BAGS of Steam
Inside Tandil loco depot.
We arrived in Buenos Aires - BA - from Sao Paulo on Sunday 1 April 1973, met up with the third member of our party and booked into the appropriately named Hotel Tren Mixto right alongside Plaza Constitucion station, the biggest in South America, and the main terminal, with fourteen platforms, of the broad - 5'6''- gauge Ferrocarril General Roca. This was formerly the British owned Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway,known as BAGS, before nationalisation by General Juan Peron's government in 1948. BAGS was a real power in Argentina and in the 1920s proclaimed itself as 'the greatest transportation enterprise in the Southern Hemisphere'.
While BAGS had been a proponent of diesel power since 1929, there were still quite large numbers of steam locos, mostly British built, in operation on this widespread system, with 553 locos on the 'active' list as recently as July 1967. We planned a circular trip from BA to take in some steam worked passenger services which tended to operate just one, two or three days a week so study of the current timetable was vital. There were a number of places we could have visited, but had to make choices to maximise our time over the next couple of days.
On Monday morning, after briefly visiting the three terminal stations of the San Martin, Belgrano and Mitre Railways, alongside each other in the Retiro district, we called at Argentine Railways HQ. It was essential to get a permit for shed visits and photography, with the railways and indeed the whole country being under military rule during a period of political upheaval between elections in March and the return from exile of Juan Peron in June. After sitting in reception for a while a chap dressed not unlike a waiter - complete with white gloves - came along and we placed our letter of request on a silver tray! We were ushered into a large room to be cordially received by a uniformed army officer and, after a few formalities, he soon had permits being typed out for us.
I remember going to a railway administration office and meeting a gent called Frank Green, who spoke perfect English and whose family had gone to the country a generation or two back to work on the railways - another reminder of the huge British influence hereabouts.
Then off to Lynch loco shed on the standard gauge Ferrocarril General Urquiza* before going to Plaza Constitucion where the station pilot was class 8A 2-6-2T 3353, seen below, otherwise the place was all diesel.
34 of these 2-6-2T designated class 8A were constructed in 1906/07 by the North British Loco Co. For many years they helped to work the very intensive steam suburban service from Plaza Constitucion, so it was good to see 3353 in use here, albeit only as station pilot. 3352 was seen here on another day with unidentified 2-6-2Ts glimpsed shunting at Gerli and at Remedios de Escalada, where the main loco workshops were located.
Impressive British style signal gantry on the four track Roca main line, needed for the intensive BA suburban traffic; a few services were steam worked until the late 1960s.
We left on the 15.22 to Mar Del Plata+, departing about 20 minutes late. There were glimpses of steam en route including four 2-6-2T shunting at Gerli. At Maipu, 270km from BA, where we changed trains, the small loco shed had Beyer Peacock class 12A 4-6-0 3817 in steam and Vulcan Foundry class 11B 2-8-0 4200 dead. Our onward service was the 18.55 to Tandil,124km distant, hauled by class 12D 4-6-0 3970 named 'GARZA'. The loco probably worked up on the 06.40 from Tandil, due in Maipu at 09.10, running on Mondays and Thursdays.
The consist of our train was one van and one carriage with about a dozen passengers in addition to the three of us. We departed around 30 minutes late, in the dark.
At Ayacucho, halfway to Tandil, was another shed, alongside the station, which enabled a quick visit whilst our loco took water. It held six locos: 12D 3968; 15B 4-8-0s 1568 and 1583; 11B 2-8-0 4133, all in steam. Also present, dead, were 11B 2-8-0 4181 and 8B 2-6-2T 3410. There was a daily return service between here and Mar Del Plata, 179 kms, probably steam.
Arrival at Tandil was at 22.48, 1 hour 20 minutes late.
Tandil had been a District Locomotive HQ in BAGS days, with a good sized loco shed which we visited next morning. 33 locos were present, of which about twelve were stored including three cylinder 12E 4-6-2 3926 'CORONEL BRANDSEN' which had been in use around 18 months earlier (according to photographic evidence). Another interesting Pacific, dead, with some motion removed, was 12K 3947 'SAN ROQUE' with grey painted smokebox, white rimmed wheels and red rods with silver edges. A further new class for us was the 11C 4-8-0, six were seen.
Nasmyth, Wilson 2-6-2T, 3408, ready for duty at Tandil shed with another alongside awaiting attention. All ten of this class built in 1907 were active in 1973.
