Estrada de Ferro Rio d'Ouro
The Estrada de Ferro Rio D'Ouro was a Brazilian railway company in the then province of Rio de Janeiro . It was founded in 1875 to build a railway connection between Caju (port in the urban area of Rio de Janeiro) and the reservoir of Rio D'Ouro, in the Baixada Fluminense with a length of 58 km.
The railway line was built to support the construction work on the water supply from the Serra do Tinguá in Rio de Janeiro. Building materials and construction workers were transported this way from 1883. From 1896 there was regular traffic to Pavuna. Stations on this route were Caju, Benfica, Pilares, Irajá, Pavuna, Brejo Cava e Rio D'Ouro. The fleet of locomotives consisted of 5 machines from the Hunstel Engine Co company, 11 passenger cars and 41 wagons. As early as 1883, 29,132 passengers and 4870 metric tons of cargo as well as 133 tons of luggage and parcels were transported The line also had various sidings (most of which are now closed):
- Praia Pequena in Caju to Triagem
- Porto de Maria Angu (located in what is now the Penha district) to Vicente de Carvalho.
- Ramal de Xerém, from Belford Roxo to Xerém.
- Ramal de Tinguá, was opened in 1883 by José Bulhões (Cava) to Tinguá.
- Ramal de Jaceruba, opened in 1883 from Belford Roxo to São Pedro (Jaceruba).
In its prime, the Estrada de Ferro Rio d'Ouro served many suburbs of Rio de Janeiro such as Engenho da Rainha, Inhaúma, Irajá, and the aforementioned Vicente de Carvalho e Pavuna, as well as other places in the Baixada Fluminense, such as Belford Roxo , Areia Branca etc.
In 1925 the total length of the route consisted of 146 km of rail, going from the Quinta do Caju to Jaceruba, Tinguá e Xerém. In 1928 the line was taken over by the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil railway company.