Yerba Buena Steam Tram
Yerba Buena Steam Tram | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() The train photographed in 1916 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Native name | Tranvía rural a vapor de Yerba Buena | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line length | 12 km (7.5 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track gauge | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Yerba Buena Steam Tram (Spanish: Tranvía Rural a Vapor de Yerba Buena, nicknamed Trencito or La Chorbita)[1][2] was a 12 km (7.5 mi) long narrow-gauge railway with a gauge of 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) in the Argentine city of Yerba Buena in Tucumán Province. It was inaugurated on 29 June 1916 during the Centennial of the Argentine Independence and was shut down a decade later in 1926.[1]
Opening[]
On November 15, 1915, it was promulgated a law that allowed the Executive Power of Tucumán (represented by Governor Ernesto Padilla)[3][4] to exploit a freight and passenger rail line that connected San Miguel de Tucumán with the cities of Los Cuarteles, Villa Luján (también llamada Villa del Pueblo Nuevo), Villa Marcos Paz, Yerba Buena, and Parque Aconquija.[5]
The initiative was known as "Tranvía Rural" and the service was opened to public on June 29, 1916.[5]
Route[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Trenes_y_Tranv%C3%ADas_de_Tucum%C3%A1n_%28collection_Eduardo_Iglesias%2C_04%29.jpg/200px-Trenes_y_Tranv%C3%ADas_de_Tucum%C3%A1n_%28collection_Eduardo_Iglesias%2C_04%29.jpg)
The trains started at Plaza Alberdi (the square at the Central Argentine Railway station) and went west on Calle Santiago del Estero, turned right into Avenida Mitre and followed it until they turned left into Avenida Manuel Belgrano. Here they passed the depot and the workshops. From here they drove west again to the Avenida Ejército del Norte. They then turned south until they continued on Calle Córdoba (now Calle Don Bosco) to the west. On the Calle Aconquija (now Calle Luis Federico Nougués) they drove to the Avenida Mate de Luna, which they followed to the terminus Horco Molle at today's El Corte roundabout at the foot of the San Javier Hill.[1]
Operation[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Tranv%C3%ADa_rural_a_vapor_hacia_Yerba_Buena_-_Atravesaba_la_Mate_de_Luna_desde_C%C3%B3rdoba_al_cerro_%28La_Gaceta%29.jpg/200px-Tranv%C3%ADa_rural_a_vapor_hacia_Yerba_Buena_-_Atravesaba_la_Mate_de_Luna_desde_C%C3%B3rdoba_al_cerro_%28La_Gaceta%29.jpg)
The railway ran 6 to 8 times a day.[2] It was colloquially called "Trencito" (little train) or "La Chorbita" (choo choo train). A single trip through the then still rural suburbs took between 45 minutes and one hour. The stops were named with numbers, some of which are still used colloquially today.
Trains ran on Decauville tracks, that had been also used in the Ferrocarril Económico Correntino, and nowadays in the Rainforest Ecological Train in Iguazú National Park.[6] Because of the sparks fly (blown by the wind towards the passengers who were in roofless wagons), the Yerba Buena inhabitants preferred not to take the tram to avoid their clothes were damaged.[1]
Rolling stock included four/five steam locomotives and eight wagon (passenger and freight). Workshops were located on Avenida Belgrano and Calle Asunción. Although a total of 135,505 passengers had been carried by 1925, rail operations were discontinued in 1926 due to a lack of profitability.[1]
References[]
- ^ a b c d e El chisporroteo de la chorbita mandó a vía muerta al “Trencito” de Yerba Buena on La Gazeta, 11 Apr 2014 (archived)
- ^ a b Historia del Municipio de Yerba Buena, by Marta Barbieri and Matilde Silva. 1 Apr 2017 - Consejo Federal de Inversiones
- ^ La elección en Tucumán, Diario Santa Fe, 1 Dec 1912
- ^ Gobernadores de Tucumán 1853–actualidad on Registro Oficial de Leyes y Decretos
- ^ a b Conocé la historia del Tranvía Rural de Yerba Buena on El Mirador de Tucumán, 7 Jun 2020
- ^ "Sistemas Ferroviarios Decauville" by Jorge Rendiche on Revista Boicana (blog), Jul 10, 2021
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tranvia Yerba Buena. |
- Fotos y postales de Trenes y Tranvías de Tucumán on Tucumán en Fotos blog
Coordinates: 26°48′55″S 65°13′10″W / 26.81525°S 65.21958°W
- Narrow gauge railways
- Railway lines in Argentina
- Railway lines opened in 1916
- Railway lines opened in 1926
- Tram transport in Argentina
- 600 mm gauge railways
- Transport in Tucumán Province