Maestranza de San Bernardo, Historical railway workshop site in San Bernardo, Chile.
The Maestranza de San Bernardo is a former railway workshop featuring multiple reinforced concrete buildings including a central workshop, blacksmith shop, boiler house, and roundhouse. The layout shows how work was organized to maintain and repair locomotives and train cars.
Operations began in 1913 when the state railway authority acquired the land and started construction on the workshops using modern reinforced concrete. The buildings rose between 1916 and 1921 as part of a major investment in railway infrastructure for the growing rail network.
The workshop reveals how rail transport shaped this region's identity and growth during the early 20th century. The various buildings on the site tell the story of industrial work that kept trains running and connected the country.
The site is located on Avenida Portales Oriente in San Bernardo and is accessible to visitors. The preserved structures allow you to walk through the different workshop areas and understand how the maintenance operations worked.
The complex was built under supervision of a Dutch concrete engineering company, introducing advanced construction techniques to the region. This modern approach made the facility one of Chile's earliest examples of industrial modernization using cutting-edge materials.
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