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| Steam (and some Electrics) in Cuba | ||
| by J. Mervyn Gricington | ||
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| Page 2 | ||
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| Photo Locations: The daily operating pattern at the sugar centrals is very simple. Locomotives go out to the loading points (acopios) with empty cane wagons and bring the fulls back to the mill for dumping into the crusher. This sounds easy to figure out, but language problems and frequently the lack of truly reliable information often make getting an accurate picture of operations difficult. Luck is often the most important factor at work here. Luck, in that harvesting sugar cane is a very complicated agricultural process that offers multiple chances for something to go wrong. These problems can range from locomotive, acopio, mill, or other equipment failures slowing or stopping production, to rain softening the fields and bogging down the mechanical harvesters. Add the fact that Cuba is a communist country with a planned economy offering little to motivate individual workers. Small problems can often tie things up for hours. The mills are often located in close proximity to each other. When action slows in one location, just drive next door and see what's going on there. In some places it is possible to bounce back and forth between three or four mills. Of course, Sod's Law (Murphy in the U.S.) says things will immediately explode into action at the mill you are leaving just as you drive out the gate. In spite of Sod, sometimes you get very lucky. My personal best is; seven different line trains, with six different locomotives, at four different mills, from ten different positions, plus shunting operations, from dawn to dusk! Not all mills work each year. Cane growth, mechanical failures, fuel shortages, etc. will see some mills lie dormant for a year or more. Even when this happens, the locomotives assigned to that mill are sometimes sent somewhere else to work. At some closed mills, steam is used to move the cane harvested near the mill to another location for milling. A word about mill names and numbers is in order. After MINAZ took over administration of the sugar industry following the 1959 revolution, the mills were assigned a number in alphabetical order within the six provinces. Starting in the west with 101 in Pinar Del Rio and progressing to Oriente in the East with 601 and up. About 1966 all the operating mills were renamed after revolutionary or political figures, other countries, or significant dates in Cuban History. In 1975, the country was re-organized from the original six to the present-day fifteen provinces. Thirteen of the fifteen new provinces contained sugar mills. In 1978 the mills were re-numbered approximately from west to east in each province. 101 in the west and 1301 and up in the east. In practice, the second numbering system is not seen at all. The mills are referred to by their post-revolutionary names and the original numbering system. Those numbers and names are used on location at the mills in Cuba and also in this article. | ||
 | Mill 105, "A. C. Sandino" Ignoring the commotion behind him, a Cuban ox-cart driver makes his way toward home as A.C. Sandino 1382 (2-8-0, Baldwin 1915) roars into the mill with loads. This locomotive suffered a boiler explosion on February 25, 2000 and is now scrapped. | |
 | Mill 107, "P. T. Brau" P.T. Brau 1703 does some street running along the bank (grade) into the mill patio. 1703 is a 1920 Henschel 2-6-0; thus one of the few non-US built locos in Cuba. In spite of her Teutonic origin, she possesses a "hooter" whistle sounding exactly like a Norfolk & Western Y class articulated. | |
 | Mill 201, "Amistad con los Pueblos" Amistad Con Los Pueblos 1804 (2-8-0, Baldwin 1919) sits in a typically oil coated Cuban loco shed. If you value your shoes, frequent shed visits to locations such as this are not recommended. | |
 | Mill 207, "Gregorio Arlee Manalich" Narrow gauge G.A. Manalich 1308 (2-8-0) enters the mill yard over a standard gauge crossing. Manalich is one of two remaining mills with track and steam locos in two gauges. As a 1900 graduate of Baldwin, 1308 celebrated it's one-hundredth birthday this year! | |
