Brazil and the River Plate in 1868

by William Hadfield

THE WESTERN RAILWAY OF BUENOS AYRES.

I had a very pleasant excursion over the Western Railway as far as Mercedes, in company with some friends. Mr. Emilio Castro, Government Superintendent of the railways in the province of Buenos Ayres, to the Government of which this line belongs, accompanied us, and he kindly provided a very luxurious saloon carriage for the occasion. We left the Parque station at 8 a.m., going over some curves of a formidable nature, and along streets until we came to the company's goods station and workshops. The latter are on a very extensive scale. After this we got fairly on the main line, which is single, except at certain stations where the trains cross each other. How any engineer could have been bold enough to construct such curves, or the Government could allow locomotives to run through the streets, it is difficult to conceive, as there must always be much risk both to the train and to passengers. There are also some heavy gradients before the goods station is reached, which increases the danger, but people seem to have become familiarised with it.

For the first twelve miles to Flores station the country presents a succession of quintas, or country houses, many large and picturesque, and Flores itself is quite a large and extensive town, though merely a suburb of Buenos Ayres. The town is called San Jose de Flores, and near it is a large Anglo-Argentine school, where the train stops. Flores station is a very good one, capable of being doubled, with a peculiar pattern of light ornamental roofing inside. In the summer season the traffic to and from Flores is very considerable, and there is also a large resident population. After leaving Flores, we got more into the open campo, with plenty of cattle, sheep, and horses about, and numerous farm buildings, until we reached Floreste station, close to which is a large fanciful looking building, originally intended, I believe, for a hotel, but it does not appear to have been successful as a speculation. San Martin is an important station, diligences and carriages being in attendance to convey people to the neighbouring villages of San Custo, Santa Lucia, and San Martin, one of which was called Rozas' Saladero, from the number of victims he is said to have sacrificed there at a prison established for his political enemies. Near this station are some fine, handsome quintas, belonging to the Madero family, the country being well wooded, with many farms, and the same features are observable as far as the Moron station, near which the battle of Caceres was fought, which decided the fate of Rozas. There is a theatre close to this station, and Moron is quite a large town, having grown up under the influence of the railway. A public road runs in proximity to the line for a distance of some fifteen miles, which is very objectionable, and the rails might just as well have been laid a few squares apart from it. After passing Moron we got more into the open campo, with large flocks of sheep, droves of cattle, and horses feeding all around, until we reached the ancient Spanish town of Merlo, which has a church, with a little steeple very like that of a village church at home. There is a nice looking two-storied house there, built by Mr. Boyd, planted with trees, showing they will grow well enough if people will take the trouble to plant them, and I understand Mr. Boyd was the first to introduce the gum tree, which now flourishes in many gardens in the neighbourhood. A branch line is shortly to be constructed from this place to Lobos, some forty miles south-west, through, I am told, a very rich part of the province, and from which district a large traffic is expected. A river, called Las Conchas, runs near Merlo, crossed by an iron bridge, the first I have seen on the line, there being only open culverts where the line crosses streams or watercourses. The next station we came to was Moreno, a new town built since the opening of the line. Midway between Moreno and Lujan is a small station called General Rodriguez. Lujan is one of the oldest towns in the province, a river of that name running past it to the Parana, joining the little stream of Tigre, the terminus of the Northern Railway, whence passenger steamers go up to Rosario. There is a large station and warehouse at Lujan, where a quantity of wheat was being loaded into carts, to be ground in a mill called the “Mill of the Virgins,” a name which I conclude arises from an anecdote recorded as to the formation of the town. A travelling expedition, it would seem, while conveying an image of the Virgin, came to a standstill here, nor could the animals be made to proceed until the image was left on the spot. So it remained, and to this day it is a place of great religious festivities; and express trains are run from Buenos Ayres on these occasions. Whatever may be the real facts of the case, the Lujan Mills grind good flour. The wheat is grown in Chivilcoy, the present terminus of the Western line. It is small but hard. It was to Lujan that General Beresford sent a detachment in 1807, when the first attack was made on Buenos Ayres, arising out of the war with Spain, and which was subsequently renewed under such disastrous circumstances by General Whitelock. I merely make this allusion to show that at that time it was a town of some importance. The little station of Oliveres comes next, but is yet only in course of erection, in the midst of an immense open campo, with large flocks of sheep and plenty of cattle to be seen in all directions. A fine stream of water crosses this part of the campo. The thistles, about which we hear so much, abound in most parts of the campo, but the dry season has kept them down, and they do not rise much above the surface, nor do they appear to prevent the growth of grass suitable for sheep and cattle. No donkeys are seen in this country to luxuriate on the abundance of thistles, and very few mules, horses being generally used and very badly treated. Their dead carcasses are frequently encountered, as when “used-up,” they are turned adrift to die in the campo. A few miles further brought us to Mercedes, a town of some 12,000 inhabitants, the terminus of the railway before it was lately opened to Chivilcoy, an extension of forty miles, making a total distance of 100 miles now open, and the number of stations denotes the amount of traffic carried on by this railway, for which it has a stock of 420 wagons and 20 locomotives, besides passenger cars, chiefly the large American description.

