La Locomotora "La Negra Cocola"

In 1924, the Valdivieso family, owners of the Dolores hacienda, brought their second and most powerful locomotive to Peñuelas, where it was affectionately nicknamed "La Negra Cocola." It transported sugar cane and area workers, traveling from near the La Pepita bridge beside the current Petro Ruberté Robles bridge to Tallaboa in Guaypao, where the American Railroad station stood. From there, another machine took the cars to Central Mercedita for milling. Its driver, Ramón (Gauché) Aponte Costal, also called it Andrea. On December 9, 1976, the Valivieso family donated it to the Municipio of Peñuelas to preserve it as a relic of the past and a witness to local memories and yearnings.

Peñuelas, Puerto Rico · United States