Towards the last half of the 19th century the area around Ushuaia was established as a penal colony with prisoners arriving in 1884. Originally oxen pulled wagons along the narrow gauge rails transporting local rock, sand and timber. Between 1909 and 1910 the line was upgraded to use steam locomotives, connecting the prison camp with the forestry camp and passing along the shoreline in front of the growing town of Ushuaia. Although back then the prisoners rode on flat cars with armed guards. The railway was gradually extended further into the forest and into more remote areas as wood was exhausted. It followed the valley of the Pipo River into the higher terrain. Constant bulding allowed expansion of the prison and the town, with prisoners providing many services and goods.
The prisoners were used to construct the streets, bridges and buildings of the town of Ushuaia. Their printing shops, photography, tailoring, carpentry and medical workshops took care of the immediate needs of the population of the town as well as providing work and a trade for the inmates. The prison functioned until 1947 when it was shut down and the railroad was turned over to the Navy. In 1952 a earthquake struck the area and the railway was shut down due to damage from the earthquake..
In 1994 The End of the World Train was refurbished and began services again. A new 2-6-2T Steam Locomotive (Camila) was brought from England in 1995 and another made in Argentina at the same time the Engineer Porta a 4-4-0, providing locomotive power. For those of you who are not train buffs those numbers have to do with steam locamotive wheel arrangement. Today there are at least 6 engines some steam and a few diesel along with an impressive roster of coaches all of which you can check out in the web site below.Although the railroad now serves as a tourist attraction, it still follows along some of the same route as the convict train. When we rode the train, to our knowledge, there were no known convicts on the train. The passengers of today ride in luxurious compartments compared to the open aired flat cars of the convict's days. The cars have been enclosed, heated and have spacious windows for viewing the scenery and taking photos. We happened to luck out and board the train that was being pulled by the Ingeniero Porta 2. The web site pictures remind me of my garden railway trains perhaps because it is narrow guage. Maybe we stepped into Gullivers Travels instead of Hartmans Travels.
The departure of the Train started by a bronze bell, originaly from the Southern Buenos Aires Railway. The conductor explained in both English and Spanish a bit of the history of our train ride. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the National Park. We traveled along the Pico Valley to Cascada de la Macarena Station were we visited the water fall or ventured down to see "huts" of the Yamana people during the 15 minute stop. I took pictures of the other trains! Then "All Aboard"! The train then entered Terra del Fuego National Park and the forest, traveling through the valley below the mountains, we see where the forest has been logged many years before, finally reaching El Parque station. We continue on to see more of the park but if you visit you can take the train back for a return trip. If you'd like to learn more about the train or see the route it follows check out http://www.trendelfindelmundo.com.ar/
Perhaps we will make it to the White Pass and Yukon in 2010. Alaska is only 17,818 Km. Just have to make it to Skagway! 
1 comment:
That looks like an enlarged LGB train that barely fits people. Sponge Two would probably like your conductor hat....he has a thing for trains you know.
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