control came in 1926. Two diesels, and the steam the record names. -
Monon Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 10:13 AM
Monon diesel locomotives, each frame once. F3s, nine BL2s, the C420s, and eight U23Bs. The quantity column is 96. The 1951 fleet was 57. -
Monon Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 10:09 AM
Monon steam locomotives built since 1900. Twelve-Wheelers, Mikados, light Pacifics, and thirteen six-wheel switchers. The quantity column is 148. -
Monon Railroad: Map, Photos, History, Logo
Oct 28, 26 09:55 AM
History of the Monon, the Hoosier Line. The New Albany & Salem, the X at Monon, Barriger's streamliners, and the Louisville & Nashville merger of July 31, 1971. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 09:48 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas. 406 locomotives, each frame once. Baldwin switchers, Alco cab units, F units, Geeps, and the SD40-2s. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 09:43 AM
Missouri-Kansas-Texas steam locomotives built since 1900. Moguls, Mikados, Pacifics, and the narrow-gauge shop tanks. The quantity column is 715. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (Katy): Map, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 11:02 PM
History of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas, the Katy. The race into Indian Territory, Gould, the 1923 railroad, the Texas Special, and the 1988 sale. Steam and diesel rosters are linked. -
Soo Line Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 27, 26 10:55 PM
All-time diesel roster of the Soo Line and the Wisconsin Central. 786 locomotives, each frame once. Cab units, Geeps, the Milwaukee Road engines, and the SD60s. The South Shore's 24 stay on that page. -
Soo Line Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 27, 26 10:49 PM
Soo Line and Wisconsin Central steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Mikados, Pacifics, 21 Mountains, and four Lima 4-8-4s. -
Soo Line Railroad: Map, Logo, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 10:24 PM
The Soo Line, from the flour millers' railroad around Chicago to the Sault, the Wisconsin Central, and the Milwaukee Road. Steam quantity 422. Diesels 786. Canadian Pacific took full control in 1990. -
Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway: Map, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 10:32 AM
The Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern, the Dan Patch Line that became a Twin Cities belt. Steam, gas-electric mules, motor cars, and the 22 diesels, through the Soo Line. -
Minneapolis & St. Louis Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 27, 26 10:27 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Minneapolis & St. Louis. 97 locomotives, each frame once. Switchers from 1938, 35 RS-1s, the FT and F-unit cabs, two SD7s, and 23 GP9s. Builder numbers included. -
Minneapolis & St. Louis Steam Roster (Post 1900)
Oct 27, 26 10:25 AM
Minneapolis & St. Louis steam locomotives built since 1900. Moguls, Consolidations, 35 Mikados, and five Pacifics. -
Minneapolis and St Louis Railway: "The Peoria Gateway"
Oct 27, 26 09:52 AM
The Minneapolis & St. Louis, the Tootin' Louie, from the 1870 charter to the Peoria Gateway and the Chicago & North Western sale on November 1, 1960. -
Alco "PA" Locomotives: Restoration, Specs, Engine, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 12:12 AM
Alco's PA passenger cab, 297 locomotives built from 1946 to 1953. The 244 engine, the production roster, the Delaware & Hudson PA-4s, and Nickel Plate Road 190. -
Milwaukee Road Diesel Roster: (All Time)
Oct 26, 26 01:44 PM
All-time diesel roster of the Milwaukee Road. 1,208 locomotives, each frame once. Alco, Baldwin, Davenport, EMD, Fairbanks-Morse, General Electric, and Whitcomb, with builder numbers. -
Milwaukee Road Steam Roster (All-Time): Post-1900
Oct 26, 26 01:38 PM
Milwaukee Road steam locomotives built since 1900. Prairies, Mikados, the N-class articulateds, the S-class 4-8-4s, and the Hiawatha Atlantics and Hudsons. Quantity column 1,974. Unique frames 1,951. -
Milwaukee Road: Map, Electrification, Logo, History
Oct 26, 26 01:20 PM
The Milwaukee Road, from the Milwaukee & Mississippi of 1850 to the Pacific Coast Extension, the Hiawathas, and the Soo Line sale. Why Lines West should have stayed. -
Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad: Map, Roster, History
Oct 25, 26 11:38 PM
Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad, reporting mark LSI, from the Marquette Range to the Presque Isle ore dock. The 1954 steam list and the diesels the railroad owned. -
Kansas City Southern Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 25, 26 09:09 PM
Steam locomotives of the Kansas City Southern built since 1900, with the Louisiana & Arkansas and the Texas company. -
Kansas City Southern Diesel Roster (Built New)
Oct 25, 26 11:46 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Kansas City Southern. E units, F units, Geeps, SD40s through SD70ACes, Fairbanks-Morse, Baldwin, Alco, and General Electric, with serials and order numbers. -
Kansas City Southern Railway: Map, Photos, History
Oct 25, 26 12:24 AM
The Kansas City Southern, from Arthur Stilwell's Gulf line to Canadian Pacific Kansas City on April 14, 2023. Steam and diesel rosters, the Southern Belle, and the Louisiana & Arkansas. -
Indiana Harbor Belt Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 25, 26 12:17 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Indiana Harbor Belt. 202 locomotive frames, each counted once. NW2s, SW7s, SW1500s, road switchers, and gensets. Slugs and boosters are outside the count. -
Indiana Harbor Belt Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 25, 26 12:13 AM
Steam locomotives of the Indiana Harbor Belt built since 1900. 182 engines, each counted once. 0-6-0s, 2-6-0s, 0-8-0s, and 2-8-2s. The three U-4a switchers are three-cylinder Brooks engines of 1927. -
Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad: Map, Rosters, History
Oct 25, 26 12:00 AM
Indiana Harbor Belt, the inner belt across the Calumet, from the East Chicago Belt of May 16, 1896. Renamed June 29, 1907. Still operating, headquarters Hammond. Steam roster is the companion, 182 loc… -
NYC's "P Motor" Electric Locomotives
Oct 24, 26 11:43 PM
New York Central P motors: 22 Alco-GE 2-C+C-2 electrics, Cleveland Union Terminal 1050–1071, class P-1a. 3,030 hp one-hour on 3,000-volt DC catenary, then 660-volt third rail as P-2a and P-2b. -
Illinois Terminal Car Roster
Oct 24, 26 11:40 PM
Illinois Terminal cars. Mainline motors, the 1948 streamliners, sleepers, Alton and Valley Division cars, express motors, and the line cars rebuilt from pull cars.
