Southern Diversion

Look South...way south




This is off topic for this blog, but on occasion I will post things like this.  One of my ongoing projects has been to scan my slide and negative collection, both my own work and those I have collected over the years.  Recently I scanned slides from one of my favourite work related trips.  

In 1998 I was sent to run an exploration drill program in the Chubut Province of Argentina.  Remote and relatively unknown, it is home to some wonderful things.  Specifically the 75cm gauge "La Trochita" or "Old Patagonian Express" narrow gauge steam railway.  This link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Trochita has more details.  

I spent over two months in Esquel and area.  I worked the morning shift on the drill as the Argentinian geologist I cross shifted with was not a morning person.  This worked perfectly as I was back in town in time to catch "La Trochita" returning from it's daily run.  Pretty much every day I went to the station to watch the train pull in and put it's train away before heading to the shops.  On days when the drill  was broken down (a fairly regular occurrence) I could catch the outbound train passing through some spectacular scenery.  What more could a railfan ask for that daily narrow gauge steam running in your back yard.



I made a trip to the main shops at El Maiten as well and toured the shops and facilities there with a local guide.  A crew was using a Baldwin steam engine to attempt to pull a derelict locomotive up a steep incline to use for some parts but the tender derailed.  The crew spent a lot of time rerailing the locomotive and managed to get it rerailed.  I also took video of all this action, I will have to dig up and digitize that when I relocate it.  

Other adventures included getting arrested by the Guardia Nacional for not having proper work papers (they let me go after I paid a fine), and having more steak, red wine and fresh raspberries than was advisable.  I also found out why single malt scotch was readily available in Esquel.  

It turns out that many of local people were of Scottish and Welsh origin as the original ranches were owned by people from England.  Many of the families that worked for the English owners stayed on after the ranches were sold.  On one occasion I was talking with a local ranch owner and his son.  They would converse with each other in Welsh and then answer me in Spanish - neither spoke English.  On another occasion I met another ranch owner and his wife at the gas station.  He introduced me (in Spanish) to his wife who then said in perfect Queens English "So you're the Canadian are you?"  It was all a bit surreal but immensely fun.  

Here are some of my photos from my southern sojourn.  I hope you enjoy them.  















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