Traffic and timetables NB This chapter is in the early stages of preparation. The decision has been made to extend our coverage northwards to Neuquen but we are still collecting information, data and photos. Any assistance will be much appreciated. The Train Service The temporary terminus, until the completion over the river and into Neuquén, was equipped with a triangle for turning complete trains which had been installed for the opening of the line on 1 June. The Southern Railway were slightly disappointed with the traffic results in the first year or two, but from 1903 onwards regarded them as very satisfactory for the year 1903-04, some 43, 840 passengers of first and second class were carried, along with 788 tonnes of parcels, 36, 806 tonnes of goods, 439 horses, 3, 488 head of cattle and 148, 195 sheep. (4) The nucleus of a village had grown up around the original temporary terminal station which had been called Confluencia. With the closure of the station the villagers felt cut off and petitioned the railway to re-open it to provide a means of crossing the river Neuquén. It was reopened on 15 May 1904 as Limay and renamed Cipolletti in 1910. In this view dating from 1910 one can make out the railway bridge in the right background. In addition to rail traffic it was used by pedestrians. However, road traffic still had to cross the river by ferries such as this. I'm not clear how it was propelled, but I suspect that it may have been a "chain ferry" attached to a rope anchored on each side of the river. (038)(B) How to make passengers' travels confusing A new station was opened about 1908 to serve the new village which was growing up opposite the island of Choele-Choel. This station was given the name Darwin. Thus the strange situation pertained that the station for Darwin was called Choele-Choel and the station for Choele-Choel was called Darwin. Matters were put right by a government decree of 18 May 1911 which swopped the two station names, thus making the village and station names coincide. The Rio Colorado flood The governor of the territory of Neuquén telegraphed the District Traffic Superintendent of the Southern Railway at Bahía Blanca. At that time the District Traffic Superintended was the redoubtable Arturo H. Coleman. He at once organised a relief train, of twenty bogie vans and two open wagons which conveyed four rowing boats. Other railway officers involved were Messrs Nelson and Field of the Engineer-in-Chief's Department and N G White the Traffic Inspector. One assumes that the train also conveyed one or more squads of labourers. It would appear that they also took along a correspondent from the La Nación newspaper. When the train reached Buena Parada, which was the village about 5km from Río Colorado station, they found the station crowded with refugees from the flood. These were at once got on board, and the train took them back to Río Colorado which stood bit higher. The train then went back up the line to answer the call of Governor Eduardo Elordi, but, some 15 km on, was stopped by the flood waters, which rapidly rose up the sides of the wagons. The staff had to launch the boats and rowed to a nearby knoll which was now an island. They eventually got by to Río Colorado by the boats. After the flood the Southern Railway engaged an engineer, a S Blencowe, to investigate the circumstances giving rise to the flooding. They also had to rebuild 100 km of track and embankments damaged by the flood. A full description of the disaster is contained in Arthur Coleman's autobiography, chapter 5 of which is available in an appendix page.
The aftermath of the great flood, a stranded train and a view of Rio Colorado station on January 2nd 1915.
A Rotary Club excursion at Plaza Huincul station in April 1933. Sources: 27-5-08 | |||||
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