The Dominican Republic
Central Ingenio Barahona

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Ingenio Barahona (188 km west of S.D.) (March 3rd-5th)

This sugar mill was opened in 1922 by the West India Sugar Finance Corp. and operated as Barahona Co. Inc. In 1956 it was nationalized and turned over to the Consejo Estatal de Azúcar (CEA) in 1966. In 1999 it was privatized and turned over to Consorcio Azucarero Central, CxA (CAC), a company with Dominican, French and Canadian interests. A year later, the foreign interests in CAC were sold to a Guatemalan company. Many of the technicians who now work for CAC are Central Americans. The factory has a daily milling capacity of 5,000 tonnes.

Barahona’s metre gauge railway once had a total extent of 109 km (1970). The main line to Batista was once to be part of the never-completed Barahona – San Juan de la Maguana public railway planned during the reign of Trujillo. Nowadays the main line runs from Barahona to Batey 5, passing Barahona’s international airport (no scheduled flights at the present time) and two major iron bridges at La Hoya (7.9 km by road from the mill, all km are by road) and Palo Alto (km 13.5). At km 11.1 a short branch heads north into the cane fields. At Batey 6 (km 25.0) another branch heads first southwest to Batey 7 and then northwest to beyond Batey 8. Batey 6, which features three runaround loops is used to store loaded cars when Batey 5 becomes overcrowded. At Batey 5 (km 27.2) there are two loading points, one for full-length cut cane and the other for chopped cane. Cane is brought here both tractor-trailer trains from the surrounding fields and by larger trailer-trucks from fields further away. Most of the cane at Barahona appears to be cut mechanically and 100% of it brought into the mill by rail. From Batey 5 the line continues as far as the level crossing before Batey 2 (km 31 km). Both branches as well as the main line beyond Batey 5 are laid with light rail and only the lighter Plymouth locomotives are allowed to operate over them. At the time of our visit only the branch to Batey 8 was in use, with the train being loaded directly from the hydraulic trailers into the cane cars. Trains are made up of 30-35 cars. There are six crossing points between the mill and Batey 5, including at the airport, the first junction and Batey 6. 

In 1962, Barahona owned six steam locomotives, all Baldwins: two 60-ton, one 45-ton and three 20-ton. The railway was the last in the D.R. to use steam locomotives up until c.1972. Three locomotives survive today:

• 0-4-0ST No. 5 (Baldwin 54310/1921), which was sold to the city of La Vega for display as a reminder to the FC Sanchez – La Vega, is currently in storage there;

  

• 2-8-0 No. 7 (Baldwin 55126/1921) used to be on display in front of the mill administration, but was recently moved to the nearby Parque Litoral Maria Montez just south of the mill. It is in good light for photography in the afternoon;

  

• 2-8-0 No. 8 (Baldwin 58618/1925) was reported as derelict without its tender in 1997, we were told its frames are still at the railway workshops inside the mill.

By 1978 the railway was fully dieselized, with three 25-ton, one 57-ton and two 60-ton locomotives. Diesel locomotives in use on the line over the years included models from Davenport (including 2-6-0DHs built in the 1950s and a Bo-Bo DE), Plymouth (incl. ex-Puerto Rico RR & Transportation Co. 6wDM 611-612, Ply. 5460-1/1949, a 4wDM and B-B DHs), and GE (incl. a 47-ton Bo-Bo DE). In recent years rebuilt and regauged standard gauge GE centre-cab locomotives have been supplied by Motive Power & Engineering Solutions, Inc. of Greenville, SC, USA and now make up most of the fleet.

There has obviously been multiple uses of some numbers over the years, with maybe limited renumberings. At the time of our visit the following twelve locomotives were on the roster. The information in brackets was provided to me by John Middleton, and is based mainly on information from builders lists, comparing different pictures of the locomotives and information on the Plymouth locomotives imported from Puerto Rico.:

