Locomotora #5, originalmente Baldwin Diésel-Mecánica, Línea Férrea del Oeste

Roundhouse / Casa de Máquinas – Central Aguirre, Salinas

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Central Mercedita, Ponce

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Originalmente del ferroccarril Línea Férrea del Oeste (Cataño a Bayamón) / Originally from the Western Railroad (Cataño to Bayamón)

Esta locomotora tuvo su origen en la Línea Férrea del Oeste (Dave Deyo). Pasó a la Central Mercedita como la número 5. Después a la Central Aguirre, luego al Parque de Bayamón y finalmente al Tren del Sur de Arroyo.
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One of the saddest losses tied with the demise of Tren del Sur, was the oldest piece of exiting Puerto Rican railroad history. It was a treasure that no one realized. Among the several diesel-mechanical locomotives on the property was what was a Baldwin mechanical locomotive that started its life on the Linea Ferrea del Oeste between Bayamon and Catano. When that railroad ended service, a gentleman named Mario Castro Fernandez purchased the locomotive and in his shops in Caparra had it completely rebuilt with a new motor and radiator from Cummins Reliable Diesel. He advertised it for a very short period of time, and Central Mercedita in Ponce purchased it to use on their railway. It spent a number of years there in
several different paint schemes and several different numbers. When it was retired, it went to the new railroad park in Bayamon that would later be purchased to make room for the Bayamon station of the Tren Urbano. From there it went to Arroyo for the Tren del Sur, where it would remain until present time. Built December of 1919, it was serial number 52698, 65 horsepower gas-mechanical, was #8 on LFO roster. Here’s a history of the unit in photographs. Note that the wheels are inside the frame with the counterweights outside, and that they are connected with a rod typical of steam locomotives. The frame is also a lightweight version of a steam locomotive frame. The photo at the park in Bayamon is from the ROGER APONTE Collection, and the original BLW picture was from a business card and the reverse side had all the specifications. The last two photos show the conditions of the locomotive at the Tren del Sur showing its gradual deterioration. At Mercedita, the locomotive wore a yellow paint scheme and the #11. When taken over by the CAdePR, it was repainted in red and renumbered #5. Try keeping up with all of these changes on so many different resales on the island, and you can imagine I kept very busy in the last 45 years. ENJOY!!

Dave Deyo (Historia Del Ferrocarril En Puerto Rico – Facebook)

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Parque de Bayamón / Bayamón Park