|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Rosario
Railway Regional
The
First Steps
From
1980s, the A.R.A.R. accomplished numerous negotiations before the State
Company Argentine Railways, in order to obtaining the custody from a steam
locomotive withdrawn from service (#1011, type 4-6-2T two-cylinder cross-compound
class L.3a of the former Central Argentine Railway) and of some passenger
cars (Second Class of same origin) that then they were assigned to the
service of the worker´s train of the Pérez Shops.
The
grant process to the private sector of the state railway company, carried
forward by the National Government from principles of the 1990s, it did
not made but rush the progressive deterioration of the goods of net historical
character, that in some cases were alienated through direct sales without
mediating public auction.
In
September 1993 we realized of the fact that had been proceed to the moving
on a road cart, of the locomotive #1011, acquired in particular form to
be located in the gardens of a particular housing in the General Lagos
zone (some 20 kilometers South from Rosario) where stays since then.
To no avail we formulate claims before Management of the General Mitre
Line; without doubting of the good faith of the procuring, neither
to censure to the Manager by their passiveness before the consummate fact,
remain us the documental tests of the malicious perpetrated transaction.
Useless is, however, to outline a legitimate priority in the adjudication
of the responsible custody for this or other patrimonial goods for their
public knowledge, when the securities that prevail are very distant of
what is cultural and further yet of the disinterested spirit that inspires
to the Rail Enthusiasts.
In
1994, the State Company Argentine Railways (in liquidation) began to be
detached of assets not conceded to the goods operators, what derived in
the auctions program of the national patrimony of the that today almost
remain no vestiges. This first step coincided with the withdrawal
(voluntary or not) of the personal remaining of the former General Mitre
Railway (line already privatized by that then) happening so hurriedly that,
after the simultaneous and massive exodus, facilities and material remained
with scarce or void alertness, giving cause for undiscriminated plunders
that by their magnitude and impunity, those which deserve to remain in
the annals of the iniquity and the shame.
In
that conjuncture, by spontaneous gift or by rescue of abandoned objects,
the A.R.A.R. received the first pieces that, previous restoration from
its advanced deterioration, constitute the embryo of the Rosario Regional
Railway Museum and Archive, an initiative that was born with the first
petition to the General Mitre Railway fourteen years before and to the
one which was decided to give greater impulse supporting us in provincial
or national legislation being added the municipal when in April 1994 the
Rosario Municipal Council sanctioned the decree declaring "Of Municipal
Interest" the Railway Museum project and other with respect to the negotiations
accomplished by the A.R.A.R. in such sense.
First
Federal Encounter of Railway Preservation
The
negotiations by obtaining official consensus to support the wanted Railway
Museum continued a slow marches while the relentless liquidation of the
assets of the General Mitre Railway was decimating the goods that for its
value or representation were deserving to form part of the array of the
Rail in our zone.
The
same calamity was destroying to the rest of the country, according to could
prove through our correspondent and of colleague entities. The zeal
by funneling the efforts that each one accomplishes in their zone with
similar difficulties, drove to the A.R.A.R. to summon to the First Federal
Encounter of Railway Preservation, that was developed on May 1, 1996 in
the salon of the Independence Foundation and to which we attended more
than thirty official and private organizations, those which in an intensive
motions and discussions session extremely profitable for all, and their
efforts resulted in conclusions drafted to the
close certifying a statement that was submitted at all levels of incumbency
as well as to the press for their public diffusion. Even though the
exhortation did not had echo some (in fact, the railway auction and goods
destruction was stressed) the advocates of the Rail we fulfilled in let
established a precedent, with proposals and expressed objections, yet in
practice may have been scorned.
The
Museum, with own entity...
In
April 1996, the Rosario Municipal Council sanctioned the Ordinance #6.156/96
having the creation “Museum of the Transportation, Production and Railway
Culture” in whose article 6 the A.R.A.R. is appointed advising entity by
virtue of their antecedent and of the already mentioned Decrees of 1994.
The Museum there would be of occupying the area in which were found the
broad-gauge Rosario Diesel-Electric Locomotives Depot (D.A.D.E.R.) within
space transferred 
to
the municipality by Argentine Railways (in liquidation). The transfer
was concretized in the following spring but in a matter of weeks began
to be leveled the facilities of the that had been the principal maintenance
and service center of locomotives in the former General Mitre Railway.
The zone was opened as “Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz Park” bordered
by paved streets.
The
Destruction Accelerates
Meanwhile,
the Rosario Municipality signed (in August 1996) a Reciprocal Collaboration
Agreement with the Managing National Entity of Railway Goods (ENABieF)
tending to the fact that the first locate, identify and report in detail
all the goods that requests for their adjudication in custody; once
it increased the formal petition, the National Entity would would have
what is conceded to her. A Decree of the Municipal Intendant ratified
the Agreement two weeks after and as of this the A.R.A.R., near two private
entities: the Association of Rosario Railway Modellers (As.Fe.Ro.)
and the Rotary Club – Rosario Mitre, were accomplished negotiations so
that is put in practice without delay what is agreed. Integrating
of the A.R.A.R., they accompanied by the photographer of the Culture Address
of the Rosario Municipality effected meticulous reports in all the former
General Mitre Railway (in Rosario, Pérez and Villa Diego). The complete
report was dispatched to the ENABieF by route of the Intendency in fulfillment
of the Agreement.
