Argentine Great Western Railway

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Argentine Great Western Railway
Overview
Native nameFerrocarril Gran Oeste Argentino
LocaleMendoza, San Luis, San Juan
History
Opened1887
Closed1907; 117 years ago (1907) (acquired by BA & Pacific)
Technical
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)

The Argentine Great Western Railway (AGWR) (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Gran Oeste Argentino) was a

broad gauge, 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in), railway network in the Argentine provinces of San Luis, San Juan and Mendoza. In 1907 it was taken over on a lease by the Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway
(BA&P).

The AGWR was founded in 1887, and in the same year bought the 518 km line connecting

Ferrocarril Andino between 1878 and 1885 as the middle section of a planned transcontinental route from Buenos Aires to the border with Chile
.

Next the AGW embarked upon the building of branch lines and feeders in northern San Luis Province and southwards through Mendoza Province, transforming the network into a regional system geared to the needs of this wine-producing region. As a result, the company saw its traffic returns increase dramatically between 1895 and 1905, although there was always fierce competition from the BA&P.

In 1903 the AGW took over a lease on the working and management of the Transandine Railway which was under construction and in financial difficulties. In 1905 the AGW, together with the BA&P, agreed to guarantee the stock of the Transandine, thereby enabling them to raise additional funds. Two years later the AGW was taken over on a lease by the BA&P who at the same time took over the working of the Transandine.

See also

Bibliography

  • Lewis, Colin M. (1983). British Railways in Argentina 1857-1914: A Case Study of Foreign Investment. Athlone Press (for the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London).
  • Stones, H.R. (1993). British Railways in Argentina 1860-1948. Bromley, Kent, England: P.E.Waters & Associates.
  • Wright, Winthrop R. (1974). British-Owned Railways in Argentina – Their Effect on Economic Nationalism, 1854-1948. Latin American Monograph. Vol. 34. London: Institute of Latin American Studies, Univ. of Texas Press.

External links