Central American Railroads

[Anonymous]

I wi***o know if there are railfans interested in creating a mailing list on Central American railroads, to keep us constantly on date on happenings in the region between Mexico and Panama.
To discuss the ups and downs of the Guatemalan, Costa Rican and Panamanian projections, for example.
Warren Crowther, [e-mail], Costa Rica

[jsanchez]

I'm very interested in keeping up on the progress in this region, but have no way of actually checking on it except for occasional press releases. Is there anything left in Honduras?
Privatization and switching freight back to rail seems to be a win win situation for developing countries that really can't afford to build and maintain highways.

James

[Anonymous]

James,
Honduras is the country I am not sure about, but I can imagine that whatever existed before Hurricane Mitch would be even more precarious or inoperative since then.
Nicaragua's railroad is abandoned.
El Salvador is mainly a cement hauler from near the Guatemala border to the capital and onto the old State line. The longer line east from the capital more or less exists (paved over and caved in at places) but inoperative. One question has been if the World Bank would allow that it could be cheaper to absorb the debt on this cement distribution system than to upgrade parallel roads.
I am not surprised that the line rebuilt line in Guatemala started with cement. That project was on hold for a long time, with the shipper hesitant about the apparent need for a 3 mile very costly branch line. I observed that a 500 yard funicular could bring the cement from the plant down to the rails at riverside. I am not sure what system has been adopted.
Trains article this month about Guatemala is correct. I did the original privatization study there, and could add one more great problem to deal with, the skateboards on rails which on some lines became a favorite way to move around, people by the hundreds, even taxis on skateboards. Curiously, the article doesn't mention the present stage of negotiations by Posner of a World Bank donation to bring to standard gauge the line from the Mexican border to Puerto San Jose, and establish a multimodal terminal there to serve the whole Pacific coast of Central America. There was even talk of the money being approved, but just before Mitch did so much damage. I imagine that would cause a review of all projects. Standard gauge would requiere extensive rebuilding of bridges and some curves. This could tie into Canandian Nationals project of reviving, from Mobile, the cross Gulf of Mexico train ferry which BN had experimented from Galveston.
I have an article I can send on what went wrong in the Costa Rican attempt to privatize. If you request it from [e-mail]. The State is sort of renting three lines to specific shippers, mostly to carry bananas and steel coils.
On the Monteverde branch it is curious that containers on flat cars are loaded on the most distant packing plants, but not the ones apparently of the same shipper that the train passes further down the line where trucks are still used.
I have personally walked or taken railcar or locomotive (or a hairy ride on a skateboard taxi) on almost all of presently operating lines and much of the abandoned lines in Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica, but some of that some years back.
It is curious that after such publicity about KCS investment in Panama, this year I find nothing in KCS news releases or web site. Rumor is that shipper response has been very disappointing.
If that is the case, it is amazing that other Central American countries keep talking up their own eventual dry canal projects, whereas it has been obvious all along that Panama had the edge from many points of view. This is an example of transport consultants making lots of hay in Central America.
All of these lines have great ecotourism potential, I believe, with added spice of steam in Guatemala and El Salvador, which could be exploited with a lot more tourism, and even adoption of locomotives by USA fans, if done at a more cutrate massive way.
Before this forum passes to history, I hope we can get a mailing list going on this, so as to keep each other updated.
[e-mail]

[jamesedwbradley]

I suggest you try the Latin American Railfan forum on railroad.net under Forums, Region Specific, Latin American Railfan. There are several posts on the countries you mention.
Jim Bradley Hawk Mountain Chapter Natl. Ry. Historical Society.