 | Mill 212, "Boris Luis Santa Coloma" Bring in the wash! Boris Luis Santa Coloma 1510 (2-6-0, Alco 1907) blackens the sky on the steeply graded south approach to the mill. | |
 | Mill 302, "Reynold Garcia" Reynold Garcia 1517 (2-6-0, Baldwin 1907) brings her train into the mill patio quietly enough she doesn't even disturb the nursing of a baby goat. Reynold Garcia has not milled in two years, and this loco was on loan to Jesus Rabi for Zafra 2000. | |
 | Mill 303, "Australia" Australia 1513 (2-8-0, Baldwin 1920) rounds a curve just east of La Juanita copio. 1513 had just met an inbound train at La Juanita. This is one of the few mills where there are multiple trains out on a single line. Meets at La Juanita are common. | |
 | Mill 304, "Granma" Running through Carlos Rojas station on FCC trackage, Victoria De Yaguajay 1813 (2-8-0, Baldwin 1920) is hauling a train of Granma cane. Quite a few mills in Cuba run over parts of the FCC to reach mill trackage. V De Yaguajay and Granma mills are located just over a mile apart. V De Yaguajay has not milled in many years, however it's loco fleet is used each year by Granma mill to supplement their locos. | |
 | Mill 306, "Cuba Libre" Cuba Libre 1612 (2-6-0, Baldwin 1925) brings a train of fulls through the small village of San Miguel. Although the "standard" loco in Cuba is the 2-8-0, and most mills have at least one, Cuba Libre operates with six 2-6-0's. | |
 | Mill 314, "Jesus Rabi" Jesus Rabi 1413 (2-6-0) is an 1891 graduate of Cooke loco works. She was formerly Evansville & Terre Haute RR No. 50. Here she keeps company at the shed with Reynold Garcia 1517, on loan to Jesus Rabi for the season. | |
 | Mill 315, "Jose Smith Comas" Jose Smith Comas 1531 (2-6-0, Baldwin 1925) is one of a pair of identical locos with consecutive builders numbers originally constructed for this mill. Renowned for their "supershine" condition, the locos at Smith Comas are well cared for by the shed staff. Here, 1531 has just departed Progreso station on the FCC headed south for the copio at Delirio. | |
 | Mill 319, "Rene Fraga" Rene Fraga 1924 (2-6-2T, Porter 1915) shunts the mill patio. One of two 2-6-2T's that serves this mill, (the other is 1313, a 1915 Alco-Cooke, ex-Fructuoso Rodriguez) Rene Fraga also has a long run over the FCC to reach Gonzalito copio. Only operated in some years, the run to Gonzalito rivals the mainline run of Marcelo Salado for the fastest cane trains in Cuba. The little village of Laberinto between Guareiras and the mill often sees cane rolling through at up to 40MPH! | |
 | Mill 403, "Mal Tiempo" Mal Tiempo 1321 (2-8-0, Baldwin 1913) puts on the usual thunderous performance just out of Oliva copio. Mal Tiempo is one the most popular narrow gauge mills. It is usually very busy, the locos operate chimney-first both ways, and it has numerous steep grades, requiring the locos to be worked flat out. | |
 | Mill 404, "Cuidad Caracas" Cuidad Caracas 1621 (2-8-0, Alco-Cooke 1924) just out of Maceo LP and running south on FCC track, smokes under the Autopista overpass north of Lajas. | |
 | Mill 405, "Luis Arcos Bergnes" With the copio machinery in the background, Luis Arcos Bergnes 1622 (2-8-0, Baldwin 1923) starts a heavy train of loaded cane wagons out of the "Limpieza" copio. This copio, only a few miles south of the mill, still sees huge wooden carts of cane delivered behind teams of bulls. | |
 | Mill 409, "Antonio Sanchez" Antonio Sanchez 1623 (2-8-0, Baldwin 1923) making up a train of empties ready to depart for the "Limpieza" copio just south of the mill. On the opposite side of the mill, Sanchez trains do a short bit of street running on their way north to the copios. | |
 | Mill 413, "Espartaco" Espartaco fireless 1131 (0-4-0, Baldwin 1916) is shunting the dumper at the mill. 1131 shares duties with 1130, another fireless built by Orenstein & Koppel in 1914. Often both firelesses work the dumper together. Both fireless locos and the brace of four 2-8-0's shedded here were all built originally for this mill. | |
