Most scenic of all Mexico rail trips is the Copper Canyon run along the Chihuahua Pacific Railway. Originating at Ojinaga, a border town opposite Presidio, Texas, the trip takes you south to Chihuahua, then southwest to Los Mochis. Once past Chihuahua you're swept deep into spectacular Sierra Madre country where your adventure begins.

Rumbling across bridges, the train snakes through tunnels and passes by deep ravines. Waterfalls slip over rims of red rock where palms and ferns grow in the shade and bush poppies tumble over the sunlit slopes.

Yet all is not wild in the Sierra Madre. Juxtaposed against the forested ridges and simple huts of the Tarahumara Indians are busy towns and small adobe villages. Perhaps you'll decide to stop at Divisadero, Cerocahui, or Creel, welcome breaks in the 14 hour ride from Chihuahua to Los Mochis. All offer hotels and exciting side trips into once inaccessible canyon territory. Explore the Urique and Copper canyons by horseback. Hike along canyon rims, or go shopping in town for crafts made by the Tarahumaras.

Pullman trains make two round trips weekly between Ojinaga and Los Mochis via Chihuahua. For information or reservations you can write directly to the Chihuahua Pacific Railway, Apartado Postal 46, Chihuahua, Chih., Mexico. Or, you can arrange for a package tour from Sanborn's, McAllen, Texas 78501, or from Big Bend Travel Service, Alpine, Texas 79830. Wampler Tours (Box 45, Berkeley, CA 94701) conducts tours each year.

In addition to the above service, the line also operates streamlined vistadome Italian Fiat coaches between Ojinaga and Los Mochis by daylight only. You stop over in Chihuahua, where you'll find several good hotels, and resume the trip early the next morning.