The Last Train to San Fernando 1965

"The Last Train To San Fernando" - The Event, The Song and The Myth.

Most people will tell you that San Fernando's last service train was hauled by engine TGR No11 which today is on display at Harris Promenade, San Fernando. This is incorrect.
The very last train, as this short video reveals, was the service which departed platform 1, Port of Spain railway station on Monday August 30th 1965 at 5:12pm (it was 37 minutes late, scheduled to depart at 4:35pm)
The Locomotive which hauled the last service train was TGR (Trinidad Government Railway) Engine No27, which was a member of the 21 Class 4-6-0 locomotives.

This train really was the very last passenger train to San Fernando.

Over the years both the event and the song - "The Last Train to San Fernando" - have become a part of Trinidad folklore, although largely through myth rather than fact.

It has always been highly amusing to me that almost every photograph which appears in Trinidad relating to the railways inevitably carries the caption 'The Last Train to San Fernando'. Perhaps in reality, metaphorically referring to the train in the song (Dorathy's ultimatum?) and not the real historic event. And both are quite different.
Even more amusing is the misunderstanding, both locally and internationally, about the true meaning of the song and who exactly wrote it.
First of all there is no doubt, despite what many believe, that the song is about the City of San Fernando in Trinidad and not San Fernando in Colorado, USA or anywhere else. As a native of San Fernando myself, the song has always intrigued me, just as the railways have.

The song became a huge international hit by American Johnny Duncan in 1957. Johnny Duncan's producer was Dennis Preston who had a Caribbean wife. She had apparently first drawn the song to Preston's attention. It was claimed that the original song was written by the "Duke of Iron" (Real name was Cecil Anderson) but my information reveals that "Duke of Iron" was a West Indian performer in the USA who frequently performed "Last train" making it very popular abroad. He was not the original composer.
Michael Anthony's book "Glimpses of Trinidad and Tobago" published in the early 1970s indicates that "Last Train" was composed by MIGHTY SPITFIRE (local Trinidad Calypsonian, whose real name was Carlton Joseph Gumbs) in the 1940s as -- "a celebration of a late night stay in Port of Spain rather than the allusion to the closing of the San Fernando line".
I then came across a listing of Calypso Monarch competition winners, over the years, where I found the song listed as the 1950 winner, composed by the MIGHTY DICTATOR (Real name was Kenny St Bernard).
As already indicated above, the closure of the line to San Fernando occurred in 1965, a full 15 years after the song won the 1950 Monarch Competition. So, to me, Michael Anthony seemed to be spot on with his information. In any case, one only has to listen carefully to the lyric to establish that the song has nothing to do with the closure of the San Fernando line at all.
Nevertheless, over the years it has certainly taken on a symbolic significance almost becoming the remembrance anthem for the closure of the Railway to San Fernando. Perhaps, justifiably so because it is fabled to have been played by guitarist as the "Last Train to San Fernando" pulled out of Port of Spain in 1965.

In conclusion, the locomotive which hauled the very last passenger train is something which was forgotten about for many years. At the time it was paid little attention being regarded as just another "train".
The very last service train to San Fernando was hauled by Locomotive No 27 with three steel body coaches and two TGR brake vans in toe.
Locomotive No27, was built by the Montreal Locomotive Works (works number 63091) of Canada in 1921. The locomotive has been immortalised by David Moore in his (April) 1976 painting at San Fernando railway station.
No 27 spent her final years quietly rusting away at St Joseph along with 12 other TGR locomotives abandoned there in 1968 when the railways perished.
Now, thanks to many people who have been instrumental in gathering historic information about the Railways of Trinidad (so listed in the video) we can now enjoy the event and the song in one, discarding the myth.

The event was captured on video by the national film unit and I have included other relevant footage and photographs to complete the story so far.
Hopefully more of this delightful material will surface in future.
I do hope that you enjoy this as much as I have.
Glen Beadon September 2011

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Trinidad Government Railways
• last Train to San Fernando

[popetoussaint]

SPLENDID!! THE MYTH IS PUT TO REST ; )) REMINDS ME OF THE STORY OF RUM AND COCA COLA... ORIGINALLY COMPOSED MY LORD INVADER

[galbeadon]

@popetoussaint Thanks for your comments, unfortunately the true origin of the song was lost in time. I hope that it will now be more widely known because of the video. Same applies to the locomotive.

[borismellor]

I am puzzled by dates, it seems to be suggesting that the last train to San Fernando was in 1965, but the song was a hit in the British Charts in 1957

[galbeadon]

@borismellor Please read my description below the video & all will be revealed to you. The song had nothing to do with the event but over time it has taken on a symbolic significance almost becoming the remembrance anthem for the closure of the line to San Fernando. Originally written by Trinidadian Carlton Joseph Gumbs in the 1940s as "a celebration of a late night stay in Port of Spain rather than the allusion to the closing of the San Fernando line". International hit in 57 was a cover.

[ThePadlar]

You made a great honour to the music and the railway making the video. congratulations and thanks a lot for sharing. By the way, i have an edmondson ticket from TGR POS to San juan dated Oc 25 53. I can scan it for you if you want.

[galbeadon]

@ThePadlar Thank you for your kind comments. I would be very happy to have a scan of your TGR Edmondson ticket. Please email me at galbeadon@gmail.com and perhaps we can compare information. I have only ever seen very few Edmondson tickets from the TGR. Thanks so much for your offer.

[borismellor]

@galbeadon Thanks very much, as a child I loved the song but didnt know its history. A recent visit to Trinidad reawoke my interest in it. It is wonderful that this history is now available.

[shjakes]

Thanks for sharing this piece of History

[trinimamguy1]

Hi,

On the topic of "bad johns" I remember there was the occational sound of someone jumping from the train onto the gravel at the side of the tracks.Many individuals lost their lives of limbs doing this act.There were those brave enough to ride the top of the moving trains.I think this was some sort of initiation to get into the "bad john" gangs.But remember those days were different than today and crime was very low so doing these acts was more like a dare.

[galbeadon]

@MrPorteno I know the area around San Fernando railway station at Kings Wharf. The station was built at the foot of the hill on the seafront. It was once the epicenter of the Town. Today it lies ruined, abandoned and forgotten. I don't understand why the PTSC never up kept the building like it did with PoS. Imagine, if only trains had been invested in we may have had a very special transport system today. Now we can only dream.