Puerto Deseado Railway
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The Puerto Deseado and Colonia Las Heras Railway (native name: "Ferrocarril Puerto Deseado a Colonia Las Heras") was a
State-owned State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownersh ...
railway company that ran between the cities of Puerto Deseado to Colonia Las Heras in Santa Cruz Province. The 283-km
broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
railway was established with the intention of encouraging settlement in Patagonia, which was sparsely populated at that point. The railway also contributed to the commercialisation of
wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...
in the region. The railway was considered the southernmost passenger railway in the world, due to other lines of the region focusing on exploitation and transport of natural resources (such as the
Comodoro Rivadavia Railway The Comodoro Rivadavia and Colonia Sarmiento Railway () was an Argentine railway company that built and operated a broad gauge line that connected the port of Comodoro Rivadavia with Colonia Sarmiento in Chubut Province. The FCCRCS -belonging ...
did with petroleum) rather than operating passenger services.


History


Background

The construction of the line was promulgated by Law N° 5559 in 1908, during José Figueroa Alcorta's presidency. Lines to be built were as follows: * Puerto San Antonio (Rio Negro) to Nahuel Huapi lake; * Puerto Deseado to link with line to Nahuel Huapi, with a branch to Comodoro Rivadavia that crossed Colonia Sarmiento. Other branches to Buenos Aires were also included in the project. The ambitious project planned to build a railway that crossed Patagonia to the northwest, then joining with the
San Antonio Oeste San Antonio Oeste is a port city in the Argentine province of Río Negro, and head of the department of San Antonio. The town is bordered by its sister communities of San Antonio Este, to the east, and Las Grutas, to the southwest. Discovered by ...
-
Bariloche San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche (), is a city in the province of Río Negro Province, Río Negro, Argentina, situated in the foothills of the Andes on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake. It is located within the Nahuel ...
line. Nevertheless, the line was not extended. Some versions stated that the railway was not expanded due to British settlers' interests in preserving the Patagonia region only for sheep farming. Other versions stated that
livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...
company "La Argentina Southern Land Company" refused the construction of a line when they realised the poor quality of the land, which would be used to finance the construction. Other reasons for the cancellation of the project were the crisis caused by the
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and some politicians that questioned the National Government's designation of funds for southern enterprises instead of sending them to the
Pampa The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazil ...
region, as well as the death of Roque Sáenz Peña in 1914.


Development

Construction began in Puerto Deseado in May 1909, with works being led by engineer Juan Briano. At the end of 1911 trains began to run up to
Pico Truncado Pico Truncado is a town and municipality in Santa Cruz Province in southern Argentina. In 1921, the village's railway station was the site of one of the few open engagements between the Argentine Army and anarchist strikers at the time of the e ...
, the first terminus of the line. During its first year of service, the PD&CLHR carried 1,235 people and 1,950 tons of cargo. By 1912 they had increased to 2,370 and 4,208 respectively. In 1912 the railway reached Las Heras, which would be its definitive terminus. Nevertheless, the National Government decided to reduce the amount of money sent to the line. In spite of the requests by regional neighborhoods demanding a longer railway line, it never happened. Besides, the route chosen for the railway was criticised due to it ran parallel to the sea, adversely competing against the ports of
Caleta Olivia Caleta Olivia is a city located at the northeast of the Argentine province of Santa Cruz, on the San Jorge Gulf by the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population of 70,304 in the . It is the second most important city of the province after Rio Gallegos, ...
, Cabo Blanco and Mazaredo because of the lower costs to transport wool by sea. One of the last proposals to extend the line came in 1927 when deputy Guillermo Fonrouge suggested to build a branch to connect Holdich station with Las Heras, also joining the
Comodoro Rivadavia Railway The Comodoro Rivadavia and Colonia Sarmiento Railway () was an Argentine railway company that built and operated a broad gauge line that connected the port of Comodoro Rivadavia with Colonia Sarmiento in Chubut Province. The FCCRCS -belonging ...
. Nevertheless, the initiative did not come to fruition. Years later, Holldich became a ghost town. The last attempt to extend the line came with the proposal of building a branch to the
oil well An oil well is a drillhole boring in Earth that is designed to bring petroleum oil hydrocarbons to the surface. Usually some natural gas is released as associated petroleum gas along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce only gas may ...
s in Cañadón Seco, to connect both railways, Puerto Deseado and Comodoro Rivadavia, although the idea would be never carried out. Fourteen stations were built along the line, with a distance of between them. Only a few stations became villages while most of them remained as simple stops along the way. After the
nationalisation Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
of the whole Argentine railway network in 1948, the Puerto Deseado Railway became part of State-owned Ferrocarril General Roca. During the 1940s, freight transport had decreased considerably. The most loaded merchandise were
sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
,
wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...
, agricultural products,
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and
lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
. Trains also carried
zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
,
iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
and
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
that came from
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
by Buenos Aires Lake and then carried in trucks to Las Heras. In 1949 brand-new
railcar A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...
s were added to the line, what contributed to increase the number of passengers. The State also built houses for employees of the railway. Trains departed from Puerto Deseado three times a week. The railcars had a capacity of 42 passengers.


