Steam Locomotives in Chile 2025/6

I was amazed to see that it had been some 13 years since I last had a report from this country, please check out my Americas index page for earlier reports. Their main use will be to identify locations of interest for which a Google search will give more up-to-date information. 

Santiago Railway Museum, visited 23rd December 2025. 

The locos on display were mostly as reported in the Locomotives International South & Central American Special, published back in 1993. An additional 1676mm gauge item was Jung 0-4-0WT 4667/29, ex. Fábricas y Maestranzas del Ejército, which moved to the museum in 2003 (information from the adjacent information board). The other addition was a small 600mm gauge 0-6-0WT numbered 5025. Its information board identifies it as Jung 2034/1912, built for the FC Ancud a Castro, but that is incorrect. The original State Railways 5025 was a rather larger (150 HP) A-class (tipo a) 0-6-2T, which was intended to be preserved. Sadly, the entire loco was apparently stolen by scrap thieves! The only surviving parts are the smokebox and cabside number plates now fitted to this much-modified ex-industrial Maffei. It is thought to be one of Maffei 4341-4344 of 1929, the original owner is unknown. This info was gleaned from the ‘Railways of the Far South’ website www.railwaysofthefarsouth.co.uk, their loco lists are a mine of information.

This is the rack and adhesion Kitson-Meyer 0-8-6-0T in the museum.

This is believed to be an ex-industrial Maffei 0-4-0WT, one of 4341-4344/1929.

Puerto Montt, Parque Costanera, visited 19th January 2026

The two 2-6-0s and a crane seem to have moved relatively recently. Internet searches showed them in an area next to (NE of) the ‘Museo Historico de Puerto Montt Juan Pablo II’. They are now in the ‘Plaza Ferrocarriles’, a short way SW of that museum, beyond the bus terminal. They have both had a coat of paint – all over. Class 57 No. 606 (built by Sociedad de Maestranzas y Galvanizaciones, SMG, in 1913) still has its smokebox numberplate, and is painted blue/grey. Class 55 No.478 (BLW 31805/07) is all-over red oxide and harder to identify, but the LH crosshead is stamped 478. The diesel crane is all-over yellow, with no obvious identification. There is no sign of the semaphore signal or water crane that accompanied these items at their previous location.

Temuco Railway Museum, visited 25th January 2026

An interesting collection, but lacking the variety of Santiago. All of the broad gauge steam locos are in the Roundhouse which makes photography a bit difficult. The exception is class 57 2-6-0 No. 429 (SMG 1913) which stands in the yard and is shown below. Only class 80 4-8-2 No. 820 (BLW 62422/40) faces away from the turntable and is also shown below, with the smokebox front off and the superheaters out. They are on a wagon that may have taken 429’s stall. Most but not all of the large tubes have been removed. We visited on a Sunday, but there were no obvious signs of recent activity. Nevertheless, there was a poster near the entrance advertising excursions with 820!

On a technical note, my photograph of 820’s smokebox shows the large single-seated regulator valve. It is mounted downstream of the superheaters, and shows externally as a round casing in front of the chimney. Reviewing my photos, the preserved class 100 4-8-4 and class 110 4-8-2 at Santiago have the same design. The design was superseded in the early 1930s by the multiple valve type in the superheater header. Presumably EFE wanted to stick with what they knew.

It's well out of date now but this link takes you to earlier information on this museum.