Costa Rica to Inaugurate Restoration Project of Locomotive 130 and Open a Railroad Mural

The Association of Specific Development for the Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of Orotina (ADEPPCO), with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Youth, will host the inauguration ceremony of the restoration works of the Locomotive 130 and the Orotinense Railway History Mural.

“We would like to invite everyone to the inauguration ceremony,” both institutions mentioned. 

The activity will occur this Friday, December 09, 2022, at 10 a.m., at the Old Orotina Railroad Station.

Nayuribe Guadamuz Rosales, Minister of Culture and Youth; Fabiola Romero, National Director of DINADECO; the deputies from Alajuela, Leslye Rubén Bojorges León and Daniela Rojas Salas; as well as Benjamín Rodríguez Vega, Mayor of Orotina; Gilbert Tencio Rodríguez, Operations Manager of INCOFER; Sully López Ruiz, Director of the Center for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, and Giovanni Castaldini Ramírez, President of ADEPPCO, will be present. 

The project began in 2015 with a small group of neighbors interested in restoring locomotive 130. Afterward, with the advice of the Ministry of Culture and Youth, the development association in charge of executing the plan was established. 

Once the Specific Development Association for the Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of Orotina (ADEPPCO) was formed, arrangements were made with INCOFER to move the locomotive from Puntarenas to Orotina.

“For us, here in Orotina, the railroad activity is more than a job; it is part of our culture and identity. We wanted to have here a locomotive that could reflect the best moments of the railroad to the Pacific,” said Giovanni Castaldini Ramirez, president of ADEPPCO. 

The restoration work began in January 2022 and is now in its final stage. This process has relied on financial contributions from members, resources provided by the community through activities such as bingos and raffles, help from the Municipality of Orotina and the National Directorate of Community Development (DINADECO).

“The ‘130’ is a well-loved locomotive by the people of Orotina. It was an electric and environmentally friendly locomotive. They have an exceptional design, and people remember them with great affection; it is present in the memory of the people of Orotina,” explained the president of ADEPPCO.

According to Castaldini, this locomotive was built in Germany in 1956. It was the last one running until the railroad was closed. 

At the end of the ceremony, there will be guided tours to learn about engine 130, it’s history, and technical data. Also, those who assist will be able to visit the Orotinense Railway History Mural, created by the artist Dennis Castillo.