Forgotten locomotive, the pride and joy of Perón's Argentina, found by UK

[bin.dare]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/argentina/story/0,11439,1379893,00.html

Jonathan Glancey
Monday December 27, 2004
The Guardian

"Argentina" lies rusting and vandalised inside a disused locomotive depot in a poor suburb of San Miguel de Tucumán in north-west Argentina.
No one, it seems, has cried for it for many years. Until now.

A group of visiting British engineers has tracked down this legendary, if mournful, locomotive which railway enthusiasts worldwide assumed had been scrapped long ago.
One of the most efficient steam locomotives ever built, Argentina was the pet project of Juan Perón in the years of his first presidency.

Designed by the brilliant engineer Livio Dante Porta, who died last year aged 81, the metre-gauge "Argentina" was unveiled in 1949. Streamlined, US-style, for publicity purposes, it was painted in the white and sky blue colours of the Argentine flag, and emblazoned with Perón's favourite slogans, Mejor que decir es hacer (Better to do than to say) and Mejor que prometer es realizar (Better to carry out than to promise).

(more details)

[benburch]

1. And with the end of oil...

We will need external combustion engines like the steam locomotive if we are to have any sort of technological civilization left!

[whistle]

2. What is this fascination that the British have for everything....

...reflective of the fascistic regime of Argentina's dictator Juan Peron and his common-law wife Eva? I don't get it. They stole and plundered the poor of Argentina for over two decades, creating a minority wealthy class that exploits the Argentinian people to this day. That steam train was just another expensive Peron boondoggle that never paid for itself.

[JoFerret]

3. It was the train

that fascinated (more likely).

[RetroLounge]

5. Lighten up Francis.

Not everything is political.

Trains are cool.

RL

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. Steam and Repression Go Hand In Hand

Sorry, but it's true. The last big holdouts for mainline steam were East Germany, South Africa, and finally China, the last place on earth you can see it in regular service, though not for long.

I am aware that the world's largest democracy, India, was also a holdout for steam. PBS showed a wonderful documentary some years ago about this. The producers were from Fairfax VA, IIRC.

You want fascism? You want bizarre steam power? How about prewar V-8 steam running on the Reichsbahn? No kidding. Presenting my favorite oddball steam locomotive of them all:

Forgotten Experiment: the V-8 Steam Locomotive

Study the pictures and the drawings. It will make sense. What a concept.

[bin.dare]

7. don't you remember the song ...

"don't cry for me old Cortina ..." ?

ahhh very few will remember my old Cortina car. maybe some brits might.

[Lost4words]

13. I remember Cortinas, there was a Lotus powered Cortina also.

remember them well. I have also driven a Triumph Herald.

[RetroLounge]

4. Very cool locomotive!

http://www.martynbane.co.uk/argentina.htm



RL

[alfredo]

8. a real beauty.

Check this one out. the Brits loved their trains.



and this one



From Here: http://www.dsds.demon.co.uk/rail/misc.htm

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. The Evening Star,

number 92220, was the last steam locomotive built in GB.

[alfredo]

10. It's a fine way to go out.

I lived in an area that had narrow gauge railroads. They used Littorinas to ferry people through the region.


Check out the pictures of the Littorinas on this page.
http://www.asmera.nl/eritrea2004/eritrea932.htm

here's a page on the Eritrean Railways
http://www.trainweb.org/eritrean/
I used to cycle the road in the background of the picture. More fun going down than up.
Good photos of steam locomotives. (look in the table of contents.)

I didn't ride the trains while I was there because of the bandits targeted the rails more than the roads.

[bvar22]

11. Choo-Choos are cool!

This one especially. I had never heard of The Argentina, but the design is radical, and super Hi-Tech for the time!
I'm glad they found it.

[Ima]

12. I love old trains