Steam Locomotives in the History of Technology of Mexico

Abstract

Mexican history is full of interesting facts connected not only to social and political issues but also to engineering practice and technology development. This was the case with steam locomotives during the first half of the twentieth century. An essential means for the transportation of persons and goods, especially in a country with such a difficult terrain and agriculture land situation, railroad transportation played an important role on the years before and during the 1910–1923 civil revolution war. They also were essential to the conciliation and reconstruction times after the war, and to the industrialization in the years to come, supported by the foundation of the railroad workers unions and their outstanding participation in steam locomotives construction, as is reviewed in this paper.

The large railroad network expansion during the last and the first decades of the 19th and 20th centuries respectively, contributed enormously to set the beginning of the industrial growth of the country, in particular the iron industry, so important for construction and other productive activities. Nevertheless, those times were of social turmoil and effervescence that turn into a period of civil war among differ-ent revolutionary ideologies, mainly motivated by the need for a socioeconomic change, especially in the land ownership regime and the agriculture activities, with consequences to industry and commerce. The opposing armies used the railroad to move large number of troops from one region in the north to another region in the central part of the country, and vice versa. They also used the trains as for many strategic and support activities (noteworthy was the medical hospital-train in the army of Pancho Villa). Therefore, the railroads, the cars and the engines them-selves were also the target to infringe important damages to a given enemy.

Once a new federal constitution was signed and the pacification of the country begun, there was a period of reconstruction and social renewal, especially in rela-tion to industrial workers. Unions and the like organizations were founded and a new spirit of the working class settled in. The railroad workers participation was remarkable as they not only took part in the organization of the transportation companies but also in the equipment construction and technology improvements. This paper explores these experiences and facts that ended with the full design and fabrication of two large steam locomotives by a group of enthusiastic and well trained and organized railroad workers.