Cuba’s Last Steam Empire. Ep.1,Dangerous Railroading, Beautiful Whistles, Hard working ancient loco.

Only a handful of sugar mills operating steam locomotives were located west of Havana, Cuba’s capital. One of them was the P.T. Brau Mill, a system that relied on small, classic steam engines—machines that may have been modest in size, but were worked relentlessly.
Once loaded cane trains reached the main mill, the locomotives immediately headed back out, hauling empty cars toward the loading points in the cane fields to begin the cycle all over again. This is one of the branch lines serving the P.T. Brau Mill, running deep into the sugar fields and only a short distance from the main complex.
The locomotive seen here is Number 1703, a small 2-6-0 l built by the German manufacturer Henschel in 1920. Despite its age, 1703 remained a dependable workhorse. Be sure to stay with us for one final dramatic shot of this engine returning to the mill with a fully loaded cane train.
As freshly cut cane arrived at the loading point—brought in by tractor, or often by oxen—the locomotive crew continually repositioned each car as it filled, a slow and methodical process that demanded constant attention.
That this regular steam operation was still functioning in 1998 was remarkable. Even more surprising was the continued reliance on railways to move the annual sugar harvest. For generations, sugar production in Cuba had been an intensely labor-intensive and time-consuming operation, from the fields to the mill.
By the 1980s, large mechanical cane harvesters began to appear, reducing some of the physical labor before the cane ever reached the rails. In many areas, trucks eventually replaced rail service altogether. But in Cuba, a combination of low-cost labor and a struggling economy helped keep these traditional steam-powered sugar railways alive well into the late twentieth century.
Cuba is a fascinating country to visit because both the railways and country are stuck in a time. warp. You see and experience things like never before. “In places like this, switching cane cars wasn’t always done by coupling directly to them. Instead, the locomotive stayed on a neighboring track and pulled the cars using a steel cable. This method, known as cable switching, made it possible to move freight where track layouts were tight, temporary, or too lightly built for normal switching. It was a simple solution that saved time and avoided expensive trackwork—but it came with risks.”
“Steel cables could snap without warning, and crews often had to work close to moving equipment to attach and guide the line. With no automatic brakes or couplers involved, there was little margin for error, especially on uneven or lightly maintained track.”
“As safety standards tightened and heavier rolling stock became the norm, cable switching was gradually banned or abandoned. Trucks, improved track layouts, and modern switching locomotives made the practice unnecessary, leaving cable switching as a reminder of how railroads once adapted to difficult conditions.”