It was long day today. After breakfast at our hotel in São Lourenço, Minas Gerais, we headed down to the railway station to find Leopoldina Railway 327, 4-6-2 (Beyer Peacock 6509 / 1928), a meter-gauge wood-burner, in steam, preparing for the day's excursion. The station building at São Lourenço was filling with vendors, preparing for the rush of tourists which would soon arrive to take the train to Soledade de Minas and return. Included on the platform were sellers of local cheese, wine and liquors.
After photographing the locomotive in the morning light, we boarded and rode the train. The railway follows the course of the "Rio Verde" (Green River) for the 10 km between São Lourenço and Soledade de Minas. During both directions, attractive young women made repeated passes though our car, offering samples of cheese, wine and flavored liquors. It was a nice trip.
Following the trip on the Leopoldina Railway, we headed for Cruzerio, São Paulo, where a local branch of the Associação Brasileira de Preservação Ferroviária (ABPF) are repairing some steam locomotives in an old railway yard. Along the way, we happened to pass through Passa Quatro, Minas Gerais at 1:30 PM, just minutes before another steam-powered excursion was about to depart. We photographed Estrada de Ferro Minas Rio e da Rede Mineira Viação (RMV) 332, 4-6-2 (BLW 58852 / 1925), a meter gauge wood-burner as it departed the Passa Quatro depot.
We then continued on to Cruzerio, where I wandered around the yard looking at some old locomotives while my companion discussed some business with the local enthusiasts there. We departed Cruzerio around 5:00 PM, then drove 4 hours to Jaguariuna, São Paulo, where we arrived at 9:00 PM. A great day with wood burning steam in Brazil.
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