Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Murderer’s Birds!
Elgin Public Museum
Tynemouth Castle.
Tynemouth Priory and Castle
Fresco on the ceiling of the chapel.
Cappella Sistina
View southwest from the trilobite quarry out to Cadiz Valley.
Marble Mountains Trilobite Quarry
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
The fried green tomato sandwich comes on jalapeño cornbread toast.
Café Reconcile
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Su filindeu doesn’t cook in strands, it cooks in sheets.
How the ‘Su Filindeu’ (or ‘Threads of God’) Pasta Recipe Was Almost Lost to Time
Eroded rocks of the badlands in the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park.
Arizona’s Petrified Forest Is Changing What We Know About the Dawn of the Dinosaurs
You could probably take some of that stuff out.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Pack Light for a Long Trip?
Ripples in the land are remnants of the field walls that once held rows of native sugarcane and sweet potatoes.
Unearthing the Mysteries of Hawai'i's Ancient Agriculture

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Mexico Monterrey Museo del Ferrocarril Antigua Estación del Golfo
AO Edited

Museo del Ferrocarril Antigua Estación del Golfo

A Beaux-Arts architectural surprise and a charming nostalgic tour through northern Mexico’s railway revolution.

Monterrey, Mexico

Added By
Edward Woolley
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
Beaux-Arts architecture amongst the Vernacular   edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
October 2024 exhibit on Mexican writers.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
Old wagon and modern Metrorrey train.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
The Museum’s 2024 Día de Muertos altar.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
La Estación del Golfo with the famous Cerro de la Silla hill in the background   Leoncillo Sabino / CC BY 2.0.
  edwardwoolley / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Estación del Golfo, constructed in a very unusual architectural style, played a crucial role in the railroad revolution that swept across Mexico. Located in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, the station was the terminal of the Gulf line, which connected the western state of Coahuila to the port of Tampico on the Gulf of Mexico.

This infrastructure has connected the country in more ways than one: families could see loved ones in other states; immigration rose significantly for those looking for better opportunities; Mexico's love of food reached new heights; and even the development of the Morse Code coincided with the railroad boom.

Although the Estación del Golfo is no longer a functioning station, it has been converted into a museum that chronicles Mexico's railroad revolution. The exhibition is a charming and romantic showcase of Railwayana, personal stories, and black-and-white photography.

The building's architectural style amongst the surrounding Monterrey metropolis is extremely different. Because Mexico was behind in the world's railroad revolution, expertise was sought from abroad. American architect Zachary Taylor and English contractors Jon and William Price were commissioned for the design and build.

This foreign influence is most notably seen in the Beaux-Arts architectural style which was popular in the United States at the time; the gable roof design supported by carved wooden beams; a five-story central tower with medieval-style stone towers on the facade; the English slate and steel structure imported from America; and the Railwayana branded by American firms.

Inside the station, visitors can admire the sumptuous dark wood-clad walls, parquet floors, ornate furniture, and the beamed ceiling structure that formed the lobby. Upstairs, a hatch in the wall with black wrought iron railings, set in an ornate wooden door with the word "Boletos" written above, was once the bustling hub of ticket sales. The display of various models and photos captures how well-dressed people were at that time.

The high-quality materials and craftsmanship can be seen in the Railwayana too. You'll find manufacturers branding proudly stamped on metalwork, woodwork, and more.

These times of rapid development also established gastronomic lines along the railroads. Photos depict the mobilization of food and people across the republic, be it classy station restaurants, vendedores running along the station platform and trading through locomotive windows, or Mexico's high society being waited on in fancy dining cars. Eating at the station, on the platform, and during the journey became part of the culture that grew around the railway. Thanks to the railway, more food and different types of cuisine were being traded and eaten across the county.

Not only was cuisine mobilized, but people were too. In fact, at the Gulf station, people were at the heart of the operation, working in railroad repairs, workshops, aboard the trains, and in administration. An extensive collection of their tools and equipment is displayed, providing a window into the past.

