Trinidads Lost Railways 1990 Part 1
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- čas přidán 15. 01. 2011
- The Railway at Usine Sainte Madeleine once hauled sugar cane from the fields to the mill, or "factory" as they are locally known. This system once operated a vast area of standard gauge lines across the southern part of Trinidad and was at one time of greater track mileage than that of the Government Railway. The region, locally known as the Naparimas, was where Railways in Trinidad began as far back as 1839. The very first railway was the Cipero Tramway built by a Scottish Planter named William Eccles between Sainte Madeleine and the Cipero river loading point (Known as "Embarcadere").
And that was how Trinidad's Railways originated, primarily for cane haulage, a full thirty-seven years before the coming of the Trinidad Government Railway (TGR) in 1876 and ending thirty years after the TGR was abandoned in 1968.
This is mostly a collections of moving images, shot by me, taken during the final operating years of the very last railway in Trinidad. This railway at Usine Sainte Madeleine ended in the same place where railways began, performing the very same task for which they were originally built so many years ago.
In this short presentation, the sight and sound of the last Trinidad Hunslet Locomotives may once again be experienced. Please leave your feedback and I hope that you enjoy this brief glimpse into the past.
These videos are great. My father was from Trinidad, born in 1929. He emigrated to Canada then to the United States in the 1950's. His father was a civil engineer and he worked for the Trinidad Government Railway. My father passed in 2018. It was nice to see a bit of my family history as well. Thank You. Helen Gomez Bowler
Helen Bowler please give me your Grandfather’s full name and I will look him up. I’m very interested to find out if he built any of the great engineering projects on the railway.
I was born in Trinidad 🇹🇹 and only heard about the railway. It was wonderful to see these beautiful scenes. Thank you ☺️
I shot this video myself in 1990 just before I left Trinidad. I was not sure whether I would ever see these beauties again so shot footage over a period of about three weeks in May that year. Prior to this I used to spend spare time and weekends watching trains. I wish I had taken many more photographs and video footage. The Naparimas were still very beautiful back then but I'm told that it was even better as one goes further back in time. At least 4 of these engines have been saved now at BC.
I took the train from San Juan to Port of Spain for six years while I went to St Mary’s College. Had a wonderful time during those years. Had many friends from different schools. No traffic jams.
I remember these machines back in the 90’s pulling cane. As a young person working in the energy sector I was in the fields. Always stopped to watch these phenomenal machines go by. Also working with old pipeline drawings I was amazed at the number of rail crossings. A part of history I wished we had preserved in a proper way for our children.
Hi Glen
I found the two trains at the back of BC factory while clearing the area using a D6 dozer. That was in 1995 when I was chief engineer at BC and left for Barbados in Nov 1996. During that time when we found the trains I asked around if anyone knew there were trains there in the bushes ...to my amazement no one knew of them. I think they were driven there on the last day of use and left there for God knows how long until we stumbled on them. What a find! One was given to the Divali Nahar site compliments my boss Chandra Bobart and the other was sited across the main office. At that time I considered restoring at least one but it was not in my skillset and can safely say I had lots on my hand at that time
Glad you are bringing these to our attention and hopefully some day when it's not too late that things like these can be given some concrete assistance for restoration by people who care in government for our national good
Wish they kept these working. What a privilege it was to see the trains coming in filled with all the cane! Thanks dad for a great childhood and sharing your love of sugar
@@trishachothia2534 Welcome Trish
I actually am from Trinidad. I used to ride these trains when I was little. My father worked at Caroni. Those were good days for a young boy! Thanks for the memories!
Fond memories indeed, glad you enjoyed the video.
Me too
Wow im my mother's from Tobago and im a train expert and i searched up this video and my mother was only 2 when they were around
thanks for the footage i have very vague memories of trains moving as i was very young, i was born 1980 so i aint see much but it was nice to view the video, thank you for taking the time to do this
This is something that i will NEVER forget in my LIFE its just so beautiful☺😃
I've never been on a factory train but my brother and I rode the train from PoS to San Fernando several times.
