La Trochita (Old Patagonian Express)

National Historic Monument; A 75 Cm Narrow Gauge Steam Railway Completed In 1945 And Made Famous Abroad By Paul Theroux'S Book The Old Patagonian Express · Esquel, Chubut

La Trochita is a narrow-gauge steam railway in the foothills of the Andes, running on track just seventy-five centimetres wide, built in the first half of the twentieth century to link the remote sheep country of western Patagonia with the main line. It was completed in 1945, carried wool, animals and people for decades, and became famous abroad when Paul Theroux ended his book The Old Patagonian Express on it. Most of the line has since fallen silent, but from Esquel the original Baldwin and Henschel steam locomotives, some over a century old, still pull wooden carriages heated by wood stoves across the steppe to the Mapuche community of Nahuel Pan, where the train turns round and local artisans sell crafts. The ride is slow, short and noisy and entirely charming. Occasional longer excursions run from El Maiten, where the railway's workshops keep the engines going. Esquel is a pleasant town with the Cerro La Hoya ski area above it and is the gateway to Los Alerces National Park; the Welsh town of Trevelin, with tea houses, is close by.

Estacion Esquel, Roggero y Urquiza, Esquel, Chubut, Esquel, Chubut, U9200, Argentina

Tourist trains leave Esquel on a timetable that varies by season, from several departures a week in summer and winter holidays to fewer at other times; confirm before planning around it. Services can be cancelled for maintenance or weather.

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