Avellaneda Park Historic Train
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The Avellaneda Park Historic Train (native name: Tren Histórico del Parque Avellaneda), colloquially known as "Expreso Alegría" ("Joy Express" in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
) is a
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
train that runs inside
Avellaneda Park Avellaneda Park ( es, Parque Avellaneda) is a public park in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located at the heart of the Parque Avellaneda neighbourhood, which takes its name from the park. Overview Nearly 5 km (3 mi) west of colonia ...
of
Parque Avellaneda Parque Avellaneda is a neighbourhood located in the Southwest of Buenos Aires. It is named after Nicolás Avellaneda Nicolás Remigio Aurelio Avellaneda Silva (3 October 1837 – 24 November 1885) was an Argentine politician and journali ...
district, in the southwest of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.


History

In 1908, the Buenos Aires Legislature carried out a public tender to build a railway that ran through the
Buenos Aires Zoo The Buenos Aires Eco Park ( es, Ecoparque de Buenos Aires) is an park in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The former zoo, opened in 1888, contained 89 species of mammals, 49 species of reptiles and 175 species of birds, with a tot ...
, which was completed and opened one year later. The train was towed by Deutz locomotives, manufactured in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. In 1929 the train was moved to
Avellaneda Park Avellaneda Park ( es, Parque Avellaneda) is a public park in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located at the heart of the Parque Avellaneda neighbourhood, which takes its name from the park. Overview Nearly 5 km (3 mi) west of colonia ...
, alleging that it would be useful to transport people to "polideportivo" (sports center) located in the park. The service was officially opened in 1936, being named ''"Expreso Alegría"'' and operated by
Genovese Genovese is an Italian surname meaning, properly, someone from Genoa. Its Italian plural form '' Genovesi'' has also developed into a surname. People * Alfred Genovese (1931–2011), American oboist * Alfredo Genovese (born 1964), Argentine ar ...
Juan Cugusi who was in charge of the service. The train departed from Clemente Onelli station. It was free for children going to the holiday home of the park, three times a week. Some versions state that the rolling stock was manufactured by
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
company
Decauville Decauville () was a manufacturing company which was founded by Paul Decauville (1846–1922), a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to steel ...
. The train ran a short circular track of 1,300 m inside Avellaneda Park, surrounding the "Casona Olivera (Olivera Mansion)", a former
farmstead A homestead is an isolated dwelling, especially a farmhouse, and adjacent outbuildings, typically on a large agricultural holding such as a ranch or station. In North America the word "homestead" historically referred to land claimed by a settle ...
bought by Domingo Olivera in 1868 for
cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...
and originally named "Estancia Los Remedios". The house also served as
military barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...
and
field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...
during some armed conflicts in Buenos Aires. In 1912 Olivera sold the house to the Government of Buenos Aires with the condition that a park should be built there. In 1912 the "Olivera Park" (then renamed "Avellaneda") was opened and the house preserved. Other points approached by the train were the "Garden of Meditation", the carrousel, the former swimming centre, the
dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
and several outdoor sculptures. The ''golden age'' of the Park Avellaneda Train was in the 1950s when two
Ruston & Hornsby Ruston & Hornsby was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Lincoln, England founded in 1918. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow gauge railway, narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of ...
diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...
s had to be added due to the increasing number of passengers. Bigger and more comfortable
coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...
were also added to service because the previous ones did not have roof.


Decline and reopening

Due to the lack of maintenance, Park Avellaneda Train ceased operations in 1998. Trains would be put into service again in 2000 but just for a few months before it was closed again. Since then, a group of neighbors worked together to bring the train back. They acquired an
Arnold Jung The Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik (Arnold Jung Locomotive Works) was a locomotive manufacturer, in particular of Feldbahn locomotives, in Kirchen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. History The firm was founded on 13 February 1885 as Jung & Staimer ...
locomotive and three
Orenstein & Koppel Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to "O&K") was a major Germany, German engineering company specialising in railway vehicles, escalators, and heavy equipment. It was founded on April 1, 1876 in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel. ...
coaches. Finally, in May 2006 the reopened line made its inaugural trip inside Avellaneda Park. An opening ceremony was conducted, and it was attended by the Chief of Government
Jorge Telerman Jorge Telerman (born November 29, 1956) is an Argentine politician and journalist. He was the fourth Chief of Government of Buenos Aires City, replacing Aníbal Ibarra between 2006 and 2007. He was previously Vice-Chief of Government, National S ...
among other personalities. Nevertheless, and despite the efforts for the reopening, the service would be closed soon after. There were several attempts to reactivate the service but they had not been carried out. The last project was sent to the Legislature in 2014. In July 2015, it was announced that the service would be reactivated after a restoration that took 9 years, The train would only run on Saturdays from 9 to 17 h. In August 2015, the locomotive and three coaches were ready to run, with the last coach (of a total of four) still under repair. The service was reopened on Saturday 29 August 2015. The trains had been repaired and restored and it was also announced that the carriages would cease to be identified by numbers, and instead use the names of well known historical figures from the neighbourhood, chosen by its residents. Similarly, the terminal station was repaired, along with the line's signals and workshop for the train. The City of Buenos Aires also announced that the train would also run on Tuesdays exclusively for school trips.


See also

*
List of heritage railways This list of heritage railways includes heritage railways sorted by country, state, or region. A heritage railway is a preserved or tourist railroad which is run as a tourist attraction, is usually but not always run by volunteers, and often seeks ...


References

{{Rail transport in Argentina Tourist attractions in Buenos Aires Railway lines in Argentina Miniature railways with unknown track gauge Railway lines opened in 1936