On
the other hand, immediately we warned to the Rosario Municipal Council
occurred what is in the former Diesel-Electric Depot; to remedy it
somehow, they decided to reform the initial Ordinance through other that
assigned to the
Museum
the property of the abandoned Spur # 286 / Rolling Stock Depot in Rosario
Norte station. This procedure took about a year; with agreement
of the Plannin Secretariat of the Municipality and approved the variate
in October 1997, emerged a new impediment: the facilities had been
occupied by intruders...
The
Search Continues
If
this was negative, it happened what is in January 1997 was decisively tragic:
when it concluded the dismantlement of the sheds and numerous auxiliary
constructions (in the old Diesel-Electric Depot were performing task tens
of workers) only remained there two vehicles, both belonging to the former
Mechanic Department and worthy of be preserved for the Museum by their
characteristics.
S.O.600,
an School Car (ancient First Class car of the Central Argentine Railway)
wood-built and the last of its type mounted on twelve wheels, equipped
with classroom and instruction cabinets for the engineer staff. The
other, an steel sleeping car adapted to personal transport and mechanical
aid equipment. To be lifted the process in all the property, the
vehicles remained isolated, and can´t be towed to a safe place.
The
School Car was burned with such savagery that so only remained the metallic
frame; the consolation of saving at least its underframe and the large
bogies was blurred time after when a scrap contractor cut it with blowpipe
to clear the site. Choose the reader if qualifies to the responsible
for supine infamy or as irredeemable malice. The steel car, as far
as he is concerned, it stayed in their insular abandon giving step to visitor
depredations until some months afterwards also it was burned, an foreseeable
end. Adding affront to the slight, when was organized the great Carnival
feast throughout the near avenue, the car was daubed with odd- multicolored
painting, very to tone with the atmosphere that were sponsored in Rosario
therefore days.
With
respect to immolated S.O.600, as previous opportunities in which the press
reported in base to our accusations these attempts, the officials reacted
and the negotiations were resumed. Finally it was constituted the
Museum Commission
integrated
by the Municipal Culture Direction, representatives of the Rosario Municipal
Council and of the three entities that promotes the project; the first
meeting was accomplished in July 1997 and slowly was advanced in search
of giving organizational form the Museum, that already had assigned its
site in the Rolling Stock Shed in Rosario Norte. Though this process
was developed with all diligence on the part of the involved, the deferred
intruders evacuation by the Municipality account concluded recently in
December 1999, after something which, the Rosary Municipality proceed immediately
to the demolition of the most of the dependencies that -even though were
very deteriorated- were subsisting in foot and they had to be restored
to give fulfillment to the sanctioned Ordinance timely. This last
event is the one which more at stake puts the concretion of the Museum.
Apart from this, the railway material auctions in the former General Mitre
Railway already they have realized of large part of the remaining assets;
vandal and looting complete the task. In this context, the perspectives
of the Railway Museum are literally miserable, therefore it is not risky
foresee as only remaining store of the annihilated inheritance, the small
museum that, to our account and cargo, we come organizing in the A.R.A.R.
headquarters and in the one which we recover the rich Railway past in Rosario.
The
loss most meaningful of the last times was that of the steel 1930s cars
components of the “workers train” than daily was running among Rosario
and Pérez transporting to the personal of the big locomotive shops.
These units were forming a set very representative of the evolution of
the passenger rolling stock material in the Central Argentine Railway;
they had remained concentrate in Rosario Shops with reservation requested
for their preservation in the framework of the Agreement among the Municipality
and the ENABieF. They were withdrawn in August 1998 when the Rosario
Railway Car Shops Cooperative Limited was moved to Pérez vacating
its facilities. Without previous notice, the three remaining steel
cars were dispatched to La Plata (Buenos Aires) with other vehicles to
arrangement of the Liquidating Entity of Argentine Railways; to more
than a year of the fact and in spite be have given wide diffusion to our
claims, there is not explanation. If is taken into account that the
initial petition of the A.R.A.R. by these cars (with affirmative response)
date of 1985, is understood that only the firm conviction of the reasons
that attend us, hinder that the moral is collapsed; we have learnt to interpret
certain messages and be prepared to persevere until reaching the objectives.
Of
all what is above-mentioned is detached as conclusion that the possibilities
for a collapse of the project, such as was conceived what is and approved
are to the sight.
Without
prejudice of the consequences that bears for the responsible, we prosecuted
offering support to the Museum Commission, but at the same time, we have
of let in clear that the A.R.A.R. ratifies their decision of concretizing
the wanted Regional Railway Museum (that in minimal proportion in fact
already exists in our headquarters and grows slow but constantly).
______
The
Commitment of the A.R.A.R.
All
this commitment not assumes it a group of friends that so only is occupied
of matters of their personal interest but an institution that has opening
vocation to be projected toward the community to the one which their integrating
sit to belong. For tiny that could result the Museum, we will keep
testimonies of the past of the Rail; something so large can not be buried
in the forgetfulness to perpetuity.
__________
If chance nothing positive occurs at official level, this there will be of be the store of what is only that achieve be saved of our railways in this zone, to cargo of a modest civil entity with help of private companies and institutions that they could co-operate.
In the city that it was the greater railway site of the interior of Argentina, almost there will be a tiny samples than what was and meant that mean of transportation, for shame of who refused their support and for opprobrium of those which perversely procured to prevent it.