The Origins of Railway Communications in Brazil
Locomotive Works in Philadelphia in 1895
Today our South American correspondent in Brazil, Colleague Martin Butera (PT2ZDX – LU9EFO), presents us with a beautiful ride on a historic train, with the famous whistle of the steam engine.
Leaving the Anhumas station, located in the city of Campinas (inland of Sao Paulo) heading to the Jaguariúna station, this train trip crosses magnificent landscapes through coffee farms, conservation areas, bridges over the Atibaia River, the Jaguari, we will pass through old stations such as: Carlos Gomes, Desembargador Furtado, Tanquinho and Pedro Américo, until we reach the Jaguariúna station. Many of these stations were used in Brazil, to film several soap operas and famous movies.
Martin and his wife also visit the “Deusdolar Ferreira Gomes Railway Museum”, which has a diverse collection of pieces on railway themes, especially communication elements on the Railway.
Let ‘s get started!!
Introduction
Wood-powered steam locomotives practically no longer exist throughout the world.
Here in Brazil there are only a few tourist trains pulled by steam locomotives, they still operate thanks to the wonderful work done by an institution called ABPF (Brazilian Railway Preservation Association).
The history of railways in Brazil is very rich and is driven by several twists and turns. Since the implementation of the first railway in the country, this sector has experienced numerous changes, both positive and growth and development, to structural problems that led to abandonment.
The history of railways in Brazil begins with the construction of the first railway, the “Estrada de Ferro de Mauá”, inaugurated in 1854 by the then emperor Dom Pedro II.
The work was built in the state of Rio de Janeiro, until then the capital of Brazil. The Mauá Railway had a length of 14.5 km. The main objective of the road was to supply the ports of Rio with the main extraction item of the economy at that time, gold. The line left the city of Rio de Janeiro and reached Petrópolis, both cities located in the state of Rio.
Since the creation of this first railway line, the history of railways in Brazil began to conquer new areas.
After the construction of the first railway in Brazil, processes in the railway sectors developed more and more. Investments began to be encouraged by the current government, which even sought foreign capital to finance the projects. The second Brazilian railway, the Recife and São Francisco Railway Company, established in the state of Pernambuco, was an example of a structure that benefited from investments by English businessmen.
The station was inaugurated and began its activities in 1858, which was a very notable fact in the history of railways in Brazil. The road was a little more than 30 km long, more precisely 31.5 km.
The state of São Paulo also benefited from foreign investments. The first railway in the state, the São Paulo Railway Company (SPR), which linked the port of Santos, the main port of the country until today, with Jundiaí, had a length of approximately 159 km and was also possible thanks to English investment in the sector.
When gold ran out at the beginning of the 20th century, coffee was Brazil’s main economic product, and it brought many fruits to the country. For this reason, this is another period in which the history of railways in Brazil has taken a new shape.
During this period, at the beginning of the 20th century, when coffee was booming, it was necessary to expand the railway network so that this product would reach the export ports. This period was one of the most notable in the development of the history of railways in Brazil, as the country achieved great numbers in the extension of the railway network.
The “Companhia Mogiana de Estradas de Ferro” was a Brazilian railway company created in 1872 with headquarters in São Paulo city of Campinas. Its construction is part of the history of the expansion of coffee cultivation into the interior of the state of São Paulo.
In the 1930s, with the decline in coffee production and the economic problems caused by the Second World War, the Mogiana train company went through financial difficulties, which had a negative impact on the provision of its services and became controlled by the Government of the State of São Paulo in 1952,
The line remained in operation from May 1875 until October 1971, when it was finally disbanded.
Finally in 1984, it resumed its activity as the first historic railway of the ABPF and of Brazil.
Today we will take a trip back in time, taking the old railway line “Companhia Mogiana de Estradas de Ferro”. The train leaves the Anhumas station, in Campinas, traveling 48 km (round trip), to the city of Jaguariúna, which It was cataloged as state historical heritage by the Condephaat (Council for the Defense of the Historical, Archaeological, Artistic and Tourist Heritage of the State of São Paulo).
The tour is made one way with a steam locomotive number 338. This is one of the most important steam locomotives preserved in Brazil, either because of its imposing size or because of its extremely rare feature: today it is the only locomotive of 3 cylinders and metric gauge that is preserved in the world.
