Re: Chasing narrow gauge steam in Argentina - February 1977
| March 06, 2024 11:26PM |
Re: Cab windows - Baldwin versus Henschel. My limited Spanish knowledge did not allow discussing such fine points with the cab crews, but from my perspective the generous Baldwin cabs were definitely a way better design.
Re: Riding the Trans Andean Railway - a topic, as suggested by John West in his most recent comment, that would complete the Argentine section of our trip. So I will take a stab at it.
After the 2 ft 6 in gauge railroad to Esquel, the next major steam operation area to be visited was the broad gauge in southern Chile centered around Temuco, where in addition to modern power like 4-8-2s, 2-8-2s, etc, there were real gems like ancient Baldwin moguls.
Getting to Temuco by train would have been feasible, but would have required days of travel in the pampa before crossing over the Andes into Chile. Instead we flew from Esquel north about 750 miles to Mendoza, the beginning of the spectacular narrow gauge (meter) Trans Andino Railway.
The flight was in two sections: Esquel - San Carlos de Bariloche, and SCdeB to Mendoza. After boarding the Boeing 727 jet operated by the Argentine Airforce, the pilot announced that this was such a beautiful day that he would give us the scenic tour to Esquel. That flight turned out to be one of the most spectacular I have ever been on. Instead of flying straight north to Bariloche, we crossed over the Andes into Chile, flying between the peaks, looking up at the glaciers and summits.
Osorno volcano in Chile is in the distance, just east of the steam-operated mainline to Puerto Montt. We would travel more than 1,500 miles to reach this area.
Osorno volcano at left and the Puntiagado volcano at right. Part of the Trans Andean lake passage is in the center
Re: Riding the Trans Andean Railway - a topic, as suggested by John West in his most recent comment, that would complete the Argentine section of our trip. So I will take a stab at it.
After the 2 ft 6 in gauge railroad to Esquel, the next major steam operation area to be visited was the broad gauge in southern Chile centered around Temuco, where in addition to modern power like 4-8-2s, 2-8-2s, etc, there were real gems like ancient Baldwin moguls.
Getting to Temuco by train would have been feasible, but would have required days of travel in the pampa before crossing over the Andes into Chile. Instead we flew from Esquel north about 750 miles to Mendoza, the beginning of the spectacular narrow gauge (meter) Trans Andino Railway.
The flight was in two sections: Esquel - San Carlos de Bariloche, and SCdeB to Mendoza. After boarding the Boeing 727 jet operated by the Argentine Airforce, the pilot announced that this was such a beautiful day that he would give us the scenic tour to Esquel. That flight turned out to be one of the most spectacular I have ever been on. Instead of flying straight north to Bariloche, we crossed over the Andes into Chile, flying between the peaks, looking up at the glaciers and summits.
Osorno volcano in Chile is in the distance, just east of the steam-operated mainline to Puerto Montt. We would travel more than 1,500 miles to reach this area.
Osorno volcano at left and the Puntiagado volcano at right. Part of the Trans Andean lake passage is in the center
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.