In addition to the current strike, the line suffered serious washouts last March. Apparently the washout between Esquel and El Maiten has been repaired, but the washout between El Maiten and Ingeniero Jacobacci is more serious and has not yet been repaired.
Here is a link to pix taken when I visited back in the 1970's, and a second link to pix taken last March on a Farrails photo charter.
The map in the first album suggests some of the political problems faced by the railway. Most of the tourist trains on the railway run out of Esquel and to a lesser degree El Maiten in the province of Chubut, but over half of the railway is in the province of Rio Negro, with very few trains running out of Ing. Jacobacci. Rio Negro probably has much less interest in spending money to keep the line going.
Esquel line in 1970's
Esquel line last March
JBWX
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/2013 11:46AM by John West.