PeruTren

Tumbes - Port Pizarro Railroad (closed)

This short railroad, the property of the State, also called the Tumbes - Palizada, had a length of barely 11 km and was of 0.75m gauge. It was authorized by Law 697 of 1907 and also included a new port. In 1933 a branch to Zarumilla was authorized but it was not started. Construction began in 1908 and it was opened in 1909. It always had the problem, as did many others, of working at a loss, given the little traffic that it carried. It stopped operating in 1949.

Petroleum railroads of Piura (closed)

The railroads Talara-Negritos-Talara of 93 km and 0.75 gauge and Lobitos-The Tablazo-El Alto of 34 km and also 0.75 gauge served the needs of the petroleum companies of the zone. The International Petroleum Co also had a total of 160 km of lines of 0.75m gauge for its operations. The workshops and main locomotive roundhouse were at Negritos. The length of the tracks were subject to increase or decrease depending on the exploitation of the fields. When the company commenced operations in 1914, the only power available were a few small locomotives inherited from its predecessors. In 1916, the company bought a Balwin gasoline loco of 9 tons which was used as a shunter at Talara. Additional engines of this type were supplied by Baldwin in 1923, 1925 and 1926, making a total of 8 gasoline engines by 1927. The train gradually suspended its operations until it fully stopped by 1960.

Paita-Sullana-Piura Railroad (closed)

This line was proposed in 1869 and construction was started in 1872 by Federico Blume the same person who designed the first Peruvian submarines. Its opening on April 5 1879 to Sullana coincided with the war with Chile and it was destroyed in part by the Chileans. In 1874 it was completed to The Huaca, in 1876 to Viviate, and in 1879 as stated to Sullana and finally in 1887 to Piura. From 1929 it was operated by the Peruvian Corporation. It stopped operating in 1959 and the line was removed in 1962. It was of 1.435m gauge and 105km long.

Piura-Catacaos Railroad (closed)

Owned by Ferrocarril Piura Catacaos Co., 10km long and of 0.75m gauge, servicing from 1889 until 1937. It was operated by the Peruvian Corporation for some time.

Bayóvar-Reventazón Railroad (closed)

This was a concession granted by the State in 1903 in connection with mining sulphur activities in Piura. It was built and operated by the Azufrera Sechura Company. It ran next to the Illescas hill. It was 46 km long, was of 1m gauge and stopped operating in 1920.

Pimentel-Estate Pomalca Railroad (closed)

This private railroad of 43 km was built to a narrow gauge of 0.914m and ran from the port of Pimentel to the estates at Pomalca and Pucalá, connecting several plantations. It opened in 1916. It was abandoned in 1925. In Pimentel the closed station can still be seen, where the narrow gauge once operated. Is a very large station but in very poor condition.

Pimentel-Chiclayo-Lambayeque Railroad (closed)

This line opened in 1873 and in 1897 arrived at Vista Alegre. It was 24km long and 0.914m gauge and ceased operating completely in 1975.

Railroad Eten-Chiclayo (closed)

This line of 1.435m gauge went from the port of Eten to Chiclayo with a branch to Ferreñafe and another from Chiclayo to Pátapo that passed through the estates of Pomalca and Tumán, a total length of 67km. It began to operate in 1871, being the oldest one in the north and continued to operate until 1965. There is a good collection of old steam locomotives of this private line belonging to the Compañía del Ferrocarril y Muelle de Eten. By Law 15974 its rolling stock was handed over to the municipalities of Chiclayo, Ferreñafe, Pimentel and Monsefú. Some old passenger coaches exist and a wagon all in very bad condition. They are in charge of the municipality but are the responsibility of the Peruvian Institute of Culture. An abandoned station can also be seen at Eten.

Eten-Estate Cayaltí Railroad (closed)

Eten was the terminus of another railroad that connected the port with the Estate Cayaltí. It was 66 km long, had 0.60m gauge and operated from 1904 to 1970. The line crossed the Panamerican Highway North in the desert between the port and the estate. It was owned by the Aspíllaga family. An old Fowler engine can be seen at Cayaltí.

