Trinidad Railway History 2009 Part 2

This is part 2 of a 3 part TV interview about the history of Trinidad's railways.
Part 2 looks at:
Caroni Locomotive "PICTON" returns to UK for preservation
Story of 5 "strategic reserve" steam locomotives in Caroni
The Middleton Railway in the UK (PICTON's new home)
I have always felt that something should be done to record and preserve some part of the, once prolific but now defunct, rail network of Trinidad.
Trinidadians have lived with railways for over 150 years and fading evidence of this existence can still be seen today in many areas across the island. It is extraordinary that young people are largely unaware that trains once ran to almost every region of this country; the railways are, for example, responsible for the names of many places and roads, the locations of towns and villages, and some very recognizable landmarks.
In the summer of 2009 I was kindly offered the opportunity to give a lecture to the Citizens for Conservation (CFC) and the public on the subject of railways in Trinidad. The level of public interest was truly astonishing. My original intention had been to appeal to the national conscience to support the idea of preserving this part of our social and industrial heritage. I was very encouraged by the reception and feedback.
During this visit to Trinidad, I was also invited to appear on national television for a thirty minute interview. The TV interview was arranged by the Citizens for Conservation (CFC) of Trinidad and Tobago and is the subject of this presentation.
Full credit must go to WinTV in Chaguanas, central Trinidad, for making the original programme which featured some of my 1990 video footage. The interview was recorded on July 7th 2009. The television broadcast was made on the evening of July 25th 2009 in Trinidad and Tobago by WinTV's news extra programme.
In this new presentation, I have taken the programme a stage further by re-editing, adding photos and images, so as to better illustrate the topics discussed. Most of these new images did not appear on the original broadcast and are taken mostly from my private collection unless otherwise indicated.
Finally, I would like to personally thank the Trinidad and Tobago authorities responsible for saving the two surviving TGR locomotives. This is a great service to our nation. Credit must also be extended to the management at Caroni Limited (1975) for the their role in preserving locomotives from the sugar industry. Today there are no less than seven extant Caroni locomotives in Trinidad and we must try to save them all for future generations to enjoy.
I would like to recognise and thank the following people for their help, support and encouragement over the last two years. Without their contributions this feature would not have been possible:
Geoffrey MacLean, Roger Darsley, David Monckton, Jalaludin Khan, Victor Young On, Hans Boos, Allen Morrison, Stephen Dalla Costa, Clarion Charles, David Moore, George Deeby Thompson, Jackie Driscoll and Mr. Ramdeen from WinTV.
Special thanks to Nellon Hunte and the team at WinTV in 2009 when this recording was first made.
I hope that you enjoy this presentation.
Glen Beadon 2011.

[@dancescarsella]

It takes a very special, talented and passionate person to pick up a unique task like this one. It takes years of perseverance and tenacity, besides knowledge and experience! I absolutely will treasure these videos! Thank you!

[@galbeadon]

Thank you for such kind comments. Since this interview much more has come to lifght. I continue to learn and encourage any one to feedback anything that will provide more facts about Trinidads lost railways.

[@Mixmasterdean]

Thank you very much for this program. I'm from Trinidad but now live in Washington DC. I appreciate being able to look at this and to learn the history of T&T. I look forward to the completion of your book. Keep up the great work.

[@galbeadon]

@dblovell Thank you for your kind comments. Since this broadcast in 2009 I have gained additional information. I have also made many new contacts with people who themselves remember the railway. The story of the iron horse in Trinidad is so interesting but largely forgotten. In case you have not already seen it, look up “Last Train to San Fernando 1965” on youtube. In this video I have attempted to correct misperceptions about the original song and last train. Thanks again for watching.

[@blauckner]

Thanks you have a guaranteed buyer for your book when published

[@surfer4805]

Could any one say were did the San Fernando train turn off to go to San Fernando when it came up what is now the bus route? And what is that place to day?

[@galbeadon]

Cecil, the tracks split at St Joseph railway station. From St Joseph station the railway continued as two parallel omnidirectional single lines for another 3/4 mile to Curepe, crossing the southern main road, the San Fernando line then diverged to the south along the western boundary of of UWI towards Caroni village.

[@surfer4805]

Hi Glenn great work..I am trying to find out wear exactly on the map of old government railway trinidad and tobago did the Port of Spain to Aremia train turn off to make its way to San Fernando?..most of the kappa on line are not clear..thanks

[@galbeadon]

Hi Cecil, the San Fernando line turned south at Curepe. It ran south along the western boundary of UWI towards Caroni.

[@shawncharles4323]

Hey Glen, can we assume that the name of the trains gave rise to the names of the places they passed through or was it the other way around. You said No. 20 Cedar Hill. Did the name of the engine originate from the company who built them, or were the engines so called because of the village they ran through?. I'm trying to figure out the origins of the villages' names.

[@galbeadon]

The locomotive No.20 “CEDARHILL” to which I refer was built for the Sainte Madeleine Sugar Co. in 1939. So in answer to your question the engine was named by the Sugar Company after the estate, “Cedar Hill”. As were the other locomotives (all so named after estates taken over by the Colonial Company, including; “Picton” & “Tarouba”). The village came later and naturally took on the name of the original estate established there before.

[@galbeadon]

Hi Shawn, the origin of the name "Cedar Hill" perhaps came from the home (in Scotland or England) of the original owner of "Cedar Hill" Estate in Trinidad. In the early part of the 19 Th Century there were around 300 private sugar estates across Trinidad. In the 1870’s larger concerns were being established, known as "centrals". These larger factories, like Usine Sainte Madeleine established by the Colonial Company in 1870, began buying the smaller estates. The estate Cedar Hill became one of the acquisitions of the Colonial Company which later became the Sainte Madeleine Sugar company. Today "Cedar Hill" the village stands on the grounds of what was once the estate.

[@shawncharles4323]

Thanks much for the info... Glad you're doing what you're doing because not much people take such a keen interest in or rich and diverse history. Hope to see that book out soon!

[@Mrcologne76]

In Sangre Grande we have a Picton road.... Was it called as such because of the trains?

[@michaelsamuel9917]

Just imagine if we used the oil money a bit smarter than we did and learned how to BUILD trains for a worldwide sales and service etc! we could be now punching above our weight EXPORTING train engines and rail stock! same with Ferry Building also....

[@jillathewolf1622]

I want my homeland that raped us on and still do to at least have a road like theirs cctv police and army, politicians that aren’t corrupt inside out and much much more time to wake up economic development in the Caribbean islands

[@aaronmarcano8496]

how much was the engine sold for

[@dimanshediamond6347]

$1 TT dollar as he said video around 4:31

[@jillathewolf1622]

I want my homeland that raped us on and still do to at least have a road like theirs cctv police and army, politicians that aren’t corrupt inside out and much much more time to wake up economic development in the Caribbean islands