11C 4-8-0 4236 sits outside Tandil shed. These three cylinder machines, built by Armstrong Whitworth and Beyer Peacock in the 1920s, were made for heavy freight work. Starting in 1957, they were rebuilt in Buenos Aires, giving them a new lease of life. The modifications incorporated various improvements designed by famous French loco engineer Andre Chapelon with the result being greatly enhanced performance with less fuel oil consumption. Ten years later, the class of 75 locos was still intact and used on heavy goods workings including fruit and grain trains, sometimes taking over duties previously performed by the newer Vulcan Foundry 4-8-0s shown next.
The pre-war 15A and post-war 15B 4-8-0s were used on top line duties such as 1000 ton fruit trains which travelled nearly 1200 kms from the growing areas to Buenos Aires. Left, 15A 1555 arrives at Tandil in April 1973 with a similar train. The 15B above,1561, was delivered in 1949, after nationalisation and, when new, was named 'GENERAL PERON' with1562 being 'EVA PERON'.
Activity included a couple of 8B 2-6-2T shunting - these were built by Nasmyth, Wilson of Manchester in 1907, a 15A 4-8-0 1555 'ORION' - the only one we saw - coming in on an empty vans train and 15B 1561 leaving on a one carriage passenger towards Maipu. The 15A and 15B were also Manchester products, coming from Vulcan Foundry, the 15A being slightly heavier than the 15B, otherwise they were identical. 1555 started life in 1939 fitted with Caprotti valve gear, but difficulty obtaining spares in wartime saw it converted to Walschaerts gear.
We were departing Tandil on the 13.00 to Tres Arroyos for which the loco came off shed, another 12D 3957 'CHARRUA'. It left on time with a well filled train - one van, one fourgon, one carriage. This service ran on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, returning the following day.
Left: 3957 'CHARRUA' at Tandil station before departing on the Tres Arroyos service with the front three vehicles only..
Left: A burst of activity at Vela as 3957 pauses with the 13.00 Tandil - Tres Arroyos. Along the route were grain silos, one is in view here; agricultural traffic was very important on BAGS lines. Notice the loco's folded back buffers and the cowcatcher. This station had blue enamel signboards that were made in Birmingham.
Right: The driver and fireman of 3957 pose for their picture at Juarez as the loco takes water. A lot of items in this view were probably made in the UK, including the water column, signal, station nameboard, rails and of course the locomotive.
Right: This photo at the wayside station of Barrow emphasises the rural nature of the sparsely populated country through which some BAGS lines operated.
Despite that, not far north of here was a branch to Juan E Barra and on to Olavarria, with another via Defferrari To Tandil, both having a nominal passenger service.
The station was named after a General Manager of the railway, not the town in England. Barrow's population never reached treble figures and dropped to barely double figures after closure of the railway station.
Trains still run to the grain silo here. In 2019 there was a special passenger train from Tres Arroyos to Buenos Aires, diesel hauled, photographed here by Nicholas Blanco.
The journey covered 162 kms, via Juarez, being due in Tres Arroyos at 16.35. We befriended the loco crew and I got a 20 minute footplate ride between Gonzales and Vesquez. Arrival at our destination was two minutes early.The return for the loco was in the very early hours of Wednesday, off Tres Arroyos at 00.05, into Tandil at 03.15. There was also another round trip between the two places on this route which I have down as being diesel-hauled.
Tres Arroyos had a small but characterful loco depot built in 1885, which we visited: only six steam - three stored, two in steam, one dead. Meantime 12P 4-6-0 3232 was shunting past the grain silos.
I made a note there was a train from Tres Arroyos at 05.35 only on Mondays which went to Tandil via Defferrari, a journey of 240 kms. It arrived in Tandil at 10.45, leaving there at 17.00, arriving in Tres Arroyos at 22.10 - no doubt steam hauled. There was also a Fridays only between the two places on another route, via Tamangueyu, taking nearly seven hours, definitely the long way round!
The attractive 1885 depot at Tres Arroyos with 12P 3213, our loco next day.
A portrait of 15B 4-8-0 1582 resting between duties at Tres Arroyos. The loco, whose design was the last for BAGS, certainly gives the impression of power.
A highly regarded design from the late 1920s was the 12E three cylinder Pacific, represented by 3914 'General Necochea' , in store/ withdrawn at Tres Arroyos shed. The loco has been modified with a sideways mounted double chimney. The class was still used on top expresses in the late 1960s, covering for unreliable diesels.
Very early start Wednesday morning to board the once a week 05.30 Tres Arroyos to Olavarria, one fourgon and one carriage with the grand total of nine passengers, including the three of us! The loco was 12P 4-6-0 3213, which was in steam on shed the previous day. A Beyer Peacock product, 3213 started life in 1906 as a two cylinder compound, being rebuilt as a simple round about 1948.
