Cuba's place in history when it comes to Railroads should not be judged by it's less than perfect state today. The Train arrived in Cuba in 1837, it was the 7th country to have obtained it (1825- England, 1828- United States, 1832- France, 1835- Germany, 1835- Belgium & 1837- Russia) & 11 years before Spain which didn't have it until 1848. Of course the train came to Cuba, as it did for most other places, because it served the interests of some kind of business, in this case the Sugar industry. At that time, Cuba was one of the leading producers of sugar. The train would resolve all transportation issues between fields, refineries and ports of embarkation.
The old Cristina Train Station in Centro Habana, where the museum can be found, was built in 1859. I can't find any information about this property on the internet but I will assume that it was named after the queen of Spain Maria Christina who in 1834 approved the building of the first railway line. The museum has a great collection of trains and curiosities that make it a must visit if you're a train buff. Even myself, who neither likes or dislikes trains, found it interesting. The La Junta de Fomento Locomotive, which was bought from the US in 1842, is housed in this museum, as is a Locomotive that was conducted by Fidel Castro on it's inauguration on January 1975. You'll find a guide on site as well as a library on the topic.
Snippets:
Prior to the revolution there was a train ferry between Miami and Havana.
Havana had its first streetcar in operation on 3 February 1859.
Museo del Ferrocarril de Cuba
Estación de Cristina
Avenida de México, esq. Arroyo,
Habana Vieja, La Habana
Hours of Operation: 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Admission: 2 CUC.
(+53 7) 8734414
The old Cristina Train Station in Centro Habana, where the museum can be found, was built in 1859. I can't find any information about this property on the internet but I will assume that it was named after the queen of Spain Maria Christina who in 1834 approved the building of the first railway line. The museum has a great collection of trains and curiosities that make it a must visit if you're a train buff. Even myself, who neither likes or dislikes trains, found it interesting. The La Junta de Fomento Locomotive, which was bought from the US in 1842, is housed in this museum, as is a Locomotive that was conducted by Fidel Castro on it's inauguration on January 1975. You'll find a guide on site as well as a library on the topic.
Snippets:
Prior to the revolution there was a train ferry between Miami and Havana.
Havana had its first streetcar in operation on 3 February 1859.
Museo del Ferrocarril de Cuba
Estación de Cristina
Avenida de México, esq. Arroyo,
Habana Vieja, La Habana
Hours of Operation: 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Admission: 2 CUC.
(+53 7) 8734414
Cuba's 1st Locomotive
Conducted by Fidel Castro
Across the Street
Dear Matteo, have you visited the museum in January 2017? Thank you in advance. MIGUEL from Buenos Aires, Argentina - mamvideos@telecentro.com.ar
ReplyDeleteHello Miguel, as it happened, I visited 2 weeks ago and it was closed for renovations....meaning, who knows when it will re-open. I had a lengthy conversation with the curator. He was sad. You would have to go by and check for yourself when you're there, who knows, you may get lucky.
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