Made famous by Paul Theroux in his 1978 book, the Old Patagonian Express is described as the railway almost at the end of the world. Though no longer running the entire route it did in its heyday, a journey with this train is still a great addition to any of the best vacations to Argentina.
Officially the Patagonian Light Railway and named La Trochita by the locals, because it runs on narrow gauge tracks, the line opened in 1935 to link the 400 kilometers separating Ingeniero Jacobacci in Rio Negro from Esquel in Chubut. This line also completed the railroad going all the way up to Buenos Aires.
In the 1960’s the roads improved ever more and faster and more comfortable long distance buses and trucks led to the slow and steady decline of the former popular railway, especially after lines connecting to it also started to shut down because of economic difficulties. When Paul Theroux first rode the train in the late 1970’s the line itself was already making great losses and on the verge of closure, with may of its locomotives and wagons in a perilous state.
The first waves of backpackers discovering the train around this same time however and especially the tourists coming after the publication of Theroux’ book, made the line continue on until the government in 1992 finally decided to close it down because it could not afford the huge investments needed to bring the line up to current safety and economic standards. Almost all rolling stock by this time was over 70 years of age.
Luckily an international outcry made the two provincial governments think of a plan to keep the line open in a different form. It now runs shorter trips on part of the former line as a so called heritage railway on two touristic sections in Chubut between (a) Esquel and the settlement of Nahuel Pan and (b) between El Maitén and Desvio. It still uses the original steam engines and period wagons and is a great way to spend a part of the best vacations to Argentina.
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