- Serra Verde Express
This train operates between Curitiba, Morretes and Paranaguà
- ABPF in Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil
. The ABPF is the Brazilian Association for the Preservation of the Railway. There are local chapters all over Brazil, but Campinas is one of the most established, and with the most number of items in its collection.
I have had the opportunity to visit this operation twice:
- ABPF in Campinas introduction page
- January 2001 - The father of the family I was staying with during a missions related trip took time away from his schedule to help me visit this operation.
- September 2003 - I visited with a bunch of railfans from the northern hemisphere, after which I joined a group of American missionaries headed for Londrina.
- São João del Rei Narrow Gauge - a 30 inch (760 mm) gauge line that is the last remnant of a 120 mile + system that once served southern Minas Gerais state, Brasil. In th e1970's and early 1980's, this was a favorite among those who were keeping track of operating steam railroads in the world. Visited in August, 2003.
São João del Rei and the railroad that serves it is an amazing preserved railway - even if only 8 miles of it remain in operation.
- Ferrovia Dona Teresa, in the past known as the Dona Teresa Christina. This line was famous among those tracing the last of the steam locomotive operations, for it used steam in regular service up until the early 1990's. Even today, there are two steam locomotives kept in reserve service (owned by the local railroad restoration group) for possible locomotive shortages.
Tubarão in Santa Catarina state is the headquarters city for the Dona Tereza Christina railway. It is famous for being one of the last heavy freight railways in the Americas to be 100% steam operated. Official conversion happened about 1991, but even today backup locomotives are two steam locomotives stored servicable at the shops but owned by the local museum group. The line is completely separated from the rest of the Brazilian railway system, except for bringing materials in at the port of Imbituba which is apparently quite a difficult port. Because of the difficulty with bringing in spare locomotives, for now it is apparently better economics to just make sure a couple of the steam locomotives are available for potential emergency use. The two steam locomotives on hand were apparently last used during the big electricity shortage in 2000-01.
- Itatinga: This is a free, sceduled electric railway service connecting the city of Itatinga to the outside world. Other than bicycles, there are no road vehicles in this community, and the prospects for getting a road of any sort into that area is quite dim.
A train on the Itatinga Railway prepares to depart the station that connects the little community to the outside world.
- Estrada de Ferro Campos de Jordão operates approximately 30 miles of interurban style electric railway between Campos do Jordão and Pindamonhangaba. The line climbs to the highest point on any railway in Brazil. An assortment of equipment, from older meter gauge European tram cars to several colorful steam locomotives and several "new" (1940's? 1950's?) motor coaches operate on the line at various times. The line is quite steep, and climbs 11% grades without any rack assistance.
- Rio de Janeiro Streetcar Line the line climbs grades up to 8%. The upper portion of the line is closed to regular service, but still operable, and if you can get a big enough group of tourists together it is possible to convince them to operate a car over the last few miles of track at the top of the hill. There are several spectacular views that modern tourists don't frequently see.
The streetcars no longer operate to this point, except on special occasions. The Bonde Santa Tereza is still very unique. What other streetcar line in the world offers this kind of view?
- Cruzeiro has a short tourist railroad that climbs into the foothills, using a single, small, wood burning steam locomotive.
- São Lourenço has two wood burning Pacific type steam locomotives, and the passenger train serves as a connection between the city and a resort community nearby.
The two steam locomotives operated by the restored steam operation in São Lourenço come around a corner, as seen from inside the train.
- Grussaì has a number of locomotives used at its SESC resort.
- Rio Negrinho operates a monthly steam train as part of a cultural experience and tourist attraction.
- Paranapiacaba is a community located at the top of the once famous incline that connects São Paulo to the port at Santos. The spectacular descent of over 2000 feet in only a few miles is problematic for both the railway and the highway. Currently, the railway uses a rack system to haul freight up and down the hill with electric locomotives. As recently as the 1970's, the huge steam powered cable winding engines were still in occasional use. A considerable portion of the equipment from the years of cable operation are now a museum. Liquidation of the assets owned by the Federal Railway company is still ongoing, and a number of abandoned locomotives and cars sit in a switching yard near the museum awaiting sale to the highest bidder. Some have been waiting for their fate so long that only a heap of rust remains.
- Jundiaì is where the Santos-Jundiaì Railway joined the Paulista Railway. This is the home of the Paulista Railway Museum. Unfortunately, the equipment housed there is tangled in the mess surrounding the liquidation of the federal Brazilian railway network, and therefore there can be no work done on restoring the actual railroad equipment. The museum, however, has a lot of nice maps and other railroad artifacts that should not be ignored. It is perhaps one of the better railroad museums I have seen in terms of its sheer collection and display of such items in a small space. It is a shame, though, that the actual railroad equipment is in such bad repair, and can not be repaired due to the current political climate surrounding the liquidation of the federal Brazilian railway network.