Pablo Neruda Railway Museum, Railway museum in Temuco, Chile
The Pablo Neruda Railway Museum occupies a round building with a diameter of about 100 meters and features a 27-meter turning table designed for locomotive maintenance. The collection holds steam locomotives and historical railway cars that once operated on southern routes.
The building was constructed between 1929 and 1941 and initially served as a repair facility for steam locomotives on southern routes. It maintained this function until the 1980s before being converted into a museum.
The museum carries the name of poet Pablo Neruda, whose father worked as a train driver in southern Chile. Inside, you can see steam locomotives and railway cars that represent the region's transportation history.
The building received concrete walls and carbon fiber reinforcements after substantial damage from the 2010 earthquake to protect against future seismic events. Access to the interior is straightforward, and you can view the collection without strenuous movement.
The ES Nº1 locomotive from 1923 was actually a luxuriously fitted private rail car with walnut wood decorations, two bedrooms, and a living room finished in Norman style. This unusual vehicle shows that rail travel for the wealthy was a means of comfortable transportation.
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