• No. 1 / K01001 yellow GE centre-cab, in main line use (GE Bo-BoDE 65 / 80 ton centre-cab, Phase III-B1, so date range 11/51-3/53) arrived in or after 2007;
• No. 2 / K01002 not seen, said to be a ‘small’/non-bogie locomotive by one loco crew (almost certainly Plymouth 4wDE DE25 25-ton type 5588 of 1952, new to South Puerto Rico Sugar Trading Corp., later transferred to Barahona);
• No. 03 / K01003 yellow Plymouth centre-cab, shunting at mill (almost certainly Plymouth Bo-BoDE DE50 50-ton type 4425 of 1942, ex Central Fajardo, Puerto Rico – the design features are from the 1942-44 era – note that in 1997 No. 3 was reported as a 4wDM);
• No. 4 / K01004 not seen, said to be a ‘large’/bogie locomotive (probably Plymouth B-BDH CR-8 60-ton type 6672 of 1968, new to Barahona – as reported in 1997);
• No. 5 / K01005 not seen, said to be a ‘large’/bogie locomotive (GE 45 tonner MkIV, probably ex Sal y Yeso GE 38387 of 2/1972);
• No. 6 / K01006 yellow Plymouth centre-cab (CR-8), in use on Batey 7/8 branch line (almost certainly Plymouth B-BDH CR-8 60-ton type 6421 of 1964, ex Ponce & Guyama RR No. 41, Puerto Rico – based on comparing photos);
• No. 7 / K01007 not seen, said to be a ‘large’/bogie locomotive (almost certainly Plymouth B-BDH CR-8 60-ton type 6924 of 1972, new to Barahona – as reported in 1997);
• No. 08 / K01008 yellow GE centre-cab, in main line use (GE Bo-BoDE 65 ton centre-cab, Phase II-A1, so date range 11.40-9.42, likely MPES project);
• No. 09 / K01009 yellow GE centre-cab, in main line use (GE Bo-BoDE 65 ton centre-cab, Phase II-A1, so date range 11.40-9.42, likely MPES project 273 of 2003, which carried plate “BB 130/130 27303/3-2003”);
• No. 10 / K01010 yellow GE centre-cab, in main line use (GE Bo-BoDE 65 / 80 ton centre-cab, Phase III-B2, 3 or 4, so date range 3-11.53), arrived in or after 2007;
• No. 11 / K01011 red (cab) & crème (body) GE centre-cab, in use as Batey 5 shunter (GE Bo-BoDE 65 / 80 ton centre-cab, Phase III-B3, so date should be 11.53), arrived in or after 2007;
• No. 12 / K01012 blue GE centre-cab, in main line use (GE Bo-BoDE 80 ton centre-cab, Phase III-B1 11.51-1.53). This was the only locomotive to carry a works plate: “GE B-B-160/160-4GE747, 470 HP, No. 31380 Nov 1952”. This former standard gauge locomotive was new to the U.S. Army, No. 1673, then U.S. Air Force 1673, in use at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 1994 to the Galveston RR Museum in Texas, 07/2011 shipped from Fort Lauderdale, FL. It has not yet been repainted and still retains its faded USAF blue livery.

There are approximately 300 steel cane cars of 10-12 tons capacity in use, as well as a few flat and ballast cars converted from cane cars. Although we did not see any, we were told there are also three inspection or works motor cars. 

Although we were unable to obtain a permit to visit the inside of the mill and the locomotive workshops, we were nonetheless able to get an inside view into the mill by staying at the Hotel Look (hotellook1919@hotmail.com, tel. +1-809-704-0915, US$20/night for an air-conditioned Queen Room), which is attached to the mill yard, and where I chose a room with the window overlooking the yard. Although it was quite noisy during the night, it allowed us to photograph the yard shunter in the afternoon. Most of the hotel guests were contractors working at the mill. The owner speaks English.

On the line, all staff we came across were friendly and ready to inform us on what was going on on the railway. Trains are in radio contact with the dispatcher at the mill, as is the Batey 5 yardmaster, who drives up and down the yard on a motorbike. A paved road runs all along the main line, except for a small stretch where the road makes a detour around a hill (the railway goes through a cutting), as well as along the branch to Batey 8.

This is Batey 5:

I (RD) have made a selection from the many pictures Thomas sent to show a variety of power and action. They are presented in order of their roster number:

GE K01001 at Batey 6

GE K01001 at a road crossing

GE K01001 at Palo Alto bridge

Plymouth K01003 at the mill

Plymouth K01006 at Batey 8

GE K01008

K01009 passing the airport

K01010 at Batey Algodon

GE K01011 at Batey 6

GE K01012 at the mill

Finally K01009 and K10006 together showing clearly the relative sizes of the principal locomotive types: