| 词条 | Great Venezuela Railway |
| 释义 |
The Great Venezuela Railway (Gran Ferrocarril de Venezuela) was a {{convert|179|km|mi|sing=on}} {{RailGauge|3ft6in|lk=on}} railway from Caracas to Valencia. The railway was the longest in Venezuela; and became a notable cause of the Venezuela Crisis of 1902–1903. It fell into disrepair through the early 20th century and the last train ran in 1966.[1] OriginFriedrich Krupp AG contracted with the Venezuelan government in 1888 to build the railway in exchange for £12,800 per kilometer to be repaid at 7 percent interest. Disconto-Gesellschaft financed the project; and terms were renegotiated at £11,000 per kilometer in 1891. The railway was completed in February 1894.[2]DescriptionThe railway replaced a difficult carriage road through mountainous terrain. The Caracas station was adjacent[3] to the {{convert|3|ft|m|sing=on}} gauge railway to the coast at La Guaira (closed 1951).[4] The railway west entered the {{convert|285|m|ft|sing=on}} Calvario tunnel for level grade to Antímano where a 2 percent climb began to a {{convert|1227|m|ft|sing=on}} summit in {{convert|267|m|ft|sing=on}} Corozal tunnel {{convert|30|km|mi}} from Caracas. From Corozal tunnel the railway required 212 Krupp steel viaducts and 84 tunnels to cover {{convert|44|km|mi}} of gently descending grade across steep canyons to reach the fertile valley of Lake Valencia. The {{convert|106|m|ft|sing=on}} viaduct over Agua Amarillo was the longest on the line and stood {{convert|47|m|ft}} above the water.[5] By 1922 the railway had 18 locomotives, 30 passenger cars, 68 flatcars, and 20 stock cars.[6] Although the 4-4-4T locos could reach {{convert|70|kph|mph|abbr=on|sing=on}}, trains took 7 hours for the 179km.[7] Financial difficultyContemporary accounts expressed great praise for the construction, which used Krupp steel railroad ties.[8] Krupp computed Venezuela's debt (including damages arising from the revolution against Venezuelan president Raimundo Andueza Palacio) as £1,900,000. Suspension of debt payments by Cipriano Castro in 1901 was followed by German Empire gunboat diplomacy in Venezuela naval blockade of 1902.[9] MuseumThe summit section of the railway forms part of the recreation Parque El Encanto and work began in 2015 on a 350 million bolivar plan to restore {{convert|7|km|mi|abbr=on}} of track, with 7 tunnels and 5 bridges, providing for a 25-minute journey from Los Lagos to El Encanto.[10] References1. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.tramz.com/ve/cs/cs.html|title=The Tramways of Caracas Venezuela|publisher=Allen Morrison|accessdate=2013-03-02}} 2. ^The Railway News volume 84 (26 August 1905) p.402 3. ^{{Cite web|url=http://www.tramz.com/ve/cs/csm2.html|title=THE TRAMWAYS OF VENEZUELA|website=www.tramz.com|access-date=2017-01-05}} 4. ^{{Cite web|url=http://www.tramz.com/ve/lc/lc.html|title=La Guaira and Caracas Railway|website=www.tramz.com|access-date=2017-01-06}} 5. ^United States Department of Commerce and Labor Consular Reports issues 196-199 (1897) Railroads of Venezuela pp.470-472 6. ^Purl Lord Bell Venezuela, a Commercial and Industrial Handbook (1922) United States Government Printing Office p.127 7. ^{{Cite web|url=http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk//html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubid=2967e6f5-c5d1-43eb-8f93-6c4d7cdf4ede&edid=2ef0cd55-88a1-4874-b55d-d9734bdde059&pnum=50|title=The Great Venezuelan Railway|last=|first=|date=July 1901|website=|publisher=Railway Magazine|pages=38-48|access-date=2017-01-06}} 8. ^Moore, Joseph Hampton (1907) With Speaker Cannon through the Tropics p.192 9. ^Tomz, Michael Enforcement by Gunboats Stanford University (2006) p.189 10. ^{{Cite web|url=http://www.mintur.gob.ve/mintur/blog/parque-recreacional-el-encanto-recuperara-su-atractivo-turistico/|title=Parque Recreacional El Encanto recuperará su atractivo turístico|website=www.mintur.gob.ve|access-date=2017-01-06}} External links
1 : 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Venezuela |
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