Rosario and Puerto Belgrano Railway
Rosario and Puerto Belgrano Railway | |||
---|---|---|---|
Puerto Belgrano | |||
Service | |||
Type | Inter-city | ||
Services | 1 | ||
Operator(s) | Compagnie du Chemin de Fer de Rosario à Puerto Belgrano (1910-1948) Ferrocarriles Argentinos (1968-1991) Ferroexpreso Pampeano (1991-) | ||
History | |||
Opened | 1910 | ||
Closed | 1948 | ||
Technical | |||
Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||
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The Rosario and Puerto Belgrano Railway (Spanish: Ferrocarril Rosario y Puerto Belgrano, and in French: Compagnie du Chemin de Fer de Rosario à Puerto Belgrano) was a
History
Background
Since the line was constructed after many other east to west lines had already been laid these were crossed by constructing a large number of bridges. The otherwise near level course of the line was broken, at intervals, by short sharp gradients and this had an effect on the type of locomotives that could be used. In spite of this a considerable volume of goods and livestock traffic was carried by the line.
The original concession for the construction of the railway was granted to
Project
The
The north–south orientation of the railway path revealed the purpose of competing against British companies for the traffic of merchandises in Buenos Aires. Nevertheless, the railway did not earn the expected profits due to better prices established by British railways. Besides, the RPBR crossed low developed agricultural areas instead of more fertile areas covered by British companies. For those reasons, the RPBR suffered a chronic deficit.
Construction and development
The line was built between 1906 and 1910 quickly, being definitely inaugurated for
The construction also included a total of 36 bridges, totalling 857 mt. The dock made for Puerto Belgrano was a 250-metre length structure where four 125-metre length ships could enter at a same time to unload their cargo. There also were 12 cranes, 12 electric and 4 hydraulic.
Once the dock was finished, it was acquired by the Government of Argentina and added to the Navy in 1914. The company made the arrangements to get a concession to build an extension branch to Bahía Blanca and an access to Port of ingeniero White through a junction with Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway to freight services exclusively. Concession was granted so therefore the RPBR started to work. The line connected with Central Argentine and Western railways in Rosario and Timote respectively.
The company set headquarters in Villa Diego (Rosario) in 1909, where a passenger and freight station (named "Coronel Aguirre") was built. The building also included a locomotive warehouse, workshops and a switchyard. The buildings are currently part of Ciudad Universitaria de Rosario.
The construction of a 27-km length branch from Punta Alta to Bahía Blanca allowed the company to stimulate passenger and freight traffic. Works were directed by Swiss Engineer Armin Reimman who died short after the line was inaugurated, being replaced by his colleague Lucien Capelle. In 1921 the new terminus was inaugurated, it was placed on Colón Avenue between B. de Irigoyen and Rivadavia streets. The station remained active until 1949 when it was closed, serving as bus terminus since then.
After some testings, on March 2, 1922, the inaugural trip from Rosario to Bahía Blanca was carried out, arriving to the Southern city at 15:30.
Final
When the whole Argentine railway network was
In August 1977, as part of Martínez de Hoz's railway cuts, Ferrocarriles Argentinos closed the section between Bajo Hondo and Coronel Pringles (effectively isolating the Puerto Belgrano-Bahía Blanca branch line), as well as Rosario station, moving passenger services to Rosario Central, which would also be closed that same year.
With the
Bibliography
- “Capitaux françaises dans la Pampa: le chemin de fer de Rosario à Puerto Belgrano”, by Gustavo Chalier- Revue d’histoire des chemins de fer, Nº 45, “Regards sur le XXe siècle”, publicación de la Association pour l’histoire des chemins de fer, París, (2014), pp. 35–56 (ISSN 0996-9403)
- “À la recherche du port perdu: el ferrocarril Rosario Puerto Belgrano y la búsqueda de una salida al mar en la Bahía Blanca”, by Gustavo Chalier- Miguel Ángel De Marco (h),compilador; María Beatriz Girardi y Juan Pablo Robledo, editores: Acta de las 6tas. Jornadas Internacionales e Interdisciplinarias de Estudios Portuarios, NODO IH - IDEHESI/CONICET, Rosario. (2015), pp. 177–194 (ISBN 978-987-33-8430-1)
- British Steam on the Pampas by D.S. Purdom - Mechanical Engineering Publications Ltd, London (1977) - ISBN 978-0852983539
- Foreign Capital, Local Interests and Railway Development in Argentina: French Investments in Railways 1900-1914 by Andrés Regalsky - Journal of Latin American studies - Cambridge Univ. Press (1989)
- EL ENCUENTRO DE DOS PUERTOS: ROSARIO Y PUERTO BELGRANO UNIDOS POR RIELES FRANCESES by Sebastián Morán on Boletín del Centro Naval n° 849, Sep–Dec 2018
References
- ^ "De norte a Sur, buscando el mar – FCRPB". plataforma14.com.ar.