RFIRT
2-10-2 120 stored at Rio Turbio. January 23 2004
Visit to the YCF Rio Turbio – Rio Gallegos 750mm Gauge Railway - January 23 & 24 2004
The visit was principally to see and inspect the L.D.Porta modified Mitsubishi built 2-10-2s of the Yacimientos Carboniferos Fiscales (YCF) system, one time RFIRT, system. They are to be found in two locations – Rio Turbio & Rio Gallegos.
Rio Turbio was visited on January 23 2004 and Rio Gallegos on January 24 2004.
Rio Turbio
The steam locomotives are stored around the depot area at the town end of the mine system, basically as far as the railway goes. There is a large amount of mining and other industrial equipment dumped behind fencing on the town side of some large industrial style buildings with the locomotives mostly found on the opposite side of these buildings to the road. To get access to the steam locomotives it is necessary to get permission. I parked on the roadside near the locos and walked in across the tracks. However within a few minutes a couple of guys, mine employees, turned up in a large Ford pickup. They made it clear I should not be taking photographs, however they were not aggressive at all. With no Spanish from me but a little English on their side I was able to negotiate the required permission provided they accompanied me around. For future visitors I would recommend parking in the staff car park alongside the small white office with the blue roof. I moved my car into this car park. It was in this office I signed in. Once the formalities had been sorted out my now very friendly minders followed me around, as I inspected and photographed the various locomotives and vehicles.
|
RFIRT
2-10-2 120 stored at Rio Turbio. January 23 2004 |
The following locomotives were at Rio Turbio in withdrawn condition. All 10 of these locomotives were basically complete but with various rods or fittings missing, however nothing that looked too serious:
104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 110, 113, 115, 119, 120
Note that in the 2001 list 114 is listed as being at Rio Turbio. This would appear to be an error as a loco carrying the number 114, several times, was found to be at Rio Gallegos. Also locomotive 119 was listed as being at Rio Gallegos but this was to be found at Rio Turbio. My suspicion is that the numbers became transposed in the 2001 list.
 |
RFIRT
115 is dumped behind the loco depot facing towards the town, as most of
the locomotives are. Missing a few parts it appears to be leaning over
some what ! January 23 2004 |
 |
RFIRT
110 is one of the locomotives facing Rio Gallegos. The town of Rio Turbio
can be made out on the hill to the right. January 23 2004 |
 |
No.108's
tender bears a mix of letters from different periods of the lines existence.
The name changed several times !t January 23 2004 |
Much to my surprise in the shed was to be found 116, nominally, in full working order or so my minders told me. I was unable to ascertain when or if the locomotive operates. It does however look to be in good condition and is, of course, protected from the elements. The locomotive had a good amount of coal in the tender and the firebox was filled with cardboard and wood, presumably for lighting up. The locomotive lacked the correct position and size brick arch, which when combined with the lack of over fire air holes (all blanked off) would suggest it is a smoky machine when operated and definitely not as efficient as it would have once been.
 |
RFIRT
116 inside the locomotive depot at Rio Turbio. January 23 2004 |
Different locomotives displayed different degrees of de-modification. The principal ones noted being either the total removal of, or the reduction in number of over fire air holes – these being an essential part of the Gas Producer Combustion System these locomotives pioneered - and the refitting of bypass valves.
 |
 |
Some locomotives have clearly had their works and number plates “gas axed” off, others appeared to have had them removed more gracefully. However a couple of locomotives did retain plates, such as 106 which had a number plate half hanging from the cabside.
 |
One
of the Romanian diesels now working the line, No. 001, was found
in the shed with 116 and was the only diesel seen. The track
leading to the shed area did not seem to have carried a train for some
time. A number of loaded trains were to be found at one of the washeries
a little way towards Rio Gallegos but with no sign of locomotives to pull
them. It is possible the diesels are double-heading the trains but this
is not confirmed. The information came in broken Spanish/English and thus
may be a misunderstanding ! |
Rio Gallegos
Coal now travels to Punta Loyala for loading on to ships meaning that the Rio Gallegos section of the line is now closed. From the point where the line crosses Ruta 3, the main road into Rio Gallegos from the north, towards the port has been lifted. The alignment has been obliterated by the first stages of building a new road, possibly a dual carriageway, into the town.
 |
This
was a wheel drop inside the heavily vandalised works at Rio Gallegos.
January 24 2004 |
The port, yards, depot and workshop areas are in the process of being turned into something of a waterfront tourist attraction, and will be very pleasant in nice weather when the notorious Patagonian winds are not blowing ! Already roads have been laid out and the area paved. The locomotive depot and works buildings are still standing, just ! Several of the buildings, such as the works store and loco depot are just skeletons. Their future is uncertain. The loco works, including a wheel drop and wheel lathe have been well and truly wrecked as have most of the spare parts remaining.
All the withdrawn locomotives are stored on some rough ground to the south side of the depot site. Here they are collected together with all sorts of mine system kit from railcars to lorries and track. During my time inspecting the locomotives the local Police arrived but once they saw I had a camera they left me to it. The locomotives and associated kit also seem to be something of a climbing frame for local children.
 |
Cosmetically
overhauled, but steamable, 2-10-2 No.117 in the compound at Rio Gallegos.