Decline and closure

During the 1950s trains transported oil for private companies (therefore
YPF YPF S.A. (, formerly ; English: "Fiscal Oilfields") is a vertically integrated, majority state-owned Argentine energy company, engaged in oil and gas exploration and production, and the transportation, refining, and marketing of gas and petr ...
was not included). During the 1960s both passengers and freight services decreased resoundingly. From 1961-67 trains carried less than 10,000 people and 10 tons, with few exceptions such as 1962-63 (25 tons). In the last years of operation, lead -which was obtained from Lago Carreras in Chile- was the most carried merchandise. The Argentine Government did not make any investment in the railway, so the
rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...
became obsolete. In the 1970s passenger services were served by two old Drewry railcars at . Freight transport had decreased to one or two services in a month. Finally in 1978, the
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
government led by
Jorge Videla Jorge Rafael Videla (; ; 2 August 1925 – 17 May 2013) was an Argentine military officer and dictator, Commander in Chief of the Army, member of the Military Junta, and ''de facto'' President of Argentina from 29 March 1976 to 29 March 1981. H ...
closed the Puerto Deseado Railway. The Government alleged economic problems as the main reason for the closure as the deficit was considerably high. The line was also completely dismantled, with the wagons, workshops and locomotives sold to wrecking yards. Nevertheless, some of them were preserved. Unlike the Comodoro Rivadavia Railway, rail tracks remained intact but they would deteriorate as time passed. On December 1, 1996, the historic "Km. 200" station in
Pico Truncado Pico Truncado is a town and municipality in Santa Cruz Province in southern Argentina. In 1921, the village's railway station was the site of one of the few open engagements between the Argentine Army and anarchist strikers at the time of the e ...
was destroyed by a fire. In 2009, Correo Argentino, the National post service, released a special edition
stamp Stamp or Stamps or Stamping may refer to: Official documents and related impressions * Postage stamp, used to indicate prepayment of fees for public mail * Ration stamp, indicating the right to rationed goods * Revenue stamp, used on documents to ...
commemorating the Puerto Deseado Railway's 100th anniversary. The stamp showed a steam locomotive and the Puerto Deseado station building, c. 1930.


Post-closure


Remanent

All the PD&CLH rolling stock was dismantled and auctioned instead of preserving it from deterioration. Only one railcar made of wood would be preserved. In December 1980 the coach N° 502, that had been built by British company Lancaster in 1898, was declared provincial cultural heritage and therefore preserved. This coach had been served in
Ferrocarril Andino The Andean Railway (native name: Ferrocarril Andino) was a state-owned railway company in Argentina which, towards the end of the 19th century, built and operated a line connecting Villa María in Córdoba Province with the cities of Mendoza, ...
that connected Cuyo region with the Litoral ports. During its years of service at the PD&CLH line, the 502 was used as a first class coach and also carried troops that fought workers on strike during the Patagonia rebelde in 1921. The 502 coach currently operates as a tourism office in Puerto Deseado. Among the material preserved from destruction was a railcar built in Argentina with a 12-seat capacity. Nevertheless, it is currently abandoned. In July 2014, the historic first class P-111 coach was sent to the city of Jaramillo to be restored and preserved. That relic was abandoned in the Rawson regional hospital's backyard, where it had been left in 1986. The Secretary of Culture of Santa Cruz made the arrangements to move the wagon to Jaramillo. The P-111 was carried by truck during a four days trip, taking alternative roads to preserve it from damage since its big size didn't make it suitable to cross the narrow bridges of the region. The P-111 has a weight of 26 tons and was built in 1898.