It was manufactured in 1925 by Baldwin Locomotive Works, restored by the ABPF in the 90s.
The steam locomotive travels at an average speed of 20 km/h, which allows you to enjoy an authentic journey back in time to the 19th century, listening to the two long whistles of the locomotive, the ringing of the bell and the first movements of the old steam locomotive.
Beautiful views of old coffee farms appear along the route. In approximately one hour and 30 minutes you will reach Jaguariúna, where it is possible to observe the change in mountainous relief due to the proximity to the Circuito das Águas de São Paulo, formed by cities such as Serra Negra and Amparo.
Special mention deserves the elevated track, 600 meters long and with a maximum height of 10 meters, along which the train travels until reaching the Jaguariúna station, where a visit to the “Deusdólar Ferreira Gomes” railway museum awaits us.
In addition to the museum, the station operates two restaurants and breweries, the Railway Museum, a craft fair and typical Brazilian food.
We will return from the tour in a first generation diesel-electric locomotive, found in Brazil, with its famous São Paulo paint in blue, cream and silver.
What is the Brazilian Railway Preservation Association?
The ABPF (Brazilian Railway Preservation Association), was founded in 1977 by the Frenchman Patrick Henri Ferdinand Dollinger and brings together those interested in the preservation, rescue, restoration and dissemination of the history of Brazilian railways.
Patrick arrived in Brazil in 1966, during the transition period from steam traction to diesel traction. Concerned about the abandonment of Brazilian railway history, he decided to create a preservation entity similar to those existing in Europe and the United States.
The ABPF’s first action was to start a national campaign to prevent the scrapping of steam locomotives. With this, the entity obtained the support of Rede Ferroviária Federal S.A., which in one fell swoop delivered 13 deactivated steam locomotives to the ABPF.
The second big action was to get a disabled extension to place this material. After a survey of deactivated sections in the State of São Paulo, Patrick opted for the old Cia. Mogiana trunk line, between Anhumas (Campinas) and Jaguariúna.
And in 1979, FEPASA – Ferrovías Paulistas S.A. He also offered his support, and lent this 24-kilometer stretch from the city of Campinas to the Jaguariúna station. There then began the arduous work to recover the track, recovering locomotives, wagons and stations, work that continues today.
Unfortunately, Patrick Dollinger did not see his dream come true and he passed away on July 17, 1986.
Today, the ABPF is a large association, with approximately 4,000 members, with offices and regional centers spread throughout the country, which restores and operates tourist trains in several states (prefectures) throughout Brazil.
The Era of the Telegraph and the Railway: Revolution in Telecommunications
We all already know the history of the first electrical equipment for telegraphic transmission that was invented by the American Samuel F. B. Morse in 1836, and the following year by the English physicist Charles Wheatstone in collaboration with the engineer Sir William F. Cooke.
As communication lines were laid to transmit increasingly distant messages, the telegraph evolved. In 1855, British physicist and musician David Edward Hughes made an important contribution by inventing the printing telegraph. This new device allowed regular writing characters to be transmitted instead of using an encrypted code, making it easier for all readers to understand the messages.
The demand for faster communication due to industrial evolution drove further improvements in the telegraph. Messages that used to take days to arrive could now travel around the world in a matter of hours, revolutionizing the media of the time. The telegraph became a worldwide news communication system.
At the same time that the telegraph was revolutionizing telecommunications, the railway system was transforming the way people got around.
In the mid-19th century, railways expanded rapidly around the world, connecting cities and regions more quickly and efficiently than ever before.
Without a doubt, the telegraph and the railroad were a powerful combination.
The implementation of the telegraph and the expansion of the railway system complemented each other perfectly. The telegraph allowed railroads to communicate with each other and coordinate their operations more efficiently. This resulted in a significant improvement in the safety and punctuality of train travel.
Additionally, the telegraph made it easier to transmit information about train schedules, route changes, and other important updates to passengers. This allowed people to plan their trips more effectively and have a more comfortable travel experience.
Ferreira Gomes Deusdolar Railway Museum
Upon arriving at the Jaguariúna station, this is the last stop of the old section of the Companhia Mogiana de Estradas de Ferro, inaugurated in 1875.
In the historical course of this railway, the Jaguariúna station played a fundamental role in the flow of agricultural production from the rich lands of the region, strongly marking the dynamics of the well-known branch.
