Argentina's first steam locomotive, 1857

This 0-4-0 saddle-tank type, road number 1, was built for the Buenos Aires Western Railway (BAWR; Spanish: Ferrocarril Oeste de Buenos Aires), inaugurated in the city of Buenos Aires on 29 August 1857.

It was the first railway built in Argentina and the start of the extensive rail network that was developed over the following years. The locomotive, named La Porteña, was built by the firm EB Wilson & Company in Leeds, England.

The BAWR was one of the Big Four broad gauge, 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) British companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina.

Read more