Explore the stops

End of the World Train history: the convicts' railway of Ushuaia

The short version

The End of the World Train began as a convict railway: prisoners of Ushuaia's jail laid it to haul timber and stone, it fell silent when the prison closed, and it was later revived as a heritage ride for visitors.

History facts

  • Prison closed on 21 March 19474
  • Revived as a tourist ride in 19945
  • Old line on a 600-mm gauge3

Discover 20 stops

The railway, the park and the island

Select a route, then press a pin or stop to read its note and open Google Maps.

Map from the former Ushuaia prison in town along the Pipo valley to the train's stations, the area the convict railway once reached

  1. The convict-built prison, now the Maritime and Prison Museum; open 10:00 to 20:00.

    Google Maps

  2. Capital of Tierra del Fuego province, at the southern tip of Patagonia.

    Google Maps

  3. Main station on Route 3 at km 3065, about 8 km from the centre; the only place to board.

    Google Maps

  4. The halfway stop: about 20 minutes off the train, with a gazebo over the Pipo valley.

    Google Maps

  5. End of the line inside the national park; the train waits 10 to 15 minutes before heading back.

    Google Maps

  6. Free camping area in the Pipo valley and start of the waterfall trail; the tracks run close by.

    Google Maps

© OpenStreetMap contributors · map data

End of the World Train history starts with a prison: convicts laid the first rails to haul timber and stone for a jail they were building themselves. Here is how that line became today's ride.

Editorial team, endoftheworldtrain.com · Updated November 11, 2026 · Takes 8 min

Basics

  • Why a prisonThe state wanted a penal colony to populate the island and assert sovereignty.1
  • First railsWooden rails and oxen until Decauville track arrived in 1908.2
  • The gaugeThe prisoners' line ran on a 600-mm gauge.3
  • The endThe prison closed on 21 March 1947 by presidential decree.4
  • The revivalThe route was recovered as a tourist ride from 1994.5

Why Argentina put a prison at the end of the world

End of the World Train history makes sense only once you see what Ushuaia was before the rails. The first people on these shores were the Yamana, a canoe people who for thousands of years lived mainly by hunting sea lions, according to the train operator's own history page.6 The Argentine state arrived late: the city's tourism office dates the founding of the Ushuaia Subprefecture to 12 October 1884.7 For years after that the settlement stayed tiny and hard to reach.

The answer Buenos Aires chose was a prison. On 3 January 1896 the interim president, Julio Roca, signed Decree 3335 to set up a penal colony in Tierra del Fuego, the Maritime Museum records.8 The operator sums up the thinking plainly: a penal colony would help populate the island and assert Argentine sovereignty in the far south.1 Prisoners were to be the labour force.

There was already a military prison on Isla de los Estados, the rocky island east of Tierra del Fuego. The museum says it was moved to Ushuaia in 1902 for humanitarian reasons, at a time when the town had some 40 houses.9 A first plan imagined a penal colony for 580 inmates at Lapataia Bay, with some 2,500 hectares reserved near the Chilean border.10 That colony never took shape, but the prison in town did, and it needed wood.

Then and now

The convicts' railway and today's ride

Prisoners' trainToday's train
PurposeTimber, stone and goodsHeritage ride for visitors
LengthOver 22 km at its peak7 km route
Gauge600 mmNarrow gauge
StartsAt the prison in townMain station on Route 3
Early powerOxen, then steamLocomotives kept by the workshop

Old line from the Maritime and Prison Museum; today's route from the operator.22,3,23,24,25,26

A jail built by its own convicts

The foundation stone of the Ushuaia prison was laid on 15 September 1902.12 Construction was directed by engineer Catello Muratgia and carried out by the convicts themselves, using stone, mortar, timber and metal sheeting.13 The museum dates the finished National Prison to 1920 after years of building by prison labour.14 Every block of stone and every beam had to be cut, carried and lifted at the edge of the Beagle Channel.

By 1920 the building had 5 pavilions with 76 outward-facing cells each.15 The 386 cells were made for a single prisoner, yet at one point the penitentiary held some 600 inmates.16 The most dangerous convicts lost their names and were known by a number.17 Some inmates became notorious in Argentina, among them Mateo Banks, Cayetano Santos Godino and the anarchist Simón Radowitsky, whose stories the museum still tells.18

The prison also ran much of the young town. Its 30 work sectors included several outside the walls, the museum says.19 Prison workshops gave Ushuaia its first printing press and its telephone, electricity and fire services.20 Prisoners with good behavior worked outside the building, logging in forests they reached by train from the town centre.21 That last detail is the seed of the railway you ride today: a prison needed fuel and timber, and the forest was miles away.

The prison in numbers

How big the Ushuaia prison grew

  • Pavilions5
  • Work sectors30
  • Cells per pavilion76
  • Single cells386
  • Inmates at peak600

Figures from the Maritime and Prison Museum's history of the penitentiary.15,19,16

From oxen on wooden rails to steam

The first line was barely a railway at all. The museum describes wooden rails, a line nicknamed the Xylo-carril, and small wagons pulled by oxen.22 Prison director Catello Muratgia asked to buy proper Decauville track to move rock and firewood faster, and until that material arrived in 1908 the wooden rails and oxen did the work.2 It must have been slow, muddy going on the forest slopes above the bay.

Steam came with metal track. A decree of 1911 cleared the way to buy a 25-HP steam locomotive together with 3,000 m of rail and six wagons of different kinds.31 The museum's Spanish page adds that the purchase of the Decauville train was authorized in 1913.32 Old photographs show an Orenstein & Koppel and a Jüng locomotive, which the museum thinks date from 1910 and 1928.33 The museum's own pages give 1910 and 1913 as the years the convict line opened, so treat any single date with care.34,35

Whatever the opening year, the gauge was narrow. The prisoners' train ran on a 600-mm gauge, owned by the Ministry of Justice and its prison service.3 Its job was to carry wood and stone and to move goods between the pier and the prison.3 Today's End of the World steam train keeps that toy-like scale, which is part of its charm: the coaches feel small, the locomotive close enough to hear every beat of its exhaust.

Plan your history day

Which part of the story suits you?

Pick the stop that matches how deep you want to go.

  • If I want the full prison story

    The museum in town

    Its pavilions keep the cells, plus the maritime and Antarctic collections.27

  • If I love old machines

    The station workshops

    The workshops repair engines and boilers; visits depend on operations.26,28

  • If I want history with scenery

    The train ride itself

    The audio guide tells the prisoners' story stretch by stretch.29

  • If I have children with me

    Ride, then the museum

    Under 12s with an adult enter the museum free.30

Where the story lives

Places to