Heritage route
Maria Fumaça de Tiradentes
São João del-Rei → Tiradentes · Brazil
Baldwin steam locomotives have worked this 76 cm-gauge line ever since Emperor Pedro II opened it in 1881.
Emperor Pedro II rode the first train when the Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas opened in 1881, and its 76 cm-gauge Baldwins have been at work between São João del-Rei and colonial Tiradentes ever since. Brazil’s oldest steam service still in regular operation. The half-hour amble follows the Rio das Mortes beneath the Serra de São José escarpment. At the São João roundhouse, locomotives are still turned on the period turntable in what is now a working railway museum.
Along the way
- São João del-Rei roundhouse and museum
- Rio das Mortes valley
- Serra de São José escarpment
- Tiradentes’ 1881 station
How this line was checked
- Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 3664647 — the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within under 25 m of them
- Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 4 m from it
- The operator publishes this line's timetable: VLI — a place to look it up, not a check of our drawing
- Wikipedia has an article for this line
- See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it
Questions and answers
How long is the Maria Fumaça de Tiradentes?
The Maria Fumaça de Tiradentes runs 12 km from São João del-Rei to Tiradentes.
How long does the Maria Fumaça de Tiradentes take?
The fastest scheduled journey is 35 min for the 12 km. That is an average of 21 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 30 km/h.
Who runs the Maria Fumaça de Tiradentes?
VLI, with 19th-century Baldwin steam, 762 mm gauge.
How old is the Maria Fumaça de Tiradentes?
The line has been in service since 1881. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.
How often does the Maria Fumaça de Tiradentes run?
Wed–Sun, 1–2× daily.
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