Late-breaking news this morning: Fidel Castro has resigned. Brother Raul, 76, still in charge.

As the Cubans in Miami are saying, "One down, one to go."

If ANYONE has EVER had ANY fantasies about repatriating an American-built Cuban sugar steamer--or even going down in hopes of prying builders plates from about-to-be-scrapped locos--start saving your money and planning NOW. Heck, I'm sure they'll take some old derelict Fairbanks-Morse, Davenport, or Plymouth switchers in trade for the steamers........ easier to rig up the treadmills for the mules, after all........ Cut the deals, wait for the railroad barges to start running out of Miami again.......

What I think is great timing:

North Texas ENews

http://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish ... 3940.shtml

I was lucky enough to visit Cuba in 2001, 02 & 03 when sugar mills railroads were still running steam. Since then over 75% of the mills have closed. A few locos are used on tourist operations, the rest dumped or in museums. Most of the plates are long gone. And don't forget the embargo is still on.

Hey Steve,

Loved those pieces you wrote on Cuban steam, have you been back recently? When you say "dumped", could you elaborate? Are the locomotives being scrapped?

Thanks, Dave

Wait a minute, am I wrong about the articles? My memory may be failing me...I think they were written by a guy from Canada...sorry for the confusion Mr. Singer...They were good articles though...

I'm not counting chickens yet - Sunday Cuba will choose a successor to Fidel, I understand from reports that it may in fact not be Raul but a younger man who essentially rebuilt the economy after the demise of the USSR and subsequent loss of their subsidy. I don't know enough about him to know whether or not this could bode well for a change in Cuban polotics that would allow for us to reconsider our hard stance, which may also be somewhat dependent on how we choose a next administration. Too much yet to be decided, but one can hope for an era of greater communication and growing friendship, perhaps with trade agreements and economic ties. I'd like to find out what the big deal is with those cigars..........

Anyhow, tourism being a pretty good bet for economic development I would hope steam and nostalgia would play a role. It would be a shame to see those resources go for scrap when it could be a basis for tourism.

I can't help but wonder if things do work out well if Cuba wouldn't be a good place for an international steam event and meeting?

dave

As a point of information, there never were railroad car barges running from Miami to Cuba. After the Key West Extension was destroyed in 1935, the car ferries, not barges, departed from the Port of Palm Beach. These were oceangoing ships similar to the Great Lakes carferries and were operated by West India Fruit & Steamship, an FEC subsidiary.

The vessels went on to serve the British Columbia to Alaska railcar line. Being built in Japan, they could not run from Washington State to Alaska due to the Jones Act.

ISTR lately, the Cuban Goverment has had some financial support from North Korea and China, despite the appearance to the contrary. And some apparently good credit with VIA, as well.

I seem to recall the Cubans got ahold of some ex-VIA RDCs that were on the chopping block, to replace some aging equipment of theirs. Ironically, all the mechanicals are U.S., right down to the Hercules or Detroit Diesel prime movers! So as to whether they would be in the market for 50-year old orphan diesels is a little questionable IMO. At least they attempt to keep their rail passenger service at some sort of level, unlike the Mexicans who simply abandoned everything, and now run buses from bus companies owned by former FNM and NdeM officials. But that's another story from another weblist.

At least they attempt to keep their rail passenger service at some sort of level, unlike the Mexicans who simply abandoned everything, and now run buses from bus companies owned by former FNM and NdeM officials. But that's another story from another weblist.

Mussolini made the trains run on time too.