A lot has been written over the years about the history of Guatemala’s Railways.
This modest attempt simply aims to provide a basic account of a visit to the Guatemala City Railway Museum along with some background information.
The Guatemala City Railway Museum, officially known as the Museo del Ferrocarril, is located in the former main railway station in Guatemala City.
The museum’s collection of steam and diesel locomotives, passenger carriages and other rolling stock is displayed on the tracks inside the old train shed or just outside it.
Rooms inside the station host displays that tell the story of the railways in the country. It all looks quite well done, with a collection of mannequins around the place adding a bit of extra realism.
Construction of the first railway (built to 3ft gauge) in Guatemala commenced in 1877 and the rails reached Guatemala City in 1884. The line to Puerto Barrios on the Atlantic coast was completed in 1908.
The map below shows lines constructed between 1877 and 1885 in brown, between 1890 and 1898 in red, and between 1898 and 1930 in green. The separate Ferrocarril Verapaz, shown in black, was contructed in 1898.
The whole 3ft gauge network was eventually acquired by United Fruit, and then in 1912 it was renamed the International Railways of Central America (IRCA). It prospered until the coming of the highways in the 1950s.
In 1968, the network became state owned and was rebranded as Ferrocarriles de Guatemala (FEGUA). This did not stave off decline however and the system closed to all traffic in 1996.
Between 1999 and 2007 the system was rehabilitated by the Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) with some freight trains and railcars operating between Guatemala City and Puerto Barrios.
There have been no train services on the 3ft network for more than 15 years now, but the tracks still exist in many places, including on the approach to the main station here.
There is one line in the country remaining; the short cross-border connection from Mexico was rebuilt to standard gauge and reopened a few years ago.
Trains To Beyond 