Cuba Guide
Cienfuegos and Villa Clara
Monumento a la Toma del Tren Blindado
Address: A block behind the Museo de Artes Decorativas, Luis Estévez meets Independencia, Santa Clara's main shopping street, where a right turn and a five-minute walk leads to the monument
Opening time: Carriages Mon– Sat 9am–5.30pm
Price: Carriages $1CUC, photos $1CUC
The Monumento a la Toma del Tren Blindado ( 
42/20-2758), honours one of the city's most significant events. The derailed carriages of an armoured train which make up most of the site have lain here since they were toppled from the tracks to the north during the Battle of Santa Clara, in 1958. This clash – between the dictator Batista's forces and a small detachment of about three hundred rebels, led by Che Guevara – was to be one of the last military encounters of the Revolutionary War. By December 1958, over ten thousand government troops had been sent by Batista to the centre of the island to prevent the rebels from advancing further west towards Havana, and one of the principal components of this defensive manoeuvre was an armoured train. However, Guevara, with only a fraction of his total number of troops, took the upper hand when, using tractors to raise the rails, they crashed the armoured train and ambushed the 408 officers and soldiers within, who soon surrendered. The train was later used by the rebels as a base for further attacks.
Few visitors leave Santa Clara without a snapshot of the derailed train, but don't expect to be occupied by it for more than a few minutes; there is surprisingly little fuss made of the story here. The five derailed carriages lie strewn at the side of the road, in between the river and the train track, with plenty of local traffic passing by, giving the sense that they're as much a part of the local landscape as the trees and the buildings around them. Rather more drama is evoked by the large concrete monoliths shooting out from the wreck, while the bulldozer which helped do the damage sits atop a large concrete star looking over the scene. You can step inside the carriages, where there are exhibits relating to the event and some dramatic photos of the scene just after the derailment.