January 24 2004 |
 |
117
has been cosmetically restored and is placed on a section of track, just
longer than the locomotive, behind fencing next to the withdrawn machines
and the hall of the local ‘Amigos del Ferrocarril’ (Friends
of the Railway.) It is in steamable condition but mechanically is said
to be beyond repair. |
Locomotive identification was difficult but with help from one time RFIRT General Manager Sñr Alexis Biochetta I was able to confirm that this list of 8 withdrawn locomotives present is correct:
101, 102, 103, 109, 111, 112, 114, 118
 |
RFIRT
101 dumped at Rio Gallegos along with other locos from the fleet. January
24 2004 |
All these locomotives have been robbed of virtually all non-ferrous components. They are all somewhat dismantled, to varying degrees, with many lacking some or all driving wheels. This makes inspecting the various features of the locomotives fairly easy. Their condition can best be described as very rough, but, to a Britain that has seen the wonders worked on Barry Scrapyard survivors, they may not be beyond repair. However they are officially considered to be too far gone.
From the left the remains of 103, 114, 111 & 118 along with other bits of mines equipment at Rio Gallegos. January 24 2004
 |
109's
frames minus the boiler sits on the coast side of the more complete locos.
From the right they are 102, 101, 112, 118, 111, 114 & 103. January
24 2004 |
Other Comments
I drove from Rio Turbio to Rio Gallegos along Ruta 40 which runs along a similar route to the railway but quite often one can not be seen from the other. The road is paved from Rio Turbio until the airport just beyond the town of 28 de Noviembre. After this it turns into a gravel road of varying, but generally good, quality. At a number of locations the surface was being worked on. It took approximately 4 hours 15 minutes to drive the route with a couple of stops for photographs along the way. Probably no more than a dozen vehicles passed in the other direction and I neither overtook nor was overtaken by anything.
Bella Vista, a passing loop on the line and the location of the one water stop made by steam when operating the railway. January 24 2003
The line seems to be in reasonable condition and is still using some rail dating from 1910. Currently only one train a week is running in each direction. This compares to the line at its peak when 4 trains a day were run.
The entire system is scheduled as a Historic Provincial Monument, but not a national monument. This scheduling, in theory, protects the entire route and everything that goes with it. So in theory all the locomotives and vehicles are safe. There are a number of legal problems surrounding this listing, largely related to land ownership and despite much effort they have not been resolved yet. Such is the way of many things in Argentina !
 |
There
are a good few level crossings on the line. This one is at the Rio Gallegos
end of the line looking towards Rio Turbio. January 24 2003 |
The future for the locomotives should be secure as they are but there are moves to find them a use. The plan to operate a tourist train from the waterfront at Rio Gallegos to the current port at Punta Loyala is still pushing forward. Sñr Biochetta was to have a meeting with the town authorities in the week after my visit. Plans for the new station building and layout have been prepared. Perhaps the biggest stumbling block will be sharing the alignment with the new road mentioned above. However there is confidence this issue is not a show stopper. As ever it is just a question of convincing the right people to support the project. The trip out to Punta Loyala is a popular weekend drive for locals and it is hoped to tap into this market.
Another project in the planning stage, which would use locomotives from the system, is in the Patagonian town of El Calafate, a major centre of tourism. Due to national park restrictions the plan is for steam haulage part of the way before electric traction takes over. Given the harmonious co-existence of FCAF in Ushuaia with the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego it is possible that some arrangement for the use of steam in the park might be possible.
A third project exists to use some locomotives at Rio Turbio.
Identifying locomotives by the number on the attached tender can be misleading. Two tenders bearing ‘RFIRT 120’ where seen, one in Rio Turbio and the other in Rio Gallegos. Two tenders bearing ‘117’ can be seen in Rio Gallegos. Other locomotives bearing one number can be found attached to tenders bearing another number.
Sñr Biochetta was able to confirm the experimental Cyclonic Gas Producer firebox fitted to 118 by L.D.Porta was in fact constructed within the existing firebox of 118. Whilst combustion results were good the construction of the cyclonic furnace, from normal firebrick, gave problems leading to its’ ultimate collapse and the returning of the locomotive to standard condition. Advances in technology would have made it possible to cast and fit a cyclonic furnace as one piece but this was never undertaken. (More information on the Cyclonic Gas Producer can be found in I.Mech.E Paper 721 of 1969 by L.D.Porta and in ‘The Red Devil and Other Tales from the Age of Steam’ by David Wardale.)
Rio Turbio was surprisingly prosperous. It sports a ski lift and it clearly trying to encourage tourism. I stayed at Hotel Nazo which at 50pesos a night for single room may not be the cheapest intown but does come recommended. The staff, who spoke no English, were very friendly and helpful. The attached restaurant, Fond de Cave, appeared to be one of the more upmarket establishments in town but with the very favourable exchange rate the prices were excellent as was the food.
 |
Hotel
Nazo, Rio Turbio. January 23 2004 |
In Rio Gallegos I stayed in the fairly new Hotel Rio Gallegos, again for 50pesos a night, but this time without breakfast. It is on Avenue San Martin so can be a little noisy. The staff speak a little English and were, again, very helpful.
The weather was overcast in Rio Turbio, raining or overcast along Ruta 40 and the same in Rio Gallegos. Fortunately the wind was not blowing on either day.
My thanks for making this visit go so smoothly, without whom it would not have happened, go to: Mr S.McMahon & Sra M.Galli-McMahon, Mrs C.Fox, Sr Boichetta and his lady wife and the staff of YCF Rio Turbio.
January
2004
© Martyn Bane. All Rights Reserved