Chapter 6

The Chiloe Island 60cm gauge railway

Glossary

Site map

Main pages

Introduction •

Construction •

Locomotives •

Rolling stock •

Operations •

Along the route •

Photo album •

Surviving relics •

Quellon distillery •

The other 60cm branches •

The Capitan Pastene line •

The Chillan to Las Termas line •

The Linares to Colbún line •

The FC Militar •

Appendices

1 Itinerary of route •

2 Route map and profile •

3 Analysis of Chilean 60cm gauge locos •

4 Loco diagrams •

5 Documents from prior to construction •

6 Documents during construction •

7 Documents from later years •

8 Rolling stock purchase •

9 Linares - Colbún map •

10 Capitan Pastene map •

11 Cap Pastene line extras •

12 Chillán extra images •

13 FC Militar map etc •

14 FC Militar surviving relics •

15 FC Militar extra images •

16 Memories of the FC de Chiloé •

Map of Chillán to Recinto and Niblinto routes, alternative proposals for facilities in Chillán, and itinerary of locations

The map below is a full-sized version of that shown on the main Chillá - Las Termas page. It shows the first section approved for construction, as far as Pinto.

The next map, to a smaller scale, purports to show the line continuing east towards Las Termas, but note that the route is not shown accurately.

Route itinerary – Chillán to Coihueco, Pinto and Recinto, and the branch to Niblinto
Km.	Station or feature	Facilities, notes
0	Chillán station	Altitude 114m. Bodega para carga Instalacion de dos focos y medidor electrico EFE resisting DOP taking land, station already too narrow.
	Paradero Cruz de Rifo	A halt at the junction of Avenida Ecuador and the streets Dieciocho and Avenida Francia.
	Estación or paradero Santa Elvira	At the entrance to the army barracks, in the old district of Santa Elvira
	Estación General Lagos	Altitude 167m. Edificio, oficinas, casa habitacion i bodega de 20x9 m. Casa para cuadrillas de camineros Casa para cambiador Casita para cocina Estanque i bomba para agua
15.???	Bridge over Estero ???, ?m span.
	Estación Talquipén	Altitude 206m. Edificio de dos pisos, oficinas i casa habitacion Bodega para carga Casa para cuadrillas de camineros Casa para cambiador Casita para cocina
20.???	Bridge over Estero ???, ?m span.
	Estación Coihueco	Altitude 253m. Edificio, oficinas, casa habitacion Bodega para carga Casa para cuadrillas de camineros Casa para cambiador Casita para cocina Estanque i bomba para agua
30.???	Bridge over Estero ???, ?m span.
About 5km south of Coihueco	Paradero Roblería	Altitude 253m.
35.027	Estacion Pinto	Altitude 275m. Edificio de dos pisos, oficinas, casa habitacion Bodega para carga Casa para cuadrillas de camineros Casa para cambiador Casita para cocina Estanque i bomba para agua
??	Estación Tanilvoro	Altitude 363m.
48.529		Oblique culvert of concrete, 1.5m span.
49.???	Estación La Esperanza	Altitude 614m. Water column
54.918		Concrete bridge of 14.4m span.
56.032		44m steel bridge, three spans of 7, 10 and 7m.
56.300		44m steel bridge, three spans of 7, 10 and 7m.
??	Paradero Barrón
80.???	Estación El Recinto	Altitude 798m.

The blue-print plans below show alternative proposed narrow gauge layouts at Chillán. The first two have everything laid out parallel to the broad gauge mainline,
with north being to the right and south to the left. The third plan on the other hand has the main narrow gauge facilities well north of the broad gauge station and
around a 90 degree curve. In this case north is to the top of the plan.

At present it is not known which of these layouts - if any - was adopted for construction and operation.

 

 

Surviving relics

The station building at Talquipén was used for many years as the village school, but is now derelict. It is littered thoughout in paper, but unfortunately this all dates from its years in education rather than being from the railway.

The front facade is of a standard layout, like that at Lumaco, with from left three doors, a window, a door and finally one more window. This would have been the platform face, with two or more tracks to the left of the picture.

The rear is rather more battered.

In front of the main building, and to the east, is the goods platform on which there would presumably have been a goods shed or 'bodega'.

Whilst the trackbed through Coihueco station has been tarmaced and is now a residential street, this shed remains. It seems likely that this was the 'casa de camineros' or PW gang hut of the erstwhile station.

Looking east along the trackbed. At the end, by the white car, the route to Pinto & Recinto, and that to Niblinto, would have diverged right and left.

The original wooden Niblinto station building was destroyed by fire at some point during the life of the railway, and was rebuilt in brick. It too became a school, and remains as such to this day. This is the south face of the building, which would have faced the tracks.

…and the east face.

It seems likely that this hut just to the west of the main structure, was a platform shelter for waiting passengers.

In front of the main building again there is the goods platform, though no trace survives of a goods shed. The ramp is probably an addition by the school but the older concrete behind shows the original dimensions of the structure. It is now used as a playground.

The only surviving structure at El Recinto is the water tower, though even that has come apart with the tank now lying adjacent to the rail-built framework.

25-2-17

RETURN to home page

RETURN to top of page

RETURN to Chillán to Recinto page

NEXT CHAPTER the 1922 75cm gauge lines