International Railroad Discussion > Central Romana - Dominican Republic

General Electric 70-ton (rebuilt/modified) switchers work the Central Romana sugar mill lines out of La Romana, Dominican Republic. Trains Magazine, February 2012, pages 52-53 had article on this operation. I visited line June 5, 2012.

Since the beginning of the Central Romana Corporation’s operations, all of its sugarcane has been transported with the help of its railroads. Today a modern railroad infrastructure exists that carries 100% of the sugarcane crop from the sugar cane fields to the sugar mill. This railroad network consists of 354 kilometers of standard size (56.5 inches) tracks, of which 140 kilometers are the main lines, and 214 of which are loading tracks. This infrastructure permits the company to take up to 22,000 tons of cane directly to the mill, within 24 hours of being cut, a feat that contributes greatly to the efficiency of the company.

To ensure the efficient operations of its railroad network, the company utilizes 17 twenty ton locomotives and 900 wagons, which can haul over 4,000,000 tons of cane during the 225 days of the normal sugar harvesting season.

The ability to use our railroad system to transport all of our sugarcane to the mill is one of the most important factors that have contributed to the efficiency of the company's operations, thereby allowing the minimization of production costs. The railroads require constant maintenance and replacement of worn crossbeams, which where once imported or made from local woods. To which end, the Central Romana Corporation decided, many years ago, to make heavy investments with the goal of being able to manufacture rail crossbeams with prefabricated slabs of concrete, with the implementation of modern techniques. This investment has not only benefited the company, but also the country in general, as it has preserved its forests and minimized its need for purchasing foreign currency.

SUGAR PRODUCTION
At the present time, the Central Romana Corporation maintains a sugar production of over 400,000 tons annually, working with two tandems, each one of which has seven mills with a grinding capacity of 11,000 tons of sugarcane. This allows the company to mill over 20,000 tons of cane a day. The company’s current level of production represents nearly 70% of the total sugar production of the country, symbolizing why the Central Romana Corporation has become synonymous with the word sugar in the Dominican Republic.
As the top producer and exporter of raw sugar in the country, the Central Romana Corporation has also become the largest and presently the only supplier of refined sugar in the domestic market.

The sugar refining operations began in 1970 and have since seen an enormous expansion of their manufacturing capacity, currently able to produce an impressive 1,000 tons of sugar every 24 hours. Through the Central Romana Corporation, the Dominican consumer and the large industrial sugar users have found a reliable source of refined sugar, which has been able to maintain a stable price over time.

Oxen were used to haul sugar cane loaded carts to several rail transfer locations. (Info courtesy Central Romana)

Image 1 - View from cruise ship had Central Romana GE 70-tonner leaving port after spotting one tank car June 5, 2012 at La Romana, Dominican Republic. Molassas stored in tanks next to ship Malou Theresa - Valletta.

Image 2 - Well groomed grounds at Central Romana locomotive and car shop with CR 33 (GE built 70-tonner) at left. Locomotive shop on east side of sugar mill La Romana June 5, 2012.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/12 12:15 by cozephyr.

---

---

Image 1 - Central Romana 33, GE 70-tonner, at locomotive shop. Watch where you step - sharp objects amongst well manicured grounds! June 5, 2012 at La Romana, Dominican Republic.

Image 2 - Central Romana maintenance crew picked up sugar cane along the right of way north of La Romana, Dominican Republic, June 5, 2012. Three security guys would stop by and ask what I was doing (taking photos). None told me to stop. All friendly. This location was in front of a police station. Sugar company official stopped later - satisfied all was well with my photo taking. Helps if you have a English/Spanish speaking taxi driver.

---

---

Image 1 - Ox still bring in sugar cane to several Central Romana transload locations. Line is standard gauge. Sugar cane is cut by Haitians on the Dominican Republic side of Hispaniola.

Image 2 - Tractors pull several trailers of sugar cane from the fields to the rail transloads. June 5, 2012 north of La Romana, Dominican Republic. The 2011-2012 sugar cane season winds up in June 2012.

---

---

The DR is a favorite place of mine! I've stayed at a resort in Puerto Plata on 3 different trips and hope to return again. There is a small steam locomotive on display near the port in Puerto Plata that I seem to recall is narrow gauge, and in not very good condition that I should take some pictures on my next trip to the DR. Thanks for the photos from La Romana.

Larry Dodgion
Wilsonville, OR

How far is this operation from Punta Cana?