Wood burner in Paraguay.

From a 2009 Farrail tour brochure : The locomotives are mostly 2-6-0s, 4-6-0s and 2-8-0s from North British and Kerr Stuart, many of them 99 years old!

 

A World Steam list from 1977 shows the following stock, all woodburners I think -

No's 1 to 6 - Hawthorn Leslie 2-6-2 tanks built 1910-1913

No's 51 to 60, and 101 to 104 - North British 2-6-0s built 1910

151 and 152 - Yorkshire Engine Co 2-6-0s built 1955

plus some ex-Argentinian North British 4-6-0s from 1910/11 and a couple of Baldwin 2-8-0s from 1906.

I think the state railway closed completely in the 2000's but has been sold and partly re-opened.

If they still exist these would be prime candidates for repatriation!

 

This brings back many happy memories of visits in 1988 and 1991. I believe a fair number of the locos survive and there has been recent talk (and knowing Paraguay it may well remain just that!!) of reviving a section of the line and developing a museum type operation around the workshops at Sapucay. This was a real gem even as late as 1991 with all the machinery being driven by steam powered belts and wheels. I will try and upload the better bits of my cine from the 2 visits sometime soon to "the tube" .........

 

I recall a fascinating episode of "Making Tracks" that focussed on the Paraguay operations.

 

As far as I understand it, there was a derailment in which several people were killed on one of the tourist trains a few years ago. After that, the line closed, the main station at Ascuncion (SP) was isolated by road improvements (Although remains open as a railway museum, and a lot of stock is now stranded in old sidings by the side of the road.

Asuncion station is at -25.283741,-57.629206 in google maps.

Since the closure of the railway, the hydro electric dam project at that has engulfed lots of land has seen the flood waters rise and cover the line

A smaller steam service now runs for tourists at Botanico -25.256318,-57.567684

The carriages which derailed have actually been left dumped off the track there I believe.

In the middle, the workshops at Sapucai are still there, with the flood waters truncating the route east. I think the aim of the tourist services is to eventually run from Botanico-Sapucai, but the last time one of the locos was steamed at Sapucai, it derailed on a set of submerged points.
Sapucai is -25.667211,-56.957675

The southern end of the line at Asuncion -27.364143,-55.851511 has also seen a revival in recent times. Two of the locomotives stranded here have been repaired and are used to shunt freight wagons coming over the bridge from Argentina. Alas, street running to the old engine sheds is now a thing of the past as those too are now underwater.

EDIT - in fact think you can see one of the NB 2-6-0s at work on google maps

Incidentally, I once read that the hydro electric dam project was one of the most politically corrupt civil engineering projects in south america.

 

Here's a few more links you might find interesting

A rail tour planned before Encarnacion depot was engulfed by the flood water
Paraguay: The Last 100% Steam State Railway

An update of the current situation (Including good news for the revival of the steam service and the improvements of the workshops at Sapucai)
The Paraguay Railway 2012

Same website detailing the revival since the derailment in 2000
Back from the Grave - Steam Revival in Paraguay

Official website for the Paraguay Railway
.: Ferrocarriles del Paraguay S. A. :. .: Bienvenidos al Portal :.

Hope you like!

 

Information. Exchange.

 

Here are eight photos taken by Les Tindall in Asuncion in 1976. They show Hawthorn Leslie 2-6-2T No 4 and a North British 4-6-0 built for the (Argentine) Urquiza Railway (No 228) which subsequently went to Paraguay. A plinthed broad gauge (5ft 6in) 4-2-2T built by Krupp in 1861 for the opening of the Paraguay railway also appears.

https://andrewstransport.smugmug.com/Paraguay-trains/Paraguay-steam-1976/

Cheers

Andrew N

 

This is in 1991, the train to Encarnacion leaving Asuncion. I was there in 1990 but there was a strike so didn't travel on the train. Then back again in 1991 but was busy doing other things and never caught the train. A big regret.