Paraguay_ the Last 100% Steam State Railway

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15/01/13 Paraguay: The Last 100% Steam State Railway

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The Last 100% Steam State Railway

Regular Steam in Paraguay and Brazil 06. 15.08.2009

There is only one state railway left in the world which is using steam for all operations: Paraguays Ferrocarril Presidente Carlos Antonio Lpez. To

be accurate, since 2002 it is officially not a state railway anymore and now called Ferrocarriles del Paraguay S.A. (FEPASA) but there is no visible

difference. A remarkable feature of this railway is that they use tropical firewood to feed their fleet of steam locos. The locomotives are mostly 2-6-

0s, 4-6-0s and 2-8-0s from North British and Kerr Stuart, many of them 99 years old!

So far its all good news. From a more realistic perspective Paraguays railway is running on its last legs. After flooding (due to a dam project) the

south-central part of the line it i s not operable any more. What remains is the shunting operation at the former southern end, Encarnacin. Freight

coming from Argentina over the bridge i s taken to the shunting yard and propel led to the loadi ng/unload ing area. Here the freight is loaded on to

road vehicles.

The most interesting feature i s the dai ly run through the streets of Encarnacin, when the l ocomotive is going from the depot (another photographic

highl ight!) to the shunting yard. The shunting operation itself has a high light as well. They hau l a l ong train out of the station and passed a

semaphore signal with the loco working really hard.

They have frequently used two locomotives at the same time in recent years. In the best case there can be three locomotives under steam.


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Itinerary

Date Itinerary

06.08. Flight from London to Asuncin via Sao Paulo

07.08. Early morning arrival Sao Paulo, well drop our luggage at the airport and continue by taxis to Cruzeiro, visit tothe worlds last Sentinel locomotive in regular use, return to the airport and evening flight to Asuncin (22.30 23.10 hrs), Hotel Portal del Sol in Asuncin

08.08. Well start the day slowly with a visit to the depot of Asuncin, the old main station with plinthed 4-2-2Sapucai and 4-6-0 226, the plinthed 4-6-0 228 in the city and the little railway museum, Hotel Portal del Solin Asuncin

09.08 Today weve a charter steam train from the Botanical Garden to Aregu and back, Hotel Portal del Sol inAsuncin

10.08. Well go to Sapucai to visit to the workshop and see their serviceable locomotive under steam. Well have ashort charter here on the remaining short bit of track. Evening continue to Encarnacin, hotel Domingo Savioin Encarnacin

11.08. Visit to the depot in Encarnacin and the normal steam operation in the station of Empalme. Hotel inEncarnacin.

12.08. Visit to the daily steam operation, hotel in Encarnacin

13.08. We try to arrange a charter train through the city from Empalme to Encarnacin with one steam loco andabout 7 freight wagons. In the afternoon well go by charter bus to Ciudad del Este and pass the border toBrazil to Foz do Iguacu where well take a hotel

14.08. Visit to the world heritage site Iguacu/Iguazu waterfall, the probably most impressive waterfall on the planet.
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Evening return flight from Iguacu to Europe

15.08. Evening arrival in Europe

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Line description

Regular Steam in Brazil

There i s only one single broad gauge steam l ocomotive i n the world where we can be certain o f its status: regularly used. In addi tion, i ts the l ast

and only Senti nel steam l ocomotive which i s still in regular use. If al l thi s wouldnt be enough, one on the top: its Brazils last known regularly used

steam locomotive!

With half the speed of a pedestrian the loco pushes and pul ls metal sheet and steel fabrications into the big m ounting hall of the Amsted-Maxion

Company in Cruzeiro. Only one l ocomotive is serviceable and probably i n use, the other one is dumped in the yard. Although the chances are

rather good of seeing this loco in use, there might be a repair under way which would let us see thi s technically hi ghly i nteresting l ocomotive onl y

cold.


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Because using a local travel agent for this visit would make the costs rise too high, well use taxis from the airport and bargain a price on the spot.

Hence the taxi is not included i n the tour costs and must be paid i n Sao Paulo.

Regular and Charter Steam in Paraguay


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The short run from Asuncin to Aregu leads through a green m eadow. The rails are almost invisible. So the authenti c ambiance of the railway in

its last years of operation can be al most guaranteed. The li ne i s in a very sad shape with derailments not uncommon. Our train wil l have a similar

composition to the former regular school train with two second hand Argentinean coaches or two wooden coaches and a freight car.


