| WEST OF HAVANA Augusto Cesar Sandino, Pablo de la Torriente Brau and Eduardo Garcia Lavandero Three steam operated mills were located a relatively short distance west of Havana. Augusto Cesar Sandino mill, like many others in Cuba, was named after a revolutionary hero - in this case the so-called 'Messiah of Light And Truth' who was born in Nicaragua in 1895 and executed by the government of that country in 1934. The line itself is hardly less interesting, being the only sugar mill still operating on 3' 0" gauge althought the tourist line in Lenin Park, Havana uses the same gauge and operates with locomotives from this mill. At the end of the 1993 season the line was largely lifted and most enthusiasts assumed that the mill was finished. Amazingly it rose phoenix-like again in 1996 and continues to operate. Two or three locomotives were usually in steam daily, including the only working narrow gauge Henschel in Cuba (No.1405 of 1913). In February 2000 the boiler of Baldwin 2-8-0 No.1382 exploded, causing severe injuries to the crew. Fortunately no enthusiasts were present at the time but this, and a similar incident in 2001 at another Cuban mill, illustates only too clearly the potential dangers of our hobby in lands where health and safety is often honoured more in the breach than the observance! |
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| ALCO 2-8-0 No.1404 on loaded cane train about to cross the main road from Havana. This was the first photograph which I took of steam in Cuba and the first I took overseas. I immediately knew I was hooked and life would never quite be the same again. (above) Baldwin 2-6-0 No.1210 in the main patio area of the mill in April 1998 - on my third and final visit to Cuba (upper right) Baldwin 2-8-0 No.1350 crossing the road prior to entering the mill area (lower right) |
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| Baldwin 2-8-0 No.1350 in the main shunting yard just beyond the main mill area - note the small black pig in the foreground! (upper left) Henschel 2-6-0 No.1405 about to leave the far loading point with a loaded cane train (lower left) Locals sit and watch as No.1350 and No.1405 are watered at the main shed. One of the joys of Cuba was the pace of life - which varied between very slow and even slower! (above) |
| About 30 km further west is Pablo de la Torriente Brau mill - named after yet another Cuban hero of the revolution who died defending Madrid against the Fascists during the Spanish Civil War - featuring a standard gauge system. This system has a very steep climb up to the mill and unlike most other lines relied entirely on 2-6-0 locomotives rather than the larger 2-8-0's found elsewhere. All Minaz locomotives are numbered according to power rating and geographical location rather than by make or wheel arrangement. Hence locomotives in the 11XX series are the least powerful whilst those in the 19XX series are the most powerful. Perhaps not surprisingly most of the narrow gauge locomotives appear in the lower classifications and are sometimes prefixed with the letter E. When the locomotives were numbered by Minaz they started with the western mills and moved eastwards. Hence No.1101 was to be found at Pablo whilst No.1181 was located at Holguin on the eastern tip of the island. In the intervening years locomotive movements between mills had an impact on this original plan but it still held good for most of the island. |
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| Vulcan 2-6-0 No.1662 stands in the yard at Pablo with the sugar mill in the background (above) Baldwin 2-6-0 No.1103 arrives in the mill yard with a train of loaded cane wagons. Locomotives were frequently operated at the limits and it was amzing to see the loads these engines could haul up steep slopes. (top left) Out of use but preserved under its own small shed at Pablo was Vulcan 0-6-0ST No.1101 - the lowest numbered locomotive in Cuba. The lack of roof made for far easier photography! (middle left) In 1996 it was possible to still see Rogers 2-6-0 No.1501 hard at work. This was an incredible veteran having been built in 1894 and was one of several 'centenarians' still to be found working on a regular basis. Cuban hospitality was always second to none and this shot was actually taken whilst sitting in a rocking chair on the verandah of a nearby house. The owner - an elderly lady - had been delighted to welcome us and provided us with a large jug of iced lemon drink which was enormously appreciated on a hot day. This was my first overseas excursion - I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! (lower left) |
| The mill at Eduardo Garcia Lavendero (revolutionary hero - shot by Batsitida's police in 1958) saw very little action and was closed during most years. A visit in 1998 found only No.1302 in steam with all other locomotives derelict. Two years later No.1816, the Porta modified ALCO 2-8-0 was based here, exciting renewed interest in the mill but this moved away again and there was once again very little to attract the visitor. |
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| ALCO 2-6-0 No.1302 stands in the shed yard at Eduardo Garcia Lavandero in April 1998 |
| Unlikely to ever turn a wheel again, even in 1998, Baldwin 2-8-0 No.1801 rusts away in the back road at EGL |
| MORE CUBAN STEAM PHOTOGRAPHS Havana region Matanzas Villa Clara Cienfuegos Ciega de Avila Sancti Spiritus Holguin |