Añaza Locomotive

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Sites of memory · Year: 1890

To speed up the transport of the stone needed for the construction of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife dock and thus increase the volume of available material, a railway line was established from the dock to the Paso Alto quarry at first, and years later to the La Jurada quarry.

The laying of the rails began in the summer of 1885 and the inauguration of the locomotive route took place on 10 October 1890. It was a festive day in Santa Cruz, with refreshments for guests, toasts and congratulations. The civil governor, the parish priest and the captain general spoke. All stated that something had begun to change; and this was so, since from that moment the works of the most important infrastructure on the island at that time were accelerated.

From the quarries, the material was transported by the locomotive to the dock, where the Titan crane was then responsible for placing it on the seabed in order to build the breakwater.

The Añaza locomotive ceased operation in 1931, after more than forty years of service.

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