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The old workshop at Sapucai is an amazing sight. This is a traditional steam workshop with a stationary steam engine, steam boilers and all

machinery powered by overhead belt-drive systems. One engine is serviceable and several others are dumped or still in the workshop just as they

were on the last day workers left the shop. It is a magical place for photos. The serviceable locomotive will be under steam for our group an will do

some shunting movements for us as well a going on the very short bit of the remaining line, some 500 yards. If the road is impassable due to

weather conditions or the locomoti ve not serviceable for any reason we need to cancel this arrangement without any compensation possible .

The few km long li nk between Encarnacin depot and Empal me, the shunting yard of the railway, heads directly through the city of Encarnacin.

There are amazing photo and video positions, as there were 25 years ago. Well try to arrange a charter train here. However, arranging this via the

headquarters would cost a fortune, so well try to do it locally. The price is hence unknown and not part of the tour price. If you want to book the tour

you need to agree to share the costs for this charter. Were estimating some 2,000 US-Dollars for the train (so with 15 participants your share would

be 133 Dollars).


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In Encarnacin well have enough ti me for a brief visit to Argentina. T he railway ferry, a steam boat built i n Glasgow in 1911, can be visited on the

Argen tinean side of the ri ver Paran. Its easily accessib le over the bridge (which rendered the ferry boat unem ployed). EU-citi zens do not need a

visa for this day-trip.

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Small PrintParaguay is a rather easy going country for tourists. Citizens of the EU dont need a visa, just a valid passport (needs to be valid at least until six

months after the i ntended departure date). Mobi le phone coverage is good in the cities but poor in the countryside. T hey use a 220 Volts system.

Brazil doesnt require a visa for visitors from the EU. You need a passport and a proof of your return flight. Pick pocketing is a problem in all large

cities of Brazil, but well avoid these cities on our tour. In Igucu l ife i s very civili sed. At the Iguacu waterfall you may charter a helicopter or a white

water rafting tour if you like.

Charter buses and trains represent the standard of our host country, which may deviate from European and North American expectations.

This tour is designed for both, dedicated photographers and video filmmakers. Our philosophy is to provide opportunities to get that perfect sunrise

shot rather than take a time consuming 5-star breakfast buffet. Breakfast is included in the tour price, other meals are not.

Please bear in mind that accommodation and transportation in Paraguay falls well short of EU or US safety standards. Always use common sense

when crossing roads and railway tracks. The railway in Paraguay is dangerous compared to west-European standards. Do not book this tour if you

expect to find a perfectly operated railway using European safety standards! FarRail Tours cannot be held responsible , and will not accept anyliability whatsoever in the case of any accident or damage. We suggest you take out a comprehensive overseas accident and health insurance

policy.

We can not guaranty the avail abili ty of locomotives. IN Asuncin they have a spare engine, but in Sapucai they havent.

Later registrations will be accepted if flights and hotel s are still avail able. If youre not sure whether you can pa rticipate or not please announce you

interest well i n advance so that we can hold your place.

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Price
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Paraguay

Paraguay: The World's Last Steamy State Railway 15 to 25 participants 2,160

06.08.2009 15.08.2009 11 to 14 participants 2,370

Single room surcharge 155

Registration Deadline: 11.05.2009

For a land only booking you can deduct 1,040 from the tour price.

The price includes:

Flight from Frankfurt/Main or London to Asuncin in economy class

All transfers in Paraguay

All hotels

Charter train in Asuncin

Charter steam in Sapucai

Breakfast

Local and European tour guide (fligh ts are not guided)

Not included are:

Personal expenses li ke tel ephone, bar services, laundry service

Lunch, dinne r, beverages

Charter train i n Encarnacin

Taxi in Brazil

Departure tax from Brazil (in 2008: 36 US-$)

Tips (please calculate with some 50 Pounds for tips)

DISCLAIMER

As a service to our UK-based cli ents FarRai l Tours accepts and wil l conti nue to accept paym ents made out in Pound Sterl ing unti l further not ice.

However, please note that from January 28, 2009, al l prices quoted in Pound Sterling are indi cative only and a re subject to change without p rior

notice. T his measure was taken by FarRail T ours due to the unprecedented volatili ty in the i nternational foreign exchange markets and its impact o

the valuation of the Pound Sterling versus other major currencies, namely the Euro as FarRail Tours' accounting currency.

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Paraguay_ the Last 100% Steam State Railway

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