I recently returned from a week of riding and photographing chartered trains on the 75cm gauge "Old Patagonia Express" line in southern Argentina. My pictures from the trip can be found HERE. This is the line made famous by Theroux's book.

My first visits to this line were back in the 1970's when it was a fairly busy working railway, with freight and passenger trains almost daily. And before Theroux had given it a name. It is hard not to compare the line with the Carson and Colorado, because the countryside is so similar and it has that "200 miles too far or 200 years too soon" feel about it, running through sparcely settled country. Sitting on the steps of our open platform narrow gauge coach it was easy to imagine I was riding somewhere between Mina and Keeler. For the most part the scenery is arid, but with the high Andes off to the west, snow capped in the winter. Rivers fed by snow melt punctuate the dry hills.

It is somewhat amazing that any part of the line survives, much less the entire 402 kilometers. But the Argentines are nostalgic and government proposals to abandon the line led to protests and eventually it being declared a national monument. There is a regular tourist service over a few miles of the line at the Esquel end, but for the most part trains are few and far between. Three engines were serviceable (one Baldwin and two Henschels), another Baldwin was complete but had bearing problems, and a couple engines were in various stages of repair at the shops at El Maiten. I was surprised how good the track still is after all these years.

Our trip was an unlikely success. The tour was run by Bernd Seiler for Farrail Tours who was determined to make it happen. First he had to deal with elections and a change in government that put a completely new management in place (who had no idea how to run a railway). Then severe thunderstorms just days before our arrival washed out the railway in two places as well as making local roads impassable. But Bernd and his Argentine helpers overcame the problems and the tour went forward, albeit with a significantly revised plan. We were not able to cover the entire railway, but we did operate trains in and out of Esquel, El Maiten, and Ing. Jacobacci and the photographic goals were met. Engines and cars were repainted and relettered for the old Ferrocarriles Argentinos. One can quibble with a few details, but overall the railway looked much as I remember it from the 1970's.

It was a great trip. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

JBWX