International Railroad Discussion > OK, what's left to railfan in Cuba?

With today's announcement of the US liberalizing the travel ban to Cuba, my mind starts going: I understand that all the steam is gone, but are they still running wooden trolley cars? Old Alco diesels?Do they still shuttle sugar cane to the mills by rail?

I know that simple "tourism" is to remain off limits, but aside from the fact that my wife was born there, I can easily come up with educational reasons to go legitimately, and would love to know what's left for the railfan to savor.

I want to know too.

Get hold of the 2009-2013 back issues of Latin Tracks, Cuba was covered in depth

You guys had better be fans of CNR assembled diesels, the place seems to be wall to wall Chinamen

http://news.everychina.com/wz4026ff/locomotives_shipment_to_cuba.html
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=288305
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=392958&nseq=12
http://modelismocubano.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/locomotoras-china-dfg7-c.jpg
http://modelismocubano.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/dsc_3655br.jpg

Also geriatric Russians and Soviet block units
http://www.asafal.es/images/MedialdeaFcCuba6.jpg

Google Ferrocarriles de Cuba and similar on YouTube

Heard this news on NPR last night and was pleased.

First thing would be to join the Yahoo Groups Cuban Railways Group, moderated by Oscar Jalice. This is the most up to date information you can get. Cuban railroads have been changing/evolving over the last ten years. There was an extensive infrastructure that is having to be rationalized right now. Meaning right now would be a good time to see some branch lines and older equipment. Definitely get a copy of the Atlas de Cuba (1979) as it will help you explore off the beaten path. Latin Tracks has a few articles from a fellow that visited some years ago and there were some family ties to the railroad, but it was mostly tied to one area.

Good luck. There may be others in line with you to go!

There were some Hawker Siddeley-built ex-NdeM passenger cars that made their way there when NdeM went out of existence with privatization.

I believe there is still passenger service over basic routes -- Havana-Santiago, for example.

Of course, anyone who wanted to go to Cuba wasn't stopped by the travel ban.

I know someone who just came back from there....with a US passport. ;)

chs7-321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Of course, anyone who wanted to go to Cuba wasn't
> stopped by the travel ban.
>
> I know someone who just came back from
> there....with a US passport. ;)

Same here, I know several people who've traveled to Cuba recently with a US passport and one who had his passport stamped by the Cubans. He had no problem at all on his return to the US.

I was there on tours in 2002 & 2003, two of the last good years for sugar trains and steam. Both tours were permitted under State Department special permits. We had the option to have the passport stamped or not. If you chose not, a visa card was stamped instead and returned at departure.

Both were raifan tours. These were the last two good years for steam operations. By 2005, few steam operations were available. On a discussion in RYPN it has been pointed out China's scrap merchants have laid waste to mills, railroads and rolling stock. This since 2011 and with Cuban Government's laws enacted to preserve steam have not been followed. Over 200 sugar mills have dismantled and scrapped as well as the rail networks that served these industries. At one time the island hosted standard gauge (the most common), 3 ft gauge (maybe all gone by now), 30 inch gauge (more common at sugar mills) and the odd 27 1/2 inch gauge on several connected lines. Some of the odd narrow gauge equipment has been moved to Havana. The Hershey Electric operates with cars from Barcelona, Spain and had only two Brill Cars that were available for service as well a few old GE steeple Cabs.

Steam is preserved at few Sugar Mill railroads that operate for tourists. It is nothing like real operating sugar trains. Many Locomotives have been rounded up and moved to unborn railroad museum's in Havana. Many of these locos are sitting out in lots and are in disrepair. A visit to Cuba to see railroading today would be much different with former European, Mexican and now Chinese diesels invading.

Dale Brown
wingsandrails on facebook

Posted from Android



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/14 00:18 by DWBrown.

Glad I got to go when I did....in 2000 on a tour led by Dale's wife Mariam. Attached is from one of the mills, certainly now closed. It consisted of both standard and narrow gauge lines. Very sad. I wonder what happened to all the people employed there. They even had their own housing and school.

---

Travel to Cuba has actually been quite easy in recent years, with a number of organized tour options available that meet the State Departmemt's requirements; they have been a bit pricey. It's easy to see why virtually any trip can be justified on educational and cultural reasons.