Tren del Fin del Mundo

The Southern Fuegian Railway or the Train of the End of the World is a 500-millimetre (19.75 inch) gauge steam railway in Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina. It was originally built as a freight line to serve the prison of Ushuaia, specifically to transport rock, sand and lumber. It now operates as a heritage railway into the Tierra del Fuego National Park and is considered the southernmost functioning railway in the world.

We arrived at the main station for the 'end of the world train' at 2.30pm for our 3.40pm departure, meaning that we had over an hour to look around and to avoid spending any money! I have to say, we were successful!

Amongst the displays in the main hall of the station, there were many items from the UK, as you would expect with any exhibition of railwayana. However, when it comes to the flags of all nations hanging from the ceiling, there was one notable exception! There is no Union Jack on show!

When the time came, our tickets were checked and then we were photographed in a comic pose with a couple of guys in convict's outfits to reflect the railway's history. We boarded the train into tiny carriages with very little legroom. I guess the original users of the train were considerably shorter than your average modern westerner!

We set off on time with the appropriate bells, whistles, and steam noises, only to stop at La Macarene station just five minutes later! Here, we had the opportunity to walk up to a viewpoint and, of course, to buy the photos they took just a few minutes earlier! At US$15 per photo, we declined!Read more