Funilense Railway
Funilense Railway was one of the smallest railways in Campinas in terms of extension, but in no way less important, taking into account all the richness that was transported over its tracks in just over two decades of existence and until it was incorporated by Sorocabana
Originating in the XIX century, it was inaugurated in 1899, when it started to use Guanabara Station as a starting point for Fazenda do Funil, a farm that gave rise to the colonial nucleus Campos Salles, resulting in important urban centers such as Cosmópolis and Arthur Nogueira.
Fazenda do Funil and the colonial nucleus Campos Salles were not the only town and farm served by the Funilense Railway which, until final destination, served other large farms at the time, such as Fazenda Santa Geneva, Rio das Pedras, Funchal, São Bento.
Throughout its brief history, between the control of public and private power, the railroad was managed by Companhia Carril Agrícola and partially by Companhia do Ramal Férreo Campineiro, until it was incorporated by Sorocabana Railway, in 1921.
Dr. Carlos Botelho station of Cia. Carril Agrícola Funilense (1924) by UnknownCentro de Memória-Unicamp
On April 12, 1908, Estrada de Ferro Funilense inaugurated its own station in the center of Campinas and the starting point was no longer Guanabara Station.
In Neo-Moorish style and designed by the architect Francisco de Paula Ramos de Azevedo, Carlos Botelho Station became popularly known as Estação do Mercado, since it was designed by the government to house the Municipal Public Market, which since the beginning operated on it.
As the space was managed by Companhia Carril Agrícola Funilense, which received the concession, the place had a boarding platform, in addition to warehouses that were supplied by the company's railroad.
Carlos Botelho Station was deactivated in 1924, when the railroad had already been incorporated by Sorocabana, which decided to suppress the section between Carlos Botelho Station and Guanabara Station, transferring its starting point to the then recently opened Bonfim Station.
Campinas municipal market (Entre 1910 e 1919) by UnknownCentro de Memória-Unicamp
Currently, the place remains with one of its original purposes and houses the Campinas Municipal Public Market, or Mercadão, as it is currently known by the local population. It is one of the main postcards of the city.
Ramal Férreo Campineiro Company
The Ramal Férreo Campineiro Company was conceived at the end of the XIX century by farmers who needed to meet the needs of transport on the coffee farms located in the Arraial de Sousas and Cabras regions, currently the districts of Sousas and Joaquim Egídio.
It's said that the first trip made on rails with a gauge of 0.60m took place on September 20, 1894. The company had about 42km of railroad, on which, at the time, four steam locomotives, twenty-four wagons ran cargo and eleven passenger cars.
Cabras station (1915) by UnknownCentro de Memória-Unicamp
With a speed of 23 km per hour, the trains of the Ramal Férreo Campineiro Company were known by the campineiros as “cabrita”, probably referring to the name of Cabras Farm.
The starting point of the cabrita was the Station Campinas of São Paulo Railway Company, passing through the following stations: Guanabara, Cambuí, Engenheiro Cavalcanti, Arraial de Sousas, Joaquim Egídio, Capoeira Grande, Quedas, Venda Nova and Cabras.
A branch called Santa Maria opened at Joaquim Egídio station to serve the farm of the same name, whose owner was Dr. Inácio de Queirós Lacerda who, together with Paulo Machado Florense, were the main founders of the railway company.
In a short time the company began to operate at a loss and the farmers were not interested in maintaining it. In 1910 Companhia do Ramal Férreo Campineiro was finally bought by Companhia Campineira de Tração, Luz e Força (CCTL&F), ending the company's brief existence.
Inauguration of the Tram Line from Campinas to Sousas (1917) by UnknownCentro de Memória-Unicamp
Its bankruptcy is attributed to the decay of coffee plantations in the region as a result of attacks by borers, whose control had not yet been mastered. As CCTL&F managed the tram tracks, the company decided to replace steam trains with electric trams.
As a result, the tracks leading to Joaquim Egídio, with the exception of the Santa Maria branch line, were replaced and the gauges increased to one meter, in addition to starting the electrification of the route to receive electric trams.
After CCTL&F bought Ramal Férreo Campineiro Company and replaced its rails and electrified the route, the railroad section passed to the management of Electric Bond & Share, which took over share control of Companhia Campineira de Tração, Luz e Força, in 1928 .
In 1950, Companhia Paulista de Força e Luz (CPFL) took control of CCTL&F, which managed the Cabras line until 1952, when Estrada de Ferro Sorocaba took over the railroad until 1960.
Bridge of Cia. Ramal Férreo Campineiro (Entre 1915 e 1917) by UnknownCentro de Memória-Unicamp
Even today we can find some traces of this small railroad. Perhaps the most important is the metal bridge over the Atibaia river, in the Sousas district. It is located next to a concrete bridge that gives access to the district of Sousas and Joaquim Egídio.
A curiosity is that in 1932 the metal bridge of the former Ramal Férreo Campineiro Company was partially destroyed by combatants from São Paulo to make access difficult for federal troops. It was listed in 2004 by local cultural heritage council. It's in poor condition.
DIRECTION
Prof. Dr. André Luiz Paulilo
ASSOCIATED DIRECTION
Dra. Maria Silvia Duarte Hadler
COORDINATION
Ana Cláudia Cermaria
CURATION AND TEXTS
Lucas Resck Menali Costa
TRANSLATION
Vitor Hugo Finatti
REALIZATION
Centro de Memória-UNICAMP
SEPTEMBER 2023
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.