Re: Double headed ng Baldwins and snowy mountains in Patagonia

Re - freight hauled on the Jacobacci - Esquel line: freight was primarily that used or produced as part of a rural economy, much of it involved with sheep and cattle. There was considerable traffic in the 1960s and 1970s delivering material for the dam and hydroelectric facilities on the Futuleufu River near Esquel. Passenger service started to be offered in 1950, and included first and second class cars as well as a rare 2ft 6in dining car. After new roads made the narrow gauge obsolete, it was the passenger operation that caused a sufficient level of protest to derail abandonment plans.

Continuing right along with the story - story telling is the aim here. Crystal clear photos are out there, and hopefully some NGDF members will step right up and post them. In my earlier post I was checking out the antique water pumping system at Norquinco. Here is the one-cylinder engine and belt drive system for the pump. It kind of reminds me of the hoist engine for the Chama coal tower.



The belt drive to the pump



While the pump was filling the tenders, the engine crew and mechanic were busy lubricating the running gear of the engines with a grease pump



My wife Patsy was using the opportunity of the service stop to take photos of the train and scenery. However when the train was rolling along she was happy to be safely inside rather than hanging out on the platforms or the engine cab, which were my preferred locale. For a time the ladies were commandeering the dining car as a women-only refuge, no men allowed in the "hen house".