Albert Niamath thanks for your comment, you are indeed one of the lucky people to have rode a passenger train in Trinidad.
Grazie per questi bei video della storia di T&T - Thank you for everithin
Wow, I remember seeing this train in ste. madeline but didnt have a camera at hand. I assumed footage like this would be lost forever. Great job. The camera angles are almost like from a movie, dont know how you did it.
i rode one of those locomotive back in d early 60's,my dad was a locomotive driver for brechin castle,memories
Tku for sharing this.
If i ever have one wish in my life I will like to go back in time wen Trinidad use trains
Is it possible to become sad after watching this? Like so many of us the 'locos' were part of the landscape. Thank you for making this film and preserving the memory. For those that it's a new one, it's jsut a reminder of how much thigns can change so quickly.
Such a pity. My grandfather worked on the "loco" as he would say. Unfortunately I don't have any photographs of my grandfather, I thought my looking at this I would see him somewhere but I didn't. Wish there were pictures of this in the 60s and 70s, that's when he was working. Great job.
@keeganmaraj Yes, that is a great pity for Trinidad. How nice it would be be able to take the train instead of all that traffic.
Thanks Glen, I watched all of them. I appreciate all the work you have done. That red pointe-a-pierre train bridge was eventually cut up as scrap iron i believe. The PAP station is restored. Do I have to contact Petrotrin to view it? The Kitson Locomotive in san fernando was a home for vagrants at one time. I played at st. James tennis club and and sat in the train which was part of the club house. The seats were very comfortable
Loving the Jaundis-I in the background! :)
@blacklionintl I shot this footage in 1990, thanks for watching.
@Toontrain Yes indeed, this railway was standard gauge, 4' 8 1/2". Parts of it once formed a section of the main Government Passenger railway to Siparia in the south of the Island. Thanks for watching.
@keithrai You mentioned seeing trains loaded with cane heading into San Fernando. What you witnessed was the afternoon TGR pick up train which used to make the rounds dropping off empties & picking up loaded wagons left the afternoon before. It made the rounds through southern cane fields every afternoon during crop season. This would pick up all non Ste Madeleine cane loads and carry them on to Brechin Castle for crushing. There are TGR & estate rail maps. I will include in a future video. Tks
Agreed, but the trains in my footage were on "borrowed time" for a very long time. It was sad to see them go but there was an inevitability about it, now all we can do is to preserve some locos and wagons for posterity. Thanks for commenting.
Hey Glen , I would love to see that footage ! Best regards .
Most people are so confused because at my age to be so interested in trains
@cenracing1236 Thank you for watching. I too am originally from San Fernando and I have been studying the railways of Trinidad for the last 25 years plus. As a boy I used to watch the trains run back and forth through Vistabella, Marabella and San Fernando. This early exposure to Trinidad’s railways sparked off a lifelong passion for the subject. Between 1979 and 1998 I continued my hobby by chasing Caroni trains which I managed to record on video. Take a look at part 2 also on my channel.
Great job, those were the days!
I remember seeing trains but I never got the chance to ride in one
Are there any future plans for rail in Trinidad? I'm sure a passenger service between major centres would be a boost to Trinidad's economy.
Isochest a few years ago the Government was thinking about reintroducing trains but this has now been dispelled due to cost.
Good ole days people cared for one another i miss those days
@keeganmaraj Yes indeed, it was something that I wanted to do for a long time. I used to watch those green beauties make their way through the spectacularly scenic cane fields of south Trinidad. I’m very glad to have shot it as both cane and rail have disappeared altogether. It is hard to believe that all this no longer exists. Thanks for your comments.
@DedCobo Thanks, yes both Jaundis-I and USM railway existed at the same time. Now sadld, both are no more. Part two has more Jaundis-I. Enjoy!
