Sign in

Private company

Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán

Narrow-gauge railroad in Yucatán, Mexico

Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán (UdeY) was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad that operated in the states of Yucatán and Campeche in Mexico from 1902 to 1975.2 It is headquartered in Mérida.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1902Founded1
  • HeadquartersMérida1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

Ferrocarriles Unidos De Yucatan, No. 39 (14564184943)
Photo: SMU Central University Libraries, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán (UdeY) was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad that operated in the states of Yucatán and Campeche in Mexico from 1902 to 1975.2

The story

The Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán (United Railways of Yucatan) was founded on November 1, 1902, by the merger of three railroads; F. C. Merida a Valladolid, F. C. Merida a Calkini, and F. C. Merida a Peto, operating in the Yucatán Peninsula.

The last two 4-4-0 steam locomotives (Nos. 80 and 81) built by Baldwin Locomotive Works were made for this railroad in 1946. Locals nicknamed its locomotives as toros de fuego (bulls of fire).

Other than a standard gauge line between Yucatán's capital city of Mérida and the port of Progreso, all lines in the Peninsula were narrow gauge.

In 1950, rail lines were finally connected from the rest of Mexico, which used 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge. After the rail unification, the FUdeY line between Merida and Campeche and thence the rest of Mexico was converted to standard. In 1975, the company was merged into Ferrocarriles Unidos del Sureste.

From Wikipedia’s article on Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Acquisitions

  1. Succeeded by Ferrocarriles Unidos del Sureste1

Timeline

  1. 1975Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1902Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4