Gallery

File:Hola fitz-001.JPG, Fitz Roy, 2014. File:Jaramillo plena.JPG, Jaramillo, 2014. File:Estacion koluel kayke.jpg, Koluel Kayke, 2014. File:Estacion truncado nomeclador.JPG, Pico Truncado ruins. File:Vagon jaramillo.JPG, The P-111 luxury wagon in Jaramillo. File:Puerto Deseado station 1.JPG, Puerto Deseado building, 2003.


Reopening projects

Since the closure of the line in 1978, there have been several projects to re-open the line, with unsuccessful results. One of them was introduced in 1996 by Chubut congressmen for the construction of the "Ferrocarril Transpatagónico". The railway line would join
San Antonio Oeste San Antonio Oeste is a port city in the Argentine province of Río Negro, and head of the department of San Antonio. The town is bordered by its sister communities of San Antonio Este, to the east, and Las Grutas, to the southwest. Discovered by ...
in Río Negro with
Río Gallegos Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...
in Santa Cruz, including the construction of a bridge between Punta Loyola and La Misión in
Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla G ...
. The project also included the reopening of Ferrocarril Puerto Deseado-Colonia Las Heras and the
Central Chubut Railway The Central Chubut Railway (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Central del Chubut) was a British-owned company that built and operated a railway line in the Argentine province of Chubut in the Patagonia region at the end of the 19th. century. History Be ...
. The project was eventually dismissed. While the railway privatisation in Argentina of 1992 was being carried out, the Argentine Railway Institute, a non-profit organisation, offered to reactivate lines in the country. Santa Cruz Province accepted the invitation, proposing to create a railway between Puerto Deseado and Puerto Chacabuco. Nevertheless, negotiations did not prosper and the railway would not be put into service. In 2007 the National Government made a call for tenders and finally concessions for the refurbishment were given to UTE (formed by companies Herso-Sonis). Works began in November 2010. In January 2013, the reopening of the line was officialised but only for the Puerto Deseado-Tellier section (20-km length), which would be completely rebuilt using 40,000 mt. of profiles and 10,000 mt of wooden
sleepers ''Sleepers'' is a 1996 American legal crime drama film written, produced, and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 book of the same name. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin Ho ...
. Some works were carried out to reactivate the line, such as rail tracks weeding, with the collaboration of 20 engineering students from Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina ("Universidad Católica Argentina" - UCA) and the acquisition of a draisine in 2013. By August 2014, tracks had been weeded until Pico Truncado. The UCA students also work on a tourist train project, named "Tren Deseado". State-owned company
Ferrobaires The Unidad Ejecutora del Plan Ferroviario Provincial (UEPFP) (in English: "Executive Unit of the Provincial Railway Plan"), mostly known under its trade name Ferrobaires, was a public railway company which operated extensive long-distance passeng ...
donated them two post wagons and a locomotive to be restored. The train would run an 8 km path at a very low speed, with 6 intermediate stops and the possibility of visiting some points of interest in the zone. In October, 2015, the Government of Argentina announced the reoponeing of the Puerto Deseado–Colonia Las Heras line. Works will include a widespread renovation of 285-km length rail tracks and sleepers. The station buildings would be also refurbished to put the line into operative conditions in an estimated time of 90 days, according to what the Ministry of Interior and Transport stated. Nevertheless, works were never carried out.92 millones de pesos y otra obra que nunca se hizo en Santa Cruz
''El Diario Nuevo Día'', 10 Jan 2019


References


External links


El Tren Deseado
non-profit organization for the reopening of the line
El Tren Deseado on Facebook
{{Railway Companies in Argentina Defunct railway companies of Argentina Railway lines opened in 1911 Railway lines closed in 1978 5 ft 6 in gauge railways in Argentina 1911 establishments in Argentina Transport in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina