Track gauge 3 ft (914 mm) Headquarters Arroyo, Puerto Rico | Length 4 mi (6.4 km) | |
 | ||
Locale Southeastern Puerto Rico Dates of operation 1984 (1984)–2005 (2005)
(Pending restoration) | ||
The Train of the South — or Tren del Sur in Spanish — is a historic 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge heritage railroad operating within the U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico in Arroyo. It was formed in 1984 to preserve the last surviving sugar cane plantation line still in existence on the entire island, which was part of a large railroad system that operated around Puerto Rico prior to the 1950s.
Contents
Overview
The railroad took passengers and sightseers across Arroyo's old sugar cane fields on a fifty-minute long guided tour that explained the industry and other historic aspects of it. Most of the original railroad right-of-way is former Ponce & Guayama trackage, which was in regular use up until 1958; a short 4-mile (6.4 km) segment was later revived as the Tren del Sur in 1984. Much of the original equipment abandoned on site also served as historic props along the route.
In 2005, the railroad was temporarily shutdown pending a major restoration project; although all work has been halted in recent years afterwards for unknown reasons. However, the Department of the Interior has plans to re-commission the railroad and extend the system further sometime in the near future.
Rolling stock
A number of vintage and historic rolling stock equipment exists around the grounds of the Train of the South. Locomotives that once operated the tourist trains until 2005 consist of original plantation-era Plymouth Locomotive Works diesel switcher engines which range from five 18-ton engines to three 40-ton locomotives. The 40-ton Plymouth's are all painted in a direct mirror of the old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway red and silver Warbonnet scheme, including the yellow Santa Fe "cigar band" logo with the railroad's name painted within it. Engine #18 was the main locomotive used on all tourist runs, it pulled several converted flatcars with custom built interiors to allow for seating of passengers. Along the route, many of the sidings are filled with abandoned sugar cane related freight cars.