Not often pictured, one of the heaviest steam engines in Cuba. Taken in 2004.

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?a ... phonso.jpg

Is it my imagination or is that one of the strangest proportioned Mikados?
Is that standard gauge?

RTK

Baldwin 61888, built 1935. I believe it's similar in design to a certain SP design?

Ifrain Alfonso also has (as of 2003) Alco-Brooks 66284 2-8-2, built 1925 and numbered 1910, which implies it is marginally larger than this one.....

Ron:

To answer your question, yes the 1850 is standard gauge. The 1850, and the other 2-8-2 on the Ifrain Alfonso roster, were both rebuilt by the sugar mills shops from two Cuban mainline engines, rusting away on a deadline, waiting to be scrapped. The two are (were) the largest steamers running in Cuba. Which brings up the question, what is the situation with the steamers that were still running in Cuba during the sugar harvest?

Les

I imagine that once Castro dies Cuba wil change so rapidly that much of it's rail system will go to scrap along with remaining steam.

........ which is why it's critical for any planning for "repatriation" of exported steam or buying inventory for replica/replacement steam has to be prepared and bankrolled NOW, preferably with Canadian or British partners acting as agents. Our other option involves pirates boarding Chinese scrap ships (gee, are they called "junk junks?") and rerouting the cargoes.

If you don't think locomotive brokers like Larry's Truck & Electric aren't readying quantities of locomotives to sell to a newly-revitalized Cuba, think again. (Hey, finally, we have a home for those Russian diesels on the Texas dockside!)

I project the window of opportunity will be about three months, tops, unless eBay Cuba springs up offering tens of thousands of vintage American autos, auto parts, and steam locos. I suspect with scrap prices as high as they are, the Cuban junk merchants are sweeping the island with giant magnets.