Central Argentine Railways
Map of the Argentine Railways, 1911
32 x 25 in
81 x 64 cm
81 x 64 cm
SAM3529
A large, colourful railway map of Argentina without Patagonia. This map was published in London, entirely in English, and was most likely aimed at British investors. Each railway is coloured...
A large, colourful railway map of Argentina without Patagonia. This map was published in London, entirely in English, and was most likely aimed at British investors. Each railway is coloured according to an index in the lower-right corner of the map which lists the various companies responsible for Argentina's railways. Proposed railways are marked with dashed lines. Six inset maps show the larger cities in greater detail: Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Tucuman, San Francisco, Rosario, and Santa Fe.
British capital investments helped to build many of Argentina's most important railways in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, partly through exploitative deals with the Argentine government. Starting in 1899, British companies were given a 50 year period in which their profits would not be taxed and they would also be given 15km of land either side of any tracks they built if the land was government owned. This could be farmed by the railway companies and even these profits went completely untaxed.
The upside of the deal for Argentina should have been that the British companies would hand the railways back to Argentina for free at the end of the 50 year lease. This was interrupted by Juan Peron's controversial nationalisation of the railways in 1947 with many British companies being paid for tracks which would have returned to Argentine hands for free two years later anyway.
Railway maps of Argentina are not uncommon, but this is a particularly large and handsome example in excellent condition and entirely in English. They remain popular with collectors and railway enthusiasts.
Printed colour. [SAM3529]
British capital investments helped to build many of Argentina's most important railways in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, partly through exploitative deals with the Argentine government. Starting in 1899, British companies were given a 50 year period in which their profits would not be taxed and they would also be given 15km of land either side of any tracks they built if the land was government owned. This could be farmed by the railway companies and even these profits went completely untaxed.
The upside of the deal for Argentina should have been that the British companies would hand the railways back to Argentina for free at the end of the 50 year lease. This was interrupted by Juan Peron's controversial nationalisation of the railways in 1947 with many British companies being paid for tracks which would have returned to Argentine hands for free two years later anyway.
Railway maps of Argentina are not uncommon, but this is a particularly large and handsome example in excellent condition and entirely in English. They remain popular with collectors and railway enthusiasts.
Printed colour. [SAM3529]
