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hide options panelsugar mills - standard gauge
12 photos
updated : 2020-12-16
Most Cuban sugar mills had standard gauge rail systems, often directly connected to the FCC main line. There were some diesels but many mills used classic American steam locos into the 1990s, either purpose built or former main line machines and usually dating back to the 1920s or earlier.
sugar mills - narrow gauge
6 photos
updated : 2020-12-16
Mills in hillier areas tended to use narrow gauge railways to access the cane fields. Many lines were 2'6" gauge but there were several other gauges in use as well. Like the standard gauge mills, most narrow gauge lines used steam locos of classic early 20th Century American design.
The big attraction in Cuba was the sugar cane harvest that took place in spring every year. Most mills had their own rail system to bring cane from outlying loading points to the mill and many of them still used steam locomotives right up to the end of the 20th century.
An unbelievable variety of engines from the main US builders could still be seen at work in the mid 1990s, most of them over 70 years old. The pictures here are from a 1996 trip but others will be added when time permits.
