Santa Fe Western Railway
Encyclopedia
Central Argentine Railway
The Central Argentine Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
. The company was based in the south of the province
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of Santa Fe
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, where it was known as Ferrocarril Oeste Santafesino (F.C.O.S.).
The SFW was founded in 1883 by Carlos Casado del Alisal
Carlos Casado del Alisal
Carlos Casado del Alisal was a Spanish Argentine businessman.-Life and times:Carlos Casado del Alisal was born in Villada, Palencia Province, Spain. He arrived in Santa Fe Province, Argentina in 1857, and in 1864, was named to the Board of Directors of the newly-established Central Argentine...
(the first president of the Provincial Bank of Santa Fe
New Bank of Santa Fe
The New Bank of Santa Fe is a bank in Santa Fe Province, Argentina.Originally named Provincial Bank of Santa Fe, it was established as a mixed state/private bank on 5 June 1874, based on an initiative of governor Servando Bayo, justified in the need to provide credit for the blossoming productive...
), with the goal of bringing the agricultural wealth of the region to the Port of Rosario
Port of Rosario
The Port of Rosario is an inland port and a major goods-shipping center of Argentina, located in the city of Rosario, province of Santa Fe, on the right-hand shore of the Paraná River, about 550 km upstream from the Atlantic Ocean.-Overview:...
on the Paraná River
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
.
The terminus of this , broad gauge
Indian gauge
Indian gauge is a track gauge commonly used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina and Chile. It is also the gauge that is used on BART , in northern California.- Scotland :...
, railway was (Rosario Oeste Santafesino Station), located in the southeast of the city of Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, within present-day Parque Urquiza. The line ran west along today's Pellegrini Avenue
Pellegrini Avenue (Rosario)
Pellegrini Avenue is a street in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. It is a two-way avenue that runs east–west through the center-south of the city, from the coastal avenue by the Paraná River to the western limit of the urbanized area...
, and turned southwest along today's Godoy Avenue after Oroño Boulevard
Oroño Boulevard
Oroño Boulevard is a street in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. It is a two-way boulevard that runs north–south through the center-east of the city, from the coastal avenue by the Paraná River to the southern limit of the urbanized area...
. It reached the town of Casilda
Casilda
Casilda is a city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is the head town of the Caseros Department, and lies about west of Rosario and 202 km south-southwest of the provincial capital Santa Fe, on National Route 33...
, then known as Colonia Candelaria. The railway was then extended towards the south of Córdoba Province
Córdoba Province (Argentina)
Córdoba is a province of Argentina, located in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are : Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, La Pampa, San Luis, La Rioja and Catamarca...
, reaching Cruz Alta
Cruz Alta
Cruz Alta may refer to:*Cruz Alta, Córdoba Province, Argentina*Cruz Alta Department, Tucumán Province, Argentina*Cruz Alta, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil...
. A number of towns were founded on the way under the sponsorship of the company.
After the SFW was bought by Central, its passenger services were moved to Rosario Central Station, and Rosario O.S. was renamed Rosario Este and dedicated exclusively to cargo and cattle. A new railway was built, eliminating the rails that ran along the avenues.