The late Jaime Oliva Esteva was a friend and fellow railway enthusiast who documented on film the railways of Venezuela in the 1970's.
Following his passing, Jaime's family made me the custodian of his railway films and this presentation was made from some of the material.
In 1975, Hartmann 4-4-4T locomotive "HALCON" was restored to full working order and was in operation at the Caracas Transport Museum before it was transferred to the El Encanto railway in Los Teques.
This 3ft 6In gauge railway was a 7km section of the Gran Ferrocarril de Venezuela, which ran for 112 miles between Caracas and Valencia which closed in 1963, that was preserved between Los Teques, a few miles outside Caracas, to a park called "El Encanto".
From 1976 to 1997 the railway ran for the benefit of tourists and was well supported by the Government.
On April 4th of 1997, I was invited to ride on a private charter train along the former Venezuelan railway between Los Teques and El Encanto. That day, now well over 20 years ago, two very special friends made all of the arrangements. It is one of the most beautiful lines upon which I have travelled.
My Venezuelan friends were Jaime Oliva Esteva and Francisco Oliva Esteva. Both had been instrumental in the preservation of this 7Km section of line in 1976.
Sadly, the line has been abandoned since 1997 and although there is talk of a revival, the future seems very uncertain.
"Halcon" can now be found in a tangle of tropical vegetation at the El Encanto end of the line and in a very sorry run down condition.
We should be very grateful to Jaime for the work that he did recording the Venezuelan railways so many years ago. He really was a very special person and I dedicate this video to his memory.
Glen Beadon 2 April 2021
21 окт 2024
