The Hershey railway is the only electric railway in Cuba. You can find more informations here: Hershey Electric Railway
Unfortunately hurrican Irma destroyed most of the line and only a small part is still in operation. But luckily the railway workshop in Hershey is still working and we were able to visit it. When the Hershey line was constructed circa 1916, largely to support the Hershey sugar mill, the main railway operator in Havana province, United Railways, refused to allow the Hershey train access to its tracks so a new terminus was built at Casablanca, which is across the harbour from Habana Vieja, connected by a ferry service.

Tags:   Hershey Cuba Camilo Cienfuegos sugar mill factory abandoned urbex lost lost place exploration decay industry industrial locomotice railway station

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In 1916, chocolate pioneer Milton Hershey came to Cuba for sugar to supply his US chocolate company, and opened a factory here. He bought several sugar mills, established a town of 180 homes on this spot 40 miles east of Havana (the remains are shown in this image), and built a golf course, a sports field and an electric railway that ran from the Bay of Havana at Casablanca to the port of Matanzas 52 miles to the east. His Cuban sugar business supplied his chocolate empire, sent molasses to the rum factory up the road, and sold sugar to Coca-Cola.

Hershey would ride a sugar boom created by the devastation of beet fields in Europe during the first world war, that would become known as Cuba’s “Dance of the Millions”. It saw the price of sugar more than double in two months: Cuba’s total crop was worth $455m in 1919, and a cool $1bn in 1920. But oversupply hit hard in 1921, and in 1946, Hershey’s sold its Cuba business.

Tags:   Hershey Cuba Camilo Cienfuegos sugar mill factory abandoned urbex lost lost place exploration decay industry industrial

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The remains of sugar mill Hershey (no. 205 of Cuba).

Tags:   Hershey Cuba Camilo Cienfuegos sugar mill factory abandoned urbex lost lost place exploration decay industry industrial smokestack chimney

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What remains today are three chimneys, a big hall and a transformer station, which is buzzing dangerously, it's still operating. Read more about the history 2 pics before. It was sugar mill no. 205 of Cuba and it's postrevolutionary name is "Camilo Cienfuegios", which is also the name of the little village today.

Tags:   Hershey Cuba Camilo Cienfuegos sugar mill factory abandoned urbex lost lost place exploration decay industry industrial electricity smokestack chimney substation

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Abandoned remains of Sugar Mill Hershey in the village of Camilo Cienfuegos (founded 1916, no. 205 of Cuba).

Tags:   Hershey Cuba Camilo Cienfuegos sugar mill factory abandoned urbex lost lost place exploration decay industry industrial

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