The current station building was inaugurated in 1945 and its neocolonial architectural features give the building greater importance among the other stations on the line. Currently, it is considered an important tourist attraction in the city, offering visits to the “Deusdólar Ferreira Gomes” Railway Museum.
Upon arriving at the station we were greeted by people dressed in period clothing, which undoubtedly makes one feel like they were traveling to Brazil’s past.
While the museum does not contain an extensive or huge collection, the museum focuses more on the quality of the objects and not the quantity.
Among the great technical innovations that were developed along with the railway throughout its history in Brazil and throughout the world, is without a doubt the appearance of the electric telegraph, which would allow rapid transmission of information and control of trains. .
The incessant technical evolution made the telephone progressively replace the electric telegraph and subsequently, the modern electronic systems of today, such as GSM-R (a wireless digital communication system developed specifically for railway communication, which provides trains with radiotelephony and data line) would currently allow instant information to be available to guarantee absolute safety in the movement of trains.
But knowing how the old techniques were developed and what were the devices and mechanisms that marked the evolution of communications on the railway is of vital importance for all of us who like telecommunications and this small museum fulfills this important mission.
The collection of the Deusdólar Ferreira Gomes Railway Museum has a diverse collection of pieces on the railway theme, such as: period tools, signage plates, machines that dispense and punch tickets, padlocks, date stamps, office furniture, bellows, clocks , telephones, foxes, velocipedes and of course the telegraphs and hundreds of other objects that are protagonists of the daily work of the Brazilian Railways from times past.
Unique international pieces stand out in its collection; outside the museum in the same station there is a steam locomotive No. 236 of CM (Compañía Mogiana de Estradas de Ferro).
This locomotive belonged to “Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas”, built in the United States in 1920 by Baldwin Locomotive Works, with serial number 54,058.
The museum is named after Deusdolar Ferreira Gomes, considered in Brazil as “God of the Train.”
Deusdolar Ferreira Gomes, was a man who began his railway career in 1952, with the position of “transporter”, being promoted to the position of Train Chief at the Jaguariúna station.
After working for more than 30 years, he retired as “Train Chief” and until the end of his life he held the position with honors at the Jaguariúna Railway Museum.
His passion for the profession and his dedication led him to be recognized as the “God of the Train in Brazil.”
Final conclusion by Martin Butera, on the legacy of the telegraph and the railway and the slow decline and abandonment of trains in Brazil
The legacy of the telegraph and the railroad in the 19th century is undeniable. The telegraph was the precursor to modern telecommunications, laying the foundation for the development of more advanced communication systems, such as the telephone and the Internet.
The era of the telegraph and railroad in the 19th century was a time of great advances in telecommunications and transportation. These advances transformed the way people communicated and moved, opening up new possibilities and shortening distances. Today, we continue to enjoy the benefits of these innovations that laid the foundation for modern society.
The Federative Republic of Brazil occupies a total area of 8.5 million km2
(47% of South America), a figure that places it as the fifth largest country in the world by area.
Given the size of Brazil, having an extensive network of transportation infrastructure is crucial for the economic and social cohesion of a territory with 212 million inhabitants. Currently, Brazil has a railway network of 28,525 kilometers, according to the National Association of Railway Transport of Brazil, which makes it
It becomes the eighth country in the world with the most extensive network.
However, unlike other countries of similar size such as Russia, Australia, Canada or the United States that have railways throughout the country, in Brazil, it is reduced
primarily to metro and tram lines in large cities, with currently only two long-distance lines, this is due to different political issues.
The decline and abandonment of trains in Brazil began slowly in the 1930s, marked by the first term of President Getúlio Vargas.
The then president of the country began to strongly prioritize investments in Brazilian road lines (routes), becoming the main cargo transportation sector.
Thus, the railways were left without a large investment, preventing their expansion. This panorama only changed in the 1960s, during the government of Juscelino Kubitschek. Railroads peaked in mileage during that brief period. After Juscelino’s government, the era of military governments arrived and expansion fell again, even in decline. Until the end of the period of military rule, the scenario did not change, and many railways ended up being abandoned and scrapped, while the road sector expanded and became far superior to the railway sector.
That is why we can see the vital importance of the work of the ABPF (Brazilian Railway Preservation Association), to keep the history of trains in Brazil alive.
