Sugar Mills Valley Train
When in Cuba, I made the most of the public transport, I used a Cadillac, a taxi, a mini bus and a coach. It was only in the historic city of Trinidad where I gave in and took a train. Not just any train… special train to the old sugar mills. This section of the line was severed from the main national network at some time so it seems to be run as a giant train set by state rail employees. They even let me drive!
Trinidad Central Station is quite impressive, you can see it from miles around. The signage was excellent and it was immediately obvious how to buy a ticket, what time the train came, how long it took.
On board, there was a fully stocked mojito bar, and a man with a loud guitar. You might expect to hear the sounds of the country canter past but instead we all listened to Locomotion – repeatedly. The chap even sells CDs for the memory.
Once out into the country, the thing you note is that every other vehicle is moving considerably quicker than this train. Not that you’d want it to go any quicker as you might spill your mojito. After a 2 hour journey (singalong), we arrived at the old sugar mill. It was quite impressive and entirely empty. The main attraction was the cafe where you can buy a mojito while you wait for the train to return to Trinidad – we just played on the old trains.
I’ve included some highlight moments in the video below, including the completely safe intermediate station and the well rehearsed coupling manoeuvre.
Author: Liam Henderson
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