Tours and Activities:
Pablo Neruda Railway Museum
This former railway operations center pays tribute to the various machines that once powered trains, from steam to electric locomotives.
In Temuco, this recently restored heritage site remains one of the city´s main tourist attractions. On a vast property that originally belonged to the Chilean State Railways, visitors can explore the legacy of a mode of transport that was once essential to the region´s economy.
We head northeast of the city to discover this valuable heritage site. Its spacious grounds include four main buildings: the Coal Depot, where stone coal was stored; the Workshop, onde used for repairs; the Administration building, now an art gallery; and the Roundhouse.
The latter is perhaps the most famous part of the visit. Inside, historic locomotives and carriages that once crossed Chile from north to south are preserved and restored. Many of these pieces, now part of a collection of more than forty, have been carefully refurbished according to their original features.
A guide shared stories about each one, explaining that the most prized piece is the locomotive known as ES No. 1, accompanied by a German-made carriage from 1923. In 1954, during the visit of Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón to Chile, it served as the official presidential car. It was also used by Chilean presidents as Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez, Eduardo Frei Montalva, Salvador Allende Gossens, and Patricio Aylwin Azócar. In the 1950s, the poet Gabriela Mistral also traveled in this carriage to Valparaiso for a tribute held in her honor.
The museum was inaugurated in February 2004, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Pablo Neruda´s birth. The poet´s life was closely linked to this railway space, where his father worked as a conductor and mechanic. In his book Confieso que he vivido (I Confess That I Have Lived), Neruda recalls his childhood among rails and locomotives.
In its early years, the museum planned to restore some of these engines to operation and launch a steam-powered tourist train known as the Train of La Araucanía. Although the project was never completed, the spirit of Chile´s railway past remains alive in its exhibitions.
Declared a National Historic Monument in 1989, the old railway station continues to stand today as a symbol of regional development and a source of pride for the city of Temuco.
Contact
Museo Nac. Ferroviario Pablo Neruda
Tel: +56 45-973940
See also: © 2007-2025 Total or partial reproduction forbidden. Derechos de Autor 675243 Ley 11723
