Ferrocarril La Floresta
| Ferrocarril La Floresta | |
|---|---|
Railway station and depot of the horse tram
| |
_(cropped).jpg) Route, June 19, 1930
| |
| Route length: | 1911: 4 km |
| Gauge : | 500 mm ( narrow gauge ) |
The Ferrocarril La Floresta was operated from 1911 to the end of the 1940s, 4 km long field railway with 500 mm gauge from the spa in La Floresta to the Mosquitos station of the Estación La Floresta in Uruguay .
history
Dr. Miguel Perea Yampen (1858–1942) acquired the 600 hectare estate in 1911 and founded the company La Floresta SA to run it. To turn it into a tourist attraction, he sought advice from Francisco Piria, who founded the city of Piriápolis in 1890 . Francisco Piria, helped Miguel Perea to get the light railroad.
After construction work on the eastern extension of the Central Uruguay Railway in 250 km northeast of Treinta y Tres had been completed, at the end of 1911 Miguel Perea was able to acquire used four kilometers of track with a gauge of 500 mm, which is unusual in Uruguay, and twelve tipping lorries, which he converted for passenger transport. Initially, it was a two-axle wagon that was pulled by a horse on light rail tracks, as the four Bagnall steam locomotives of the construction site railway had been exported to Argentina. The construction site railway at Treinta y Tres is the only known use of steam locomotives on tracks with 500 mm gauge in Uruguay, which was otherwise only used there for trains operated by draft animals. For Uruguayan works railways, 600 mm gauge was otherwise preferred.
In 1921 the name of the light rail station was changed from "Mosquitos" to "La Floresta".
On December 5, 1940, the La Floresta Spa was declared settled by Law No. 9974. A year later, La Floresta SA sold its land and buildings to a company called Balneario de la Floresta SA. At the end of the 1940s, rail operations were stopped and replaced by a minibus.
business
The light railroad was particularly popular with pilgrims and beach excursionists. Since December 17, 1916, a picture of the Virgin Mary has been venerated in La Floresta, the acquisition of which was in turn supported by Francisco Piria. On December 17, 1916, a thousand pilgrims accompanied the historic statue of the Virgin of Bra ( La Virgen de Bra ), which Antonio Versanino had imported from Italy, by standard-gauge railway to the Mosquitos station of the Estación La Floresta . From there she was brought on a magnificently decorated cart by field train to a newly built chapel in La Floresta. On this occasion the train was pulled by oxen because of the greater weight of the wagons.
A ticket initially cost 15 cents, later 10 cents and then again 15 cents. The conductors of the light railroad wore peaked caps and leather wallets with belts for tickets and coins, like a tram. They also used a horn to announce departure and to warn other road users as the horse-drawn tram cars had no bells or horns.
One or two horses were still used for passenger transport even after the locomotives were purchased. The locomotives were reserved for freight traffic, or when the number of people being transported could not be handled by horses.
Rail vehicles
.jpg)
.jpg)
There were seven, laterally open, two-axle passenger cars with seats for 4 or 5 passengers each under a roof equipped with yellow and black striped curtains to protect against sun and rain. At both ends there was a platform for the coachman, who operated the brakes with a crank.
A larger bogie passenger car was supplied by an unknown, possibly Uruguayan, manufacturer. It was mounted on two bogies with two axles each and had a capacity of about 8 or 9 passengers. The backrests could be rotated by 180 ° when changing direction.
The company of Dr. In 1922, Miguel Perea probably bought a Daimler wagonet with a petroleum engine that could pull seven cars with a total of 50 passengers. Shortly thereafter, she added a 25 hp gasoline locomotive, apparently from Orenstein & Koppel . This locomotive was painted white with black borders and the words “Ferrocarril La Floresta” in black on the side of the bonnet. Later two white flags attached to black and white striped poles were placed on it.
Route
The route branched out at Plaza Artigas. The main route led straight on Avenida Treinta y Tres in the direction of Rambla, then further to the southeast and arrived in front of the Hotel Sarandi, which was a few hundred meters from the mouth of the stream across from the forest at the lower end of the gorge. The branch route ran up Las Flores road into the gorge and west to reach the site where a wooden restaurant and 4 chalets were built in 1913, which were later converted into the La Floresta Hotel and Casino.
There was also a temporary branch line that led uphill on Calle Bra to what is now the state-owned electricity company UTE (Usinas y Transmisiones Eléctricas) and the polyclinic and ended at Rambla. At the end of 1916, this branch was extended to Calle San Martín and then to the tile factory, in front of which the post office is now located. The extension continued and in 1921 another line was laid, almost to Plazoleta Lavalleja .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Guillermo Pérez Rossel: Los trencitos de Piriapolis, Colonia y La Floresta.
- ↑ a b c d Fabián Iglesias: Ferrocarril y Tranvía de La Floresta: Su Historia Completa. September 2008.
- ↑ La Floresta y su historia, llena de particularidades y misterios. August 8, 2017.
- ↑ Route of the field railway from La Floresta.
- ↑ Uruguay - Virgen de las flores.
- ↑ La Floresta - Breve reseña histórica.
Coordinates: 34 ° 45 ′ 13.7 ″ S , 55 ° 40 ′ 32.5 ″ W.