The telegraph became vital in connecting Nuevo Leon with the other states and the world. These communication improvements fostered developments in Monterrey's trade and industry, which by no coincidence accompanied the path of the railroad.

Mexico became more connected along the railroads and beyond, influencing almost every aspect of Mexican society in some way. This became the lasting legacy, because the popularity of train travel waned as other forms of transportation became more prevalent. As such, eventually, the Estación de Golfo fell from being the vibrant transport hub it once was until it ceased operations altogether. However, in recent years, the Antigua Estación del Golfo has been restored and repurposed as a cultural center with a railroad exhibition.

Related Tags

Transportation Architecture History Railroads

Know Before You Go

The Railroad exhibition is housed in the former Estación del Golfo, now known as the "Casa de la Cultura de Nuevo Leon", on the right-most portion of the building. From the main avenue, Approach the building's five-story central tower and turn right, following the building's canopy, past the railwayana to the entrance of the Museo del Ferrocarril. The exhibition is closed on Mondays and Sundays, but open the rest of the week between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm. 

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Yucatan Family Adventure: Meteors, Pyramids & Maya Legends

Explore Maya temples and learn about the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

edwardwoolley

Edited By

linkogecko

  • linkogecko

Published

May 18, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_de_la_cultura_Estaci%C3%B3n_del_Golfo
Museo del Ferrocarril Antigua Estación del Golfo
400 Eje Metropolitano 30
Monterrey, 64570
Mexico
25.685066, -100.309785
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Librería CONARTE

Monterrey, Mexico

miles away

Palacio del Obispado (Bishopric Palace)

Monterrey, Mexico

miles away

Monumento de La Virgen Santísima de Guadalupe

Monterrey, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Monterrey

Monterrey

Mexico

Places 6

Nearby Places

Librería CONARTE

Monterrey, Mexico

miles away

Palacio del Obispado (Bishopric Palace)

Monterrey, Mexico

miles away

Monumento de La Virgen Santísima de Guadalupe

Monterrey, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Monterrey

Monterrey

Mexico

Places 6

Related Places

  • Tunnel entrance seen from the ground.

    Bramhope, England

    Bramhope Tunnel North Portal

    This Gothic castle-like portal is a testament to the amazing craftsmanship of the navvies who built the railway tunnel.

  •  Visitors to the Oklahoma Railway Museum can explore—and ride—century-old vessels restored by local train buffs.

    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

    Oklahoma Railway Museum

    A crew of die-hard train buffs spent decades turning a defunct stretch of railway in Oklahoma City into a museum now home to over 50 antique and restored trains.

  • View from Westchester Avenue.

    Bronx, New York

    Westchester Avenue Station

    Designed by famed 20th-century architect Cass Gilbert, the future of this abandoned 1908 rail station is currently in limbo.

  • East Broad Top Railroad

    Rockhill, Pennsylvania

    East Broad Top Railroad

    Catch a ride through the Pennsylvania countryside on this historic narrow-gauge railroad.

  • Sierra Leone’s National Railway Museum

    Freetown, Sierra Leone

    National Railway Museum

    After Sierra Leone's railways shut down in 1974, a collection of engines and other artifacts spent decades hidden away in this old workshop—now a museum.

  • Green and fuzzy.

    Cleveland, Ohio

    Cuyahoga Jack-Knife Bridge #464

    An abandoned, rusty old relic of railroad history stands at attention over the Cuyahoga River.

  • Ribblehead Viaduct

    Chapel-le-Dale, England

    Ribblehead Viaduct

    This incredible viaduct was part of the Victorian railway boom and helped the Midland Railway navigate tough terrain.

  • Preserved section of old viaduct.

    Llanelli, Wales

    Loughor Viaduct

    A section of a historic wooden trestle viaduct is preserved next to the railway line it once carried.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.