Situated in the vast nothingness of Patagonia, in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, lies El Maitén, a dusty town where at first glance there is nothing to either see or do. But appearances are deceptive. El Maitén holds a fascinating living train museum with running steamtrains, including a maintenance shed where Los Artesanos del Tren – the technicians working on Henschell and Baldwin steam locomotives – are always ready for a chat.
The History of Steamtrain La Trochita
The small but well-set up train museum tells a captivating story about the "good old days", when, on a daily basis, steamtrain La Trochita [lit: "narrow gauge"] travelled back and forth on a 400 kilometres long narrow gauge railway between Esquel and Ingeniero Jacobacci, from where there was a connection to Buenos Aires.
After freight transport had been taken over by trucks, the steamtrain lost its purpose and the connection was closed down by the central government in 1993. A year later, the provincial government decided to breathe new life into the narrow gauge steamtrain – partly to create jobs, partly to draw tourism into the region.
Henschell and Baldwin Steam Locomotives in El Maitén
With his 43 years of service Kmet, the head technician of the steamtrain maintenance crew, has been employed for the longest number of years. He talks about La Trochita with fervour and love and will happily show you around in the huge shed, where the antique pitch-black Henschell H Class and Baldwin steam locomotives, as well as the Belgian coaches and freight cars, are repaired with tools and machines just as antique.
In the adjacent graveyard, the obsolete steamtrains are stripped, their spare parts being given a new life in the four remaining steamtrains. Since the trains date as far back as 1922, spare parts are becoming harder to come by and often have to be made from scratch, using original blueprints.
El Paseo Turistico – a Journey by Train
To take the three-hour "Paseo Turistico" is nothing less than a highlight on a trip to Patagonia. While sitting on a wooden bench between maté [herbal tea] drinking Argentineans, around the wood-burning stove in a one hundred-year-old Belgian carriage, you will travel back through time. Feel the steady rhythm of La Trochita, hear her whistle and watch her emitting steamy clouds.
While steamtrain "The Old Patagonian Express"* makes her tour, look outside and become part of the Patagonian landscape – with views of an endless vastness, where guanacos and nandus [a kind of llamas and ostriches] roam the countryside. It will be an experience never to be forgotten.
Practical Information on Steamtrain La Trochita and El Maitén
- Steamtrain La Trochita departs twice a week from El Maitén [Tuesdays and Thursdays] and costs 28 pesos [9 US dollars].
- The Camping Municipal costs 10 pesos [3.50 US dollar]. El Maitén also has a few small hosterías and restaurants.
- There are regular buses from and to Esquel and El Bolsón, both cities are connected to other provincial towns.
Those interested in stories about antique trains and railways may want to read this article on the Madeira-Mamoré Railway.
footnote:
* " The Old Patagonian Express " is the title of Paul Theroux's book of 1978, in which he tells his story about travelling down from the United States by train and ending his journey in Esquel on La Trochita.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
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