Today I went to visit Southern Fuegian Railway or the Train of the End of the
World, a 500 mm
(19 3/4 inch) gauge steam railway in Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina. It was originally built as a freight line to serve the prison of Ushuaia, specifically to transport timber. It now operates as a heritage railway into the Tierra del Fuego National Park and is considered the southernmost functioning railway in the world.
In the late 19th century, Ushuaia was developed as a penal colony, with the first prisoners arriving in 1884. In 1902, work began on a proper set of buildings for the prison by inmates, and a railway on wooden rails was constructed to assist the transport of materials, mainly local rock, sand and timber. Oxen pulled wagons along the narrow gauge of less than 1,000 mm . In 1909 tracks with a gauge of 600mm were laid for a steam locomotive. They connected the prison camp with the forestry camp and passed along the shoreline in front of the growing town of Ushuaia. It was known as the 'Train of the Prisoners' and brought wood for heating and cooking as well as building.
In 1947 the Prison was closed and replaced with a naval base. Two years later the 1949 Tierra del Fuego earthquake blocked much of the line.
The railway was rebuilt in 1994 with a 500 mm gauge and started again. A new 2-6-2T steam locomotive (Camila) was brought from England in 1995 with another made in Argentina and three diesel locomotives are now in use.
Services leave from the 'End of the World' station 8 km west of Ushuaia. The route takes passengers along the Pico Valley in the Toro gorge and to Cascada de la Macarena station where visitors are able to learn about the Yamana people. The train then enters the national park and the forest, travelling through the valley below the mountains, reaching El Parque station.
The railway today.
(19 3/4 inch) gauge steam railway in Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina. It was originally built as a freight line to serve the prison of Ushuaia, specifically to transport timber. It now operates as a heritage railway into the Tierra del Fuego National Park and is considered the southernmost functioning railway in the world.
In the late 19th century, Ushuaia was developed as a penal colony, with the first prisoners arriving in 1884. In 1902, work began on a proper set of buildings for the prison by inmates, and a railway on wooden rails was constructed to assist the transport of materials, mainly local rock, sand and timber. Oxen pulled wagons along the narrow gauge of less than 1,000 mm . In 1909 tracks with a gauge of 600mm were laid for a steam locomotive. They connected the prison camp with the forestry camp and passed along the shoreline in front of the growing town of Ushuaia. It was known as the 'Train of the Prisoners' and brought wood for heating and cooking as well as building.
In 1947 the Prison was closed and replaced with a naval base. Two years later the 1949 Tierra del Fuego earthquake blocked much of the line.
The railway was rebuilt in 1994 with a 500 mm gauge and started again. A new 2-6-2T steam locomotive (Camila) was brought from England in 1995 with another made in Argentina and three diesel locomotives are now in use.
Services leave from the 'End of the World' station 8 km west of Ushuaia. The route takes passengers along the Pico Valley in the Toro gorge and to Cascada de la Macarena station where visitors are able to learn about the Yamana people. The train then enters the national park and the forest, travelling through the valley below the mountains, reaching El Parque station.
The railway today.
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| Sign at the entrance |
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| Inside of the carriage |
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| Engine |
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| Working hard up the hill |
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| Working hard up the hill |
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| Waiting at the station |
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| Waiting at the station |
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| River bridge |
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| Working hard |
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| At the depot |
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| An unknown stationary boiler |
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| The depot |
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| I found the scrap yard |
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Scenes during the journey |
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