The Western Railway was originally a small passenger line to San Jose de Flores, but was afterwards continued and opened by sections, the point for goods traffic only commencing at the great open square called the 11th of September, where the goods traffic in bullock carts has always been carried on. A large number of bullock carts still find their way to that market.

We remained at Mercedes to enjoy an excellent lunch provided for us by the station master, who resides there with his family, as going on to Chivilcoy would have entailed the loss of another day, and having to sleep there with probably limited accommodation. The station at Mercedes is a very fine one, with iron pillars and a corrugated roof, brought from England; also a large roadside shed for the locomotives, workshops, &c. The large area of ground occupied by the station must be with a view to future requirements. Omnibuses and a diligence were waiting to convey passengers to the town, which is near the station, and to distant places. We did not go into the town, as it looked rather dusty and our time was limited, having to return by a special train at 1.30.

We rode some distance back on the engine, making twenty-one miles in thirty-five minutes over part of the campo, and reached the Parque station at Buenos Ayres about five o'clock, or three and half hours for a distance of about sixty miles; but we had to wait at two stations for the up train to cross, besides calling at most of the other stations, all of which involved a good deal of delay. The engines have to water frequently, and there was a scarcity of coal, so they were obliged to burn slack, mixed with cinders, causing some difficulty in keeping up steam. It must be admitted that the Government have shown real energy and determination in prosecuting this railway, which is of great benefit to the Province, and I believe well managed, yielding a good return for the capital invested. The rails used on this line are the Barlow, and they are in very excellent condition after being down several years. The line from Mercedes to Chivilcoy is laid with Griffin's rails, which I understand are not so rigid as the Barlow. There is no wood suitable for sleepers in this part of the country.

It is intended to carry on the line to the north end of Buenos Ayres, and to build a wharf out to the river, thus enabling the company to land and ship goods without passing through the city, which will be a great convenience and save expense, besides the advantage of opening up communications with the other railways by such a branch line. Eventually there is to be a Central Station on the beach for all the railways, so that goods and passengers can be conveyed from one to the other. As already observed, a branch is to be made from the Merlo station to the town of Lobos, and no doubt it will be carried further in that direction, so as to develop the resources of the country. All this will require time, and a large outlay of money, for which the Government is not prepared now, but it is sure to be accomplished later on, with many more urgent improvements required in this large and growing city.

We had a very fine day for our excursion, and enjoyed it much, thanks to the kindness of Mr. Emilio Castro, who made ample provision for creature comforts, and was exceedingly attentive. Mr. Allen, the engineer for the line, was also of the party, and gave us much valuable information. He has been many years out here, and with his brother, has worked his way to an important and responsible position.

In the Appendix will be found a very interesting description of the workshops of the Western Railway, which we extract from the columns of the Buenos Ayres Standard, an influential paper extensively circulated in the River Plate.