Two railroad stations served Mexico City in 1964, bright, modern Buenavista station for National de Mexico’s standard gauge patrons, and across town the 1878-built San Lazaro, terminal for a remnant of the 36-inch Ferrocarril Interoceanico. On the morning of July 5, 2-8-0 number 282, a 1921-built Baldwin, simmers quietly, waiting to take train 128, the daily local, 32 miles up the line to Ozumba. Despite the impressive dome of the 18th-century Parroquia (Parish) de la Santa Cruz y la Soledad in the background, this is not a neighborhood where tourists linger after dark. In a half-century the railroad, the station and the most of the neighborhood will be swept away by redevelopment and a metro station.
