| CIENFUEGOS - NARROW GAUGE Mal Tiempo, Espartaco and Pepito Tey Whilst Rafael Freyre, in the Holguin region, is undoubtedly my favourite mill system in Cuba, the line at Mal Tiempo is a very close second. This is a 2' 6" gauge line which is remarkable for the way in which the engines appear to create a low frequency rumble that can actually be felt long before the engine itself can actually be heard. Combine this with some spectacular scenery and some very tough gradients and all the ingredients are there for a truely unforgetable experience. The line is worked by a fleet of Baldwin 2-8-0's that are kept well maintained at the small shed next to the mill. The mill itself is one of the few that it is possible to enter without official permission. It has a fascinating system of winches and steel hawsers which are used to pull the wagons into the mill prior to them being tipped and the cane taken away to be crushed. The line stretches about 15 miles to the furthest loading point at Potrerillo and most of the line is accessible by car although careful navigation of the dirt tracks is necessary. Immediately after leaving Potrerillo the line climbs two steep banks providing some of the best locations on the line although the system is very attractive over its entire length. The line also has several 'wyes' along its length meaning that tender first running, a feature of many lines, is unecessary and thus there are even more photographic opportunities available here. No wonder it is so popular! |
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| Baldwin 2-8-0's No.1320 and 1355 sit outside the 3-road shed awaiting their next turns of duty |
| No.1345 assembles a rake of empty wagons bound for Potrerillo - no tender first working is needed here |
| No.1355 brings a long train of loaded cane wagons up the final section just before the mill at Cruces |
| No.1345 brings another heavily loaded train up the bank from the loading point at Potrerillo |
| No.1345 tackles the second of the gradients leading away from the Potrerillo loading point |
| No.1355 on a train of empty wagons heading away from the mill and out towards the loading points |
| Even in the mid-1990's there still seemed to a popular belief amongst some Cubans that visiting steam enthusiasts were controlled by CIA and were intent on industrial spying! Thus while access to the lineside was tolerated, many mills and engine sheds were known to be out of bounds to visitors. Access to Espartaco mill, just a few miles from Mal Tiempo, was usually denied by a man with a large and well-oiled rifle but on my very first visit there it was his day off and to our astonishment we were welcomed in with open arms! A subsequent visit in 1997 found not only three of the 2'6" gauge Baldwin's hard at work but also the mill's two fireless 0-4-0's in action. More recently the mill has been closed and cane shipped to other mills. The two fireless locomotives are awaiting overhaul, as are at least two of the 2-8-0's, and with no work for the mill their future looks somewhat bleak. However there are no certainties in Cuba and it is always possible that next year could see them at work here or at some other nearby mill. |
| Baldwin 2-8-0 No.1329 stands in the main yard. This is one of only two locos deemed steamable in 2002 |
| Baldwin 2-8-0 No.1328 crosses the river bridge on the long southern line from San Fernando to Espartaco |
| Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-0F No.1130 shunting wagons in the mill yard. This engine is now awaiting repair. |
| Baldwin 2-8-0 No.1329 brings in a heavily loaded train from Paso de Medio on the southern line. |
| Baldwin0-4-0F No.1131 makes easy work of hauling five loaded cane wagons as it shunts the mill yard |
| No.1327 brings in a train of loaded cane wagons on the much shorter, mile-long, northern line. |
| The third narrow gauge line in Cienfuegos is at Pepito Tey, some 20km south of Mal Tiempo and Espartaco. This has proved to be a difficult line to photograph as the light is from the wrong direction and trains tend to leave the mill early in the morning and return late in the afternoon. In recent years this mill has also been closed and the latest reports on the future of the Cuban sugar industry suggest that this may now be permanent. |
| 2' 6" gauge Baldwin 2-8-0's are also the mainstay of Pepito Tey mill and in 1996 No.1236 is seen with a rake of empty wagons near the mill (above) Although many mills have not been working, in most places the workers have continued to be paid the going rate of about US$10 per month! . However in the increasingly uncertain times facing the country this may about to be coming to an end bringing harsh economic reality to the lives of many, such as this loco crew at Pepito Tey (right) |