Puerto Rico

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

You learn something new every day.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1851402

2

From a search for Railroads in Puerto Rico, Here’s the link:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=Railroads+in+Puerto+Rico&btnG=Google+Search&rlz=1W1ADRA_en

and a partial entry:The Chemex Railroad (a.k.a. Port of Ponce Railroad) is a short standard gauge industrial railroad located in the southern city of Ponce and remains the only current freight railroad operating on the entire island.[13] It first began operations in 1988 under the control of CHEMEX Corporation’s predecessor PharmaChem, a supplier of chemicals to Puerto Rico’s pharmaceutical industry, which primarily uses the railroad to ship inbound chemical products via a

3

I didn’t know that! Do I know it now, or could there be a mistake?

4

Thanks for the Original Post, and the subsequent research and link. There is a perhaps surprisingly large pharmaceutical manufacturing industry there - my daughter has had and continues to have some professional contacts with the Baxter Pharmaceutical people there.

Clicking on the linked photo, and then on the linked ‘Album’ led to a ‘‘Viewing Album: Chemex Railroad’’ collection of about a dozen other photos of the same site by the same Eddie Robles and date, 11-13-2009 - including most of the presently existing rail items decribed in the post by Sam/ samfp1943 above - at:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=51314

By:

Eddie Robles

Dates:

11/13/2009 - 11/13/2009

Album Info:

In Puerto Rico, the only standard-gauge industrial railroad operating on the entire island is located within the Puerto de Las Americas in Ponce. This switching short-line, known as the Chemex Railroad, first began operations in 1988 under the control of PharmaChem (later CHEMEX), a supplier of chemicals to Puerto Rico’s pharmaceutical industry. About
5

I guess I do know it now! I’m a little surprised that the ferry service out of Mobile hasn’t gotten more coverage, let alone this destination for it.

6

I was in San Juan last fall and noticed a short section of rail near the waterfront. That prompted a Google search when I returned home. There was not a lot about the former railroad system but it appears to have been extensive. There are some photos on Google “images,” as well. John Timm

7

This must be the connection in Mobile.

Here is a satellite photograph of the yard in Puerto Rico.

Finally, here is something interesting looking they are building in Mobile.

According to the 2009 Refinery Capacity Report, used to have a pretty decent petroleum refining industry. There are one idled (Shell Chemical Yabucoa Inc: Yabucoa, PR) and four shuttered refineries (Arochem International: Ponce, PR, December 1992; Peerless Oil & Chemical: Ponce, PR, December 1994; Chevron Phillips Chemical: Guayama, PR, January 2002; and Caribbean Petroleum Corp: San Juan, PR, January 2005) on the island.

8

It looks like this operation has ceased.

9

A short Google+ blog post by some one who visted in May 2015 indicated almost all the track had been removed by then, but some tank cars remained there (he guessed for use as storage tanks).
Wiki (rail transport in Puerto Rico) indicates the operation ceased in 2010, about the time this thread was getting started (however, the associated link to that info inside the Wiki entry is now dead).
It is possible that the 2006 expiration of very generous federal tax credits for manufacturing in Puerto Rico contributed to the end of this operation, as well as a general overall high PR unemployment rate even after the recession

10

Wonder what happend to the SW-1 and the SW-9 ? The “Google Map - Ponce, PR” link in ericsp’s post above and also on the Wikipedia entry (fn 21) has a thumbnail photo of the SW-1 dated May 2011 credited to “FreddyHonda”, and it looks pretty derelict:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=17.972658,-66.614091&spn=0.001873,0.003433&t=k&z=19

  • Paul North.
11

Family gave me a 1950 Encyclopedia Britannia world atlas. Cannot believe the amount of rail in PR.

12

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Puerto_Rico

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Puerto_Rico_railroads

Between this and Jamaica - and probably some others, like Cuba - too bad we can’t step into a time machine for about 60 - 70 years ago . . .

  • Paul North.
13

“The Picture ID you requested no longer Exists on this site”

14

For some reason the photographer who took the pictures in the link in the original post deleted the album a few years ago.

15

WHAT is the Chemical that is so valuble that it has to be barged from Mobile AL is special railroad cars to a special secured track in PR?