The steam engine
On a tiny gauge.
David Brossard — CC BY-SA 2.0 · David Brossard — CC BY-SA 2.0 · David Brossard — CC BY-SA 2.0 · David Brossard — CC BY-SA 2.0
La Trochita, officially the Old Patagonian Express, is a 750 mm narrow-gauge railway worked by steam locomotives, its line running 402 kilometres through the Andean foothills between Esquel and El Maitén in Chubut and Ingeniero Jacobacci in Río Negro. Once part of the Patagonian railway network, it now runs as a heritage line with its old character intact, and became world-famous through Paul Theroux's 1978 travel book. The best-known tourist trip runs from Esquel station to Nahuel Pan across steppe and hills, in wooden carriages warmed by small stoves; the train stops there so passengers can stroll and see local crafts, then returns. The round trip takes about two and a half hours. It does not run every day; departures are limited by season, usually leaving at 10:00 and returning around 13:00, so book ahead on the official site, especially in holiday periods.
On a tiny gauge.
With little stoves.
Local crafts.
Esquel station, Chubut province
No. It runs on set days by season, usually leaving at 10:00, so book ahead on the official site.