Pacasmayo-Guadalupe-Chilete Railroad (closed)

This railroad connected two departments, La Libertad and Cajamarca. Originally it was intended to reach the city of Cajamarca but it only reached Chilete. It was built by Meiggs and was the property of the State; subsequently it passed to the control of the Peruvian Corporation. In spite of not being completed it was one of the of the most important freight carriers in the north of Perú. Its construction was started in 1871 by Ernesto Malinowsky who worked for Meiggs and it was opened to Chilete in 1908. It was 105 km long with a branch of 26 km from San Pedro to Guadalupe. Its gauge was 1.435m and it was in operation until 1967. At present the station at Pacasmayo has been restored and converted into a museum. In the back there are two locomotives rusting away. Likewise in Chilete, at the other end of the line, there is material rusting abandoned and being wasted.

Port Chicama (Malabrigo)-Valle Chicama Railroad (closed)

This rail network served the various sugar estates in the valley of the River Chicama, such as Casa Grande, Sausal, Roma, Chiclín, Chicama and others. It was the property of the Sociedad Agrícola Casa Grande, which later became the Empresa Agrícola Chicama. It was administered by Gildemeister and Co. It was of narrow 0.914/1.06 m gauge and was 194 km long, including branches and other lines. It started in 1915 from Malabrigo and by means of the Ascope-Trujillo railroad it was connected to that city. It came to have to 16 locomotives, including a diesel, 3 passenger carriages and the surprising quantity of 974 freight wagons. In 1950, the last figures that have been found, it transported a total of eleven million tons. It reduced its operation over time and was replaced by other modes of transport. The agrarian reform of 1969 affected the Chicama complex and the railroad finished operating completely.

Internal railroad of the Estate Cartavio (closed)

It served exclusively the Cartavio Estate in La Libertad, to the north of Trujillo. It was owned by The Cartavio Sugar Co and was 26 km long of 0.914 m gauge. It began operations in 1906 and connected with the railroad in the Chicama Valley (see above). It had 7 locomotives and 200 freight wagons.

Ascope-Trujillo-Salaverry Railroad (closed)

This line began to operate around 1875, connecting Ascope with Trujillo and the port of Salaverry to the south, a total of 76 km, and was of 0.914m gauge. It belonged initially to the State. It had a branch Trujillo-Laredo-Galindo-Menocucho of 53 km opened in 1896 and another from Ascope to Chocope of 24 km opened in 1876. It was built by Pedro Telmo Larrañaga. The line was abandoned progressively to 1966 and was administered by the Peruvian Corporation. Trujillo had also a railroad that went to Huanchaco, 14 km long, opened in 1914 and closed in 1920. There also existed a branch from Huanchaco-Tres Palos of 34 km in use between 1898 and 1920.

Estate Roma Railroad (closed)

Rail network internal to the Roma Estate, to the north of Chicama, consisting of 53 km of lines of 0.914 gauge. It was connected to the Chicama Valley railroad and was the property of the Larco Herrera family.

Chimbote-Tablones-Huallanca Railroad (closed)

This is one of the railroads of more interest for study. Originally it was planned to serve all the Callejón de Huaylas, connecting Chimbote and Recuay, a total of 265 km. It was planned in 1872 under Meiggs and it was opened in 1876 to Tablones. It was extended to Huallanca but never continued further. It reached this town in 1912, its total length being 170 km. Chinese labourers were used almost exclusively in its construction. The Chileans, under the command of Lynch, utilized it to destroy the Palo Seco estate owned by Dionisio Derteano, burned 7 locomotives and then they destroyed the railway. This line was privately owned initially, later becoming the property of the State, subsequently passing to the Peruvian Corporation, which sold it in 1943 to the Corporación Peruana del Santa, a state company. It was of 0.914 m gauge and had a total of 42 tunnels, an impressive number for its length. It operated 280 Baldwin built locomotives. It had a short branch from Chuquicara to La Galgada of 29 km opened in 1921 which was planned to be extended to Cajabamba. The railroad was completely abandoned after the earthquake of 1970 which caused great damage to the line (60%). It transported an appreciable quantity of freight, especially coal for the steel works and foundry, but it was not reconstructed. Pieces of locomotives can be seen on exhibition in the Botanical Gardens at Chimbote. Its trackbed has become a highway that utilizes its many tunnels. The main station at Chimbote is now a market.

Samanco-Nepeña Railroad (closed)

This railroad served the estates of the Nepeña Valley to the south of Chimbote, especially San Jacinto. It had some branches to Agua Hedionda, Mitán, Moro and Vesique and was 47km long of 0.914/1.060m gauge. It started operations in 1920 and some remains exist in Samanco. It was owned by the Negociación Azucarera Nepeña SA (NANSA).