The OLD PATAGONIAN EXPRESS: Epic STEAM TRAIN Ride in Patagonia, Argentina 🚂 

All aboard the OLD PATAGONIAN EXPRESS! Today we take you one of the most epic train journeys in the world, made even more famous by Paul Theroux's 1979 account "The Old Patagonian Express", where he sought to ride trains all the way from his hometown in Massachusetts all the way down to Argentina.
Today, the Old Patagonian Express may only be a fraction of what it once was, but it’s an exciting journey nevertheless, and we knew we had to ride it! This tourist steam train may cover only a short distance, but it’s a fun way to experience the nostalgia of early 20th-century train travel and it also allows you to soak in the magical landscapes of the Patagonian steppe.
To give you a bit more information, in Spanish, this steam train is known as La Trochita; this translates to ‘little gauge’ and it’s a nickname that refers to the train’s super narrow gauge of only 75 centimetres!
The Old Patagonian Express is a railway line was originally planned as part of a larger network that would connect all of Patagonia, however, the project was never completed due to ministerial changes and then the start of the First World War, which also affected Argentina’s economy.
Today the Old Patagonian Express operates on alternating locomotives; one is a Baldwin from the United States and the other a Henschel from Germany. The wooden wagons came from Belgium, and the heaters, well those were later installed in Argentina to make the journeys across Patagonia in winter a little more bearable.
You can take this journey from a few different stations. This one here is the journey from Esquel to Nahuel Pan. When you arrive in Nahuel Pan, you have 45 minutes to visit the artisanal fair, a small museum, and also buy food for a quick lunch. We went for the choripan (chorizo in a bun), alfajores and torta frita.
Overall, we really enjoyed riding aboard the Old Patagonian Express. As we've mentioned this is a classic train journey and if you enjoy train travel, it's well worth checking out!
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The OLD PATAGONIAN EXPRESS: Epic STEAM TRAIN Ride in Patagonia, Argentina 🚂
Hey guys! We are Samuel and Audrey, a travel vlogging couple from Canada. In this travel channel we share our travel and food vlogs while touring the world.
We had the privilege of traveling around Argentina for nearly 3 months from January- April 2019 on a trip covering a large section of the country.
We kicked things off with several days in Buenos Aires where we were joined by Audrey's parents eating and sightseeing around some of our favourite neighbourhoods in the city. We spent several days enjoying beaches and seafood before heading south to Patagonia to visit the province of Chubut.
Our time in Patagonia continued as we headed from east to west trading more barren landscapes for thick forests, impressive mountains and magnificent lakes. We spent significant time in both Esquel and El Bolson with day trips to visit Trevelin, Parque Nacional Los Alerces, Cholila and Lago Puelo. Highlights included sailing, hiking, riding vintage trains and partaking in the national asado festival.
We finished visiting Patagonia with time spent in Villa La Angostura, San Martin De Los Andes and Bariloche where we enjoyed more stunning scenery and hiking. On our way back to Buenos Aires, we took the Tren Patagonia to Las Grutas before meeting up with Audrey's dad again.
To finish off our trip in Argentina, we spent more time in the capital and later Mendoza where we got to experience wine tourism to its fullest extent. Overall, we had an amazing time travelling around Argentina having only scratched the surface of this vast and diverse country.
Overall our Argentina travel series explores cities, small towns that are off-the-beaten-path, and scenic attractions with a strong emphasis on Argentina cuisine and local culture.
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If you're new to our channel or this Argentina series please check out the following playlists to get caught up on all of our videos:
All of our Argentina travel + food videos: • Argentina Travel Guide...
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This is part of our Travel in Argentina video series showcasing Argentine food, Argentine culture and Argentine cuisine.
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