 | Struggling with a long train of fulls at the summit south of the mill is Espartaco 1327 (2-8-0, Baldwin 1911) This late afternoon shot was shaded by clouds just seconds after the picture was made. | |
 | Mill 428, "Marcelo Salado" Here, FCC might well mean the "Fastest Cane in Cuba". Marcelo Salado 1342 (4-6-0, Baldwin 1911) sprints along the racetrack between Remedios and the mill. This stretch of FCC track is mostly straight and well maintained. It is paralleled by a good road for several miles and sees the highest speed for any steam hauled cane in Cuba. On this occasion, a deliriously happy Yank has 1342 rolling along at a solid 40 MPH! | |
 | Mill 440, "Ilfrain Alfonso" Ifrain Alfonso 1910 (2-8-2, Alco-Brooks 1925) the largest steam loco in service in Cuba. Built for the Cuba RR as their No. 351, 1910 was displaced by diesels and found it's way into sugar mill service. Here, 1910 gets underway from the copio at Pozo. | |
 | Mill 443, "Pepito Tey" Pepito Tey 1358 (2-8-0, Baldwin 1915) blasts up "gravel pit" hill on the way to Limones copio. Pepito is a mill that gets started very early. This picture was taken just a few minutes after sunrise. | |
 | Mill 503, "Orlando Gonzalez Ramirez" Orlando Gonzales Ramirez 1836 (center)(2-8-0, Vulcan 1922) and 1837 (right)(2-8-0, Alco-Cooke 1920) take water and are prepared to make the usual afternoon runs to gather cane from the lines to the south of the mill. | |
 | Mill 504, "Ecuador" Ecuador 1564 (2-6-0, Vulcan 1916) heading to the mill from Guisa copio. This loco collided with 1821 on March 6th and was heavily damaged. The ingenuity of the Ecuador shop crew was such that the loco was returned to service just weeks later. | |
 | Mill 515, "Ciro Redondo" Ciro Redondo 1834 (2-8-0, Baldwin 1919) weighs sugar hoppers in the mill patio. This loco was built for this mill as Cuba Cane Sugar No. 100. | |
 | Mill 522, "Venezuela" Venezuela 1902, a big Vulcan 2-8-0 (1920) departs Moreno copio at sunset. | |
 | Mill 635, "Rafael Freyre" Rafael Freyre 1387 (2-8-0, 1905) is dwarfed by the scenery surrounding the loading point at La Tour. This is almost at the eastern end of the Rafael system. The loading point of Uvila two miles further on is the end of the line. While most mills use the copio system exclusively, Rafael is one of just a few lines that still does some loading using the old overhead frames called chuchos. Until 1998, bull drawn carts were used to supply La Tour. A team of bulls still powers the chucho to load the cars. Another pair of bulls serves as a "shunter" to position the cars for loading. The most mechanization here is the steam locomotive. | |
 | Rafael Freyre 1388 (right) (2-8-0, Baldwin 1907) is shunting the patio at Altuna (pronounced the same as the famous location in Pennsylvania) as 1390 (2-8-0, Baldwin 1912) arrives from the Jobal branch with fulls. | |
 | A slightly different aspect of the justifiably famous scene at Barijay. | |
 | Mill 205, "Camilo Cienfuegos" 27 Spanish built cars from the Barcelona suburban system operate much of the service. However, at least five (3006, 07, 08, 09, 10) of the original 1924 Brill cars survive. These are operated on excursions and on the branch to Santa Cruz del Norte. Two line cars 073 (Brill 1920) and 072 (rebuilt from baggage-mail car #401) take care of wire maintenance. A total of eleven Bo-Bo (B-B) General Electric steeplecab locomotives were delivered in two batches in 1920 and 1926. These plus five slightly larger GE locomotives transferred from the former Havana Terminal Railroad are still in service hauling cane trains during the zafra, and other freight the rest of the year. In the photo No. 3010, A 1924 Brill car, serves as a school bus for children living near Jibacoa station. | |
 | Two Steeplecab GE locos out-bound on the Caraballo branch pass Brill car 3009 at San Mateo junction. | |
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| J. Mervyn Gricington lives in Giggleswick, Yorkshire, near the famous Settle-Carlisle line. He's a frequent overseas traveler, and JM and I have chased quite a few steam locomotive (and a few diesels) together. | ||
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