We got away pretty well right time, but 3213 was not in the best of condition, leaking lots of steam. After about 25 minutes it slipped to a standstill on the wet and overgrown rails - perhaps it was the first train over the line for several days. We got going again after a few minutes.
3213 at Juan E Barra station in weak early morning light, with steam leaking everywhere. Note the stationmaster calling us back to the train as it is ready to depart.
Better light now as the train waits at Ricardo Gavina while some business is conducted. With one train a week, any haste would seem indecent.
There wasn't much traffic on offer en route except at Chillar and 16 de Julio. The loco was still having problems, slipping to a standstill again at about 09.25. It then only managed a quarter mile or so in quarter of an hour, oh dear. Eventual arrival at Olavarria was at 11.06, 56 minutes late, after a journey of 211kms. I wonder if 3213 was fit enough to take the return service, due off Olavarria at 18.30, into Tres Arroyos at 23.10.
Olavarria was busy, with several 11B 2-8-0s shunting or handling freights. Another big loco shed was located here, so we paid a visit. Apart from getting on for 20 locos on the active roster, there were 32 dumped engines, the latter being mainly 11B's and 11C's. One class new to us was 8D 2-6-2T 3502, in steam; another was 8S 2-6-2T 828 dead. The most interesting though was 12K Pacific 3944 'SAN PEDRO' in steam, seen below. The family resemblance to 15A and 15B 4-8-0s is evident.
Original condition 11B 2-8-0 4156 in steam on Olavarria shed, as was 4194. Most of the one hundred locos in this class were still gainfully employed in 1973.
Portrait at Olavarria of a class '11C' three cylinder 4-8-0 as rebuilt under the direction of M. Andre Chapelon.
11B 2-8-0 4176, from a batch of forty made by Vulcan Foundry in 1931,rebuilt in BA in the 1960s, at Olavarria on a local freight. Some fine lattice post signals overlook the scene. A little later, two 11Bs came on shed and one derailed on points. Luckily the track gang, seen in this picture, were able to get it back on the rails fairly quickly.
That was the end of our steam rides on the Roca system, we caught a diesel hauled express, the 16.05 to BA^, a journey of 332 kms, due in at 22.25 - two carriages were attached to the train at Olavarria by 11C 4291.
Our train for San Carlos de Bariloche, 1547 km distant, departed at 18.00 on Thursday evening, with us spending two nights in a 1st class sleeper and eating all meals in the restaurant car; both vehicles were wooden-bodied. We were fast asleep during the stop at the big city of Bahia Blanca, so no doubt missed seeing more locos. There was not a huge amount of railway interest in daylight hours on our journey across the Pampas.
On Friday, the train stopped at Carmen de Patagones, 914 kms from BA, where 8A 2-6-2T 3338 shunted a couple of carriages, with the aid of a British style shunter's truck. This place was the limit of the BAGS system, the line on to Bariloche was always state owned.
3096 is a Beyer Peacock built in 1901 as a compound and designated class 7B. In 1922 3096 headed the first train to reach Patagones which is why it is preserved at Carmen de Patagones station. It has a very desirable curved worksplate on the splasher.
Our restaurant car chef has a breather at Carmen de Patagones. Note the wooden bodied carriages.
At San Antonio Oeste, 197 kms from Patagones, was this class 'BE' 0-6-0ST in steam and heating up oil tanks. 2537 was built by Kerr, Stuart in 1907 for the Bahia Blanca Northwestern Railway, which was operated by the Buenos Aires & Pacific. At some stage it was on the state owned General Sarmiento system, which was fully dieselised by 1966. In 1973 2537 had a General Roca numberplate.
Seen on our journey- this neat little wayside station called General Lorenzo Vinttner. There had been a 2'6'' gauge line 106 kilometres long from here to Coronel F Sosa serving a short-lived sugar beet factory. The line is said to have survived well into the 1960s.
Our long journey - over 33 hours - terminated at 03.40 on Saturday morning, when we got off the General Roca broad gauge at Ingeniero Jacobacci, start of the 2'6'' gauge branch to Esquel, only - only - 402 kms away!
Continued in 'Thirty Inches Apart - Patagonia'
Footnotes:
* See article U, U and U – Urquiza, Uruguay and Uruguaiana
+ In 2017, passenger trains still go from Plaza Constitucion to Mar Del Plata daily, leaving at 15.13 and getting to Maipu at 19.51 - slower than in 1973.
^ 2017 sees a train three times a week from Olavarria to BA, taking six hours 46 minutes.