Re: A day with 2'6'' gauge 2-8-0 number 1320 hauling sugar cane

Our 2-week TUT trip to Cuba started in Miami on March 2, 2002 with an American Eagle flight to Havana...well, not exactly. We left Miami on time, and having lucked out with a window seat, I was enjoying the scenery flying over the Floriday keys. When we were over Key West, the plane made a big sweeping turn and started circling around Key West. We kept circling around Key West for what seems like an hour until the pilot announced that we did not have landing permission by Havana Air Control and that we were returning to Miami. Apparently the airline had not notified Havana that we were coming. While this issue was being resolved we had to fly back to Miami to refuel the aircraft. In Miami we got off the plane and returned to the terminal. After a couple of hours the issues appeared to be resolved, we reboarded the aircraft and this time we made it all the way.

By March 11, when we arrived at the Mal Tiempo sugar mill in Cruce, about 140 miles east of Havana, these difficulties were pretty much forgotten and the trip went very smoothly. TUT had organized a charter trip on the 2'6'" narrow gauge out to the sugar cane loading facilities at Portrerillo, roughly 15 miles from the mill. This turned out to be a combination charter and revenue run, as we took empties out to Portrerillo, and returned with loads.

Here outside frame 2-8-0 1320, built by Baldwin in June,1909, is heading out of the mill yard with an auxiliary water tender and two cabooses to accomodate our group.







For the first few miles our train ran with just the short consist before picking up a string of empty cane cars along the way





(to be continued)