Old Patagonian Express and Route 40
Topic: Old Patagonia Express
In the Patagonian southern lands of Argentina train lovers from around the world can find what has come to be a railways icon: The Old Patagonian Express, still running today on narrow gauge tracks only 29.5 inches wide.
The Old Patagonian Express was commissioned in 1945 and was affectionately christened by the locals as 'La Trochita' because its narrow tracks.
Until 1993 it was used as a welfare train and ran from Esquel up to Ingeniero Jacobaci in Rio Negro province, and today it is one of the major tourist attractions still running and providing its passengers with an outstanding panoramic view of a magical area of nature and history. 'La Trochita' has, after nearly a half a century, become a national historic monument of the Argentine Patagonian steppes.
‘La Trochita’ is worldly famous because it is the only narrow gauge track train in the world that’s still functioning, featuring American and German Machines from "The Baldwyn Locomotive Works" of Philadelphia and "Henschel&Sohn GmbH" from Cassal Germany.
According to the historical reconstruction, the Argentine Government requested for 50 Henschel Locomotives and 25 Baldwyn Locomotives to be delivered to Patagonia Light Railways in 1922. Originally manufactured by both firms to be able to be adapted to petrol combustion in stead of coal, these locomotives also feature a heavier weight that the average in these sorts of machines in order to improve its pulling capacity. This unique feature has allowed these locomotives to keep on functioning using all its original features until today: steam engine powered by paraffin petrol supplied by the El Maiten Railway Workshops, where the experts work upon the original blueprints and jealously keep this amazing train as close to the original 1922 version as possible. See Photo Gallery.......
233 photos
For more information contact me, Bob Frassinetti
Posted by route40argentina
at 4:28 PM EST
Art & Antique Dealer Bob Frassinetti 
