This relatively flat province is situated between Havanna and Cienfuegos. It used to be the second largest sugar producing region of Cuba but many mills fell victim to the 2002-mill closure wave. Many mills used class TU7 locos, however mainly for shunting duties. Today only CAI 311 uses 3 class TU7s in this province.
No, this mill is not named after the famous rum-cola cocktail! The large 'Free Cuba' mill has standard gauge tracks. In 1997 TU7E 34082 was spotted here. It was probabaly loaned temporarily from CAI 318 Victoria de Yaguajay. It did not stay here for long and in the same season it was already spotted at the sister mill of Victoria de Yaguajay, CAI Granma. The mill continued to use steam until 2002, when it was dieselised. In 2003 34083 wasoted at the Cuba Libre mill. However later no TU7s are known to have been working here anymore.
The mill is situated west of Jovellanos. In 1996 standard gauge engines 34050 and 34076 worked here. The latter still had its original number TU7E-0857. During the 1997-zafra 34083 was noted at his mill.
Engine 34050 was later transferred to the narrow gauge system of mill 311, probabaly for spare parts.
This small mill was situated just outside the famous tourist resort of Varadero and therefore was very easy to visit. Unfortunatly it closed in the mid-1990s already.
The mill had a 762 mm gauge railway system with a large yard immediately south of the mill. The 1978 Atlas de Cuba shows a 15-km long line running via Camanioca to Ramos. But (at least later) more branches were in use.
Until the very end steam was used on the Humberto Álvarez railway. But also TU7E 34016 was allocated to this mill, although there is no evidence that it actually worked here. However it is known that in the 1980s a diesel (this TU7E?) worked to a loading point south of the mill. Anyway, in 1997 it was found out of use at the mill. The same year it was spotted at CAI 311 Esteban Hernández.
Until the 2005-Zafra, this was one of the last remaining mills with a narrow gauge system. The steam-driven mill was one of the top-producers in 2004 and was expected to remain in use for some time. But the mill closed in 2006 and wss being demolished by 2007.
The mill used to operated an extended narrow gauge system (762mm), with lines running in north and easterly directions. The 1978 Atlas de Cuba shows one line running straight to the coast, parallel to the Canal de San Mateo. It was approximately 11 km long. The other line was 28 km long and had its terminus at the small village of Valdivieso.
Map of the railway system in 1978.
The mill also had a connection to the standard gauge FCC-line from Máximo Gómez to Marti. On the mill's premises both gauges can be found and there are even dual gauge sections. However the standard gauge is maily situated south of the mill. The large narrow gauge (and dual gauge) yard is found northeast of the mill.
By the turn of the millennium, the lines mentioned above didn't exist anymore, except the first 1 km or so from both narrow gauge lines. The remainder of the northern line connected the depot to the mill. From the remainder of the eastern line two lines to loading points branched off.
The southern branch remained in use until 2005. By the it was the longest and by far the most interesting. It ran along the village surrounding the mill, crossed the main road tot Marti end then entered the only railway tunnel in Cuba. The line ended about 1 km behind the tunnel at a loading point. Noticeably locals say the tunnel was cut through the rocks by slaves, indicating that this line was opened a long time ago already.
Sketch of the remaining lines, still existing in 2005 (click on the map to enlarge).
Steam disappeared in 1987. Since then 3 class TU7 are in use: 34015, 34016 and 34020. They are all painted in a light green livery. By 2003, one or two were used for shunting at the mill and another one runs up and down to the fields. If not enough TU7s were available, smaller diesels were used for shunting. But these could not not replace the TU7s for line duties.
At the depot the wrack of another TU7 is dumped. It is a standard gauge loco used to supply spare parts to keep the other 3 running. According to depot staff it was originally numbered 34050 and used to run near Jovellanos, which conforms reports of it having been used at mill 307.
Since 2004 also steam engine 1242 has been available for tourist trains. However it is also used for regular freight trains in case none of the TU7s is operational. In 2003 all 3 TU7s were operational. But in January 2005 only 34016 was in working order and even this engine broke down.
34 016 shunting full wagons into of the Esteban Hernández mill on 17 March 2003. On the right 34 015 with emties, which have just been unloaded in the mill.
A view in the other direction.
34 016 and in the background 34 015 in the yard. Note the dual gauge tracks.
Again a picture of 34016, but 2 years later than the previous ones. It is seen here at the present terminus of the northern line, where the depot is connected to the rest of the network. The TU7 now runs towards the mill. Photographed on 28 January 2005, in hindsight during the last season of the Esteban Hernandez system...
During the 2006-zafra the mill did not work adn the Tu7' s were not used. By 2007 the tracks behind the tunnel had been lifted already. the line tot the tunnel was only used for steam charters. The mill was being dismantled.
The Victoria de Yaguajay and the nearby Granma mill (CAI 304) had an entwined operation. The cane from the fields south of Cárdenas was distributed between the mills depending on the available milling capacity. Both mills were connected to each other via the FCC-network and short standard gauge sidings.
For shunting and intermills steam locos were used, as well as TU7E 34082. In 2002 it was lend to the Julia Reyes Cairo mill. In 2004 it was found dumped together with other rolling stock at the former Victoria de Yaguajay shed area. Both mills had been closed after the 2002-season and are now partly dismantled.
This small mill was situated east of Jovanellos. It had a 1435mm gauge line which was connected to the FCC-network. The mill was closed after the 2002 harvest.
In 2002 TU7E 34082 was obtained from the Sergio Gonzalez main repair workshop. The loco previously worked at the twin Victoria de Yaguajay/Granma mills and returned there in 2003 probabaly. It was used for shunting while a class 37000 diesel worked on the line.
This mill is located 8 km northwest of Colón. It has a large workshop, which functioned as MINAZ's provincial workshop. After the mill closed in the late 1990s, the workshop remained in use. In 1997 two unknown TU7E-s were overhauled here. And in 2001 ex-Granma's 34082 was repaired for the Julio Reyes Cairo mill. Finally, in 2004 34084 was noted dumped at the workshop.
The wagon works are officially called Fabrica Equipos Ferrov. Jose Valdez Reyez. In 1995 a MINAZ class TU7E was noted here out of use. Presumably it had been used for shunting on the premises. The unidentified TU7E has been transferred to the Sergio Gonzalez wrokshop in 1996.
