Açores
Broad gauge harbor line
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Around
1961 Dr. Fritz Stöckl did make a trip (with his wife and
son) with a steam ship of the "Empresa Insulana de
Navegação" which connected in a 17-days roundtrip
all the Açores and Madeira. At Ponta Delgada they
discovered rails and wagons on the jetty (molhe). After
disembarking Stöckl did measure the gauge himself: 7
foot / 2134 mm! The gauge which was favoured by Brunel in
the 19th century in England and for several decades
competetive with 1435 mm to become standard gauge. Stöckl and his family made a sight seeing trip on the island and had to embark again as the ship was leaving for the next island. When the ship left the quay, suddenly a steamlocomotive appeared on the jetty. Later Stöckl contacted the authorities of the port of Ponta Delgada, the owners of the railway: "Junta Autonoma dos Portos do Ponta Delgada". They confirmed the gauge and provided more information. The line was constructed together with the jetty in 1861. It did not serve the public transport but only was used for the construction and maintenance of the jetty. For this there were 3 steamlocomotives and 39 wagons to bring stone from a nearby quarry to the harbour. Steamlocomotive no.1, constructed in 1861 by Neilson & Co. (no. 697; thanks to Mark Smithers for the research), was the last left of three which had become second hand to the Açores and were used before for the same purpose at Holyhead. No.2 was constructed by Black Hawthorn (no.766) somewhere between 1880 and 1888 and no.3 by Falcon (no.165) in 1888. Photos and source of data: Dr. Fritz Stöckl - Die Eisenbahnen der Erde, Band III, Spanien und Portugal - published in Austria in 1962. |
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The line was worked only if required because of maintenance of the jetty. The last time reported in 1973. The locomotives (at least two) are still (June 2002) stabled in the workshops of the "Junta Autonoma dos Portos do Ponta Delgada". Plinthed is a cement mixing truck. See the page of Chris Brady: Broad Gauge on Azores.
This page is written by Ernst Kers.
