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The Old Patagonian Express train –the “Trochita”– which leaves from El Maitén, takes us to see the heart of the Patagonian steppe and its charming landscapes. A trip to the past in a “racing” train from the early XX century.
When I was invited to make a trip from El Maitén to the Thomae junction, in the Province of Chubut, on board the Old Patagonian Express, I immediately felt like Detective Pinkerton following the tracks of the famous bandits Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. |
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Thinking of the locomotive, the black smoke coming out of its chimney, the whistling right before leaving, the wooden car, and the endless rattling of its wheels sliding on the rails, I was rapidly sent back to the cowboy movies from the Far West.
The truth is that, far from being the famous detective and in fact living in the XXI century, I was deeply motivated to have the incredible possibility of getting on the legendary train of the early 1920's, which gave shape to a great part of the Patagonian history. Thanks to the train –popularly known as the “Trochita”, due to the unusual length of the locomotive gage (trocha), measuring only 75 centimeters– countless towns were born, and it is the testimony in motion of the effort of the people who, in remote times, dared to populate the South of the country. Totally willing to go on this trip charged with history in a true rolling museum, I accepted the invitation. From the village of El Bolsón, I left with the tourist agency transfer vehicle heading for El Maitén. We quickly left behind the 42nd. parallel, imaginary boundary between the Provinces of Río Negro and Chubut, and entered the latter through National Route 258. To our left, a silent witness of the adventure we were about to live accompanied us during most of the tour: the Piltriquitrón Mount, 2,260 mosl. Javier was our guide and therefore he was in charge of providing us with dates, information and topics related to the trip we were being part of. “Piltriquitrón" in the mapuche language means "mount hanging from the clouds”– he asserted, as the transfer vehicle was leaving the Las Golondrinas spot behind. A "curtain” of poplars indicated that we were passing by El Hoyo region, the “National capital of fine fruit”. This community, of hardly three thousand inhabitants, received this name due to the excellent quality of its production. Farther on, our senses were delighted by the sight of a magnificent panoramic view of the Epuyén Valley. The intense green of the Oregon and ponderosa pines, the busy blue of a stream that surely lost the main course of its river, the impressive mountains that are part of the Andes Mountain Range... everything was forming a postcard that would remain forever in my memory. |
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The transfer vehicle took the Provincial Route 70 junction in order to go along the final thirty tree rubble kilometers that separated us from the town of El Maitén. We were aware that an impatient "racing" train was waiting for our visit.
The Roots of the Town We would soon arrive in El Maitén. This town, located in a valley shaped by glacier erosion, is immersed in an ecosystem known as “ecotone”, in the very transition of the Andean forest to the Patagonian steppe. The little town owes its name to the leafy top and perennial leaves tree which in the early XIX century populated the banks of the Chubut River. Maitén, in the mapuche language, means “sacred tree” or “tree of wisdom”. We went along its arid streets observing its ancient architecture, which seemed to have stopped in time. The first establishments finally settled in the year 1939, when the rails of the "Trochita" arrived in the northern bank of the Chubut River. |
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We got off the vehicle, and a sharp and intense sound made me vibrate. It was the whistling of the locomotive, which was coupling up the last cars so that they would transport us during the ride.
With Javier, we headed for the workshops where the train maintenance tasks were performed. Inside the workshops, we were given a thorough explanation about the “Trochita”. I was surprised to learn that the train that I was about to take was in its original state. The legendary steam engine Henschel Class 75 H from 1922, still in use, is considered a unique piece by the signature of its own makers. |
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The locomotive is technically called “super economical gage”, due to the difference in centimeters between one rail and another. The maximum speed reached is thirty-five kilometers per hour, and the minimum is five. To start the engine, the engineer must press a key manually, in order to send the steam from the dome to the piston, which is the part that gives traction to the engine. These characteristics turn the train into one of the most beautiful trains in the world surviving the passing of time.
“All Aboard” We went back to the platform and the conductor's voice told us it was time to set off. I got on the corresponding car -the "Dutch"- and sitting on the comfortable seat I decided to behold the Patagonian landscape. |
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It is a real pleasure to be able to enjoy the ride in the “Old Patagonian Express”. It is like a trip across time, in which you go back to the times when the pioneers settled in this desert frontier, and around which endless anecdotes and stories were woven.
Outside, a landscape of matchless Andean beauty took hold of my senses. Soon, the winding tract let me glimpse that surprises awaited behind every bend. The dark smoke column, the sound of the locomotive, the narrowness of its cars –each of them with its corresponding stove– and the bar-car, are unique postcards of this railway tourist attraction. |
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We crossed the rail bridge, and we gradually went deep into enigmatic Patagonia.
The profile of a sleeping woman sculpted in rock by mother nature captured our attention. "That is Sleeping Beauty" -said the guide. We smiled, admired, beheld and suddenly let ourselves be caught by a strange nostalgic feeling that came to us in order to enjoy the utmost of that magnificent exponent of the area: the El Maitén “Trochita”. To Take into Account Timetable: From 01/18/06 Thru 02/28/06 the train leaves on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 3pm, and on Saturdays at 10.30am. The rest of the year: ask at the agency. Duration: one hour from El Bolsón to El Maitén; and a two-hour excursion on board the Old Patagonian Express “Trochita”. Recommendations: In case you get to the town of El Maitén in your private vehicle, do not forget that Provincial Route 70 is a rubble road. For such reason, we recommend that you do not exceed 60 km/h. Take your time to enjoy the landscape, for instance, leaving two hours beforehand. Always carry water. Should you not have water, you could acquire it at the train bar-car. Do not throw cigarette ends through the windows. |
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See also: Hotels in El Bolsón / Villa Lago Puelo and other accommodation venues |
| Contact: Grado 42 Belgrano 406 (8430) El Bolsón / Villa Lago Puelo - Río Negro Tel: +54 (2944) 49-3124 |
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