*like* to the video and the Jaundis I soundtrack
I hope they introduce rapid rails systems or underground sub ways in the future . I wish they was not so quick to give up on the trains 🥺🥺🥺 it could have been saved
Can I know the lyrics of the song in the background.
I remember the trains loaded with cane going West from The Cross past Skinners Park down to the Sando Railway Station. Boys from the Housing Scheme used to race it to Teef cane. There were some fatalities... I'd love to see a Rail map of Trinidad.. Perhaps they were going up to Caroni rather than Usine Ste Madeline?"
where yuh find this..........
@salemthemerciless Like you say, only in Trinidad. I shot a scene one day of a train near Golconda, a man in a car attempted to beat it over the level crossing, train hooting away. Fortunately the man changed his mind at the last moment. It was a wise decision.
I remember riding passenger train from Sanfando to Port of Spain all so down to Penal it was 24 cent
Trevor Deo you are one of those lucky people who journeyed by train in Trinidad, cherished memories indeed.
was the railway Standard gauge?
They should have left the trains to still work.
On reddit find myself pushing back against those arguing no to restoring trains - trains once a modernized _high speed rail_ implemented, a sign of national development and status. Our growing population would take well to the extra conveyance.
I love the show but I think the more people think they will be the best
@galbeadon now that brings back memories :D
I'll never forget the time a fella witha Galant ( i think) collided with the train at Usine and claimed he had right of way . Only in Trinidad eh .
When I started high school I used the train in its last days
@zac3ne2nr Things did change so very quickly in 1998. Soon after the announcement of abandonment of the railway at USM it was soon all gone. The railways had ended where they first began, to haul cane crops in south Trinidad. This particular railway was born 30 years before the TGR and died 30 years after. I hope we see fit to preserve some part of it for posterity....I tried to do just that in my film. Thanks for your comments.
hmm i miss those days. back when life was SIMPLE.!;(
@aussieaustin1 In Google, type in "Newsletter summer05.pub" this is an article on Trinidad cane railways by Roger Darsley. Then there is also a book "Railways of the Caribbean" by David Rollinson, try Amazon.
On youtube search for "Trinidad Railway History" part 1, 2 and 3. Thanks for watching and I would really like to hear about your Grandfather.
They sure look like B.R. class 05 shunters
Some of the best photos and videos I've seen was done by amateurs not professionals. I remember this photo by St. peters school in Petrotrin (was Texaco) - tinyurl . com / lw8oyax
I always wondered what this train station looked like and I am lucky to actually see it. This train line went over the Pointe-a-pierre rd. via a bridge and was perched over a restaurant for many years. Was it a chinese restaurant? Rishi
hmm I'm a young man watching this...And I'm wondering "these look like way better" more peaceful days and wish some of these times could come back =( sigh// technology/ development- both friend and enemy at once
We must all repent of our sins and live for God Jesus Christ if we want eternal life in happiness.
Rishi, you need to watch Trinidad Railway History 2009 Part 1, 2 & 3 if you want to see more of the railways of Trinidad. Look it up on CZcams search. Enjoy.
I went to school with trains
why was caroni closed down
Caroni was shut down because of sugar decline
Too bad i didn't get to experience the trains. Wasn't born yet lol
@keithrai Send me an email at galbeadon@gmail.com and I will send you the link to a rail map of Trinidad.
@aussieaustin1 If your Great Grandfather was involved in building railways in Trinidad in 1856 he would have perhaps been involved in the Cipero Tramway (1839-1912) expansion. If you prefer, you can email me at galbeadon@gmail.com
I want my homeland that raped us on and still do to at least have a road like theirs cctv police and army, politicians that aren’t corrupt inside out and much much more time to wake up economic development in the Caribbean islands
I want my homeland that raped us on and still do to at least have a road like theirs cctv police and army, politicians that aren’t corrupt inside out and much much more time to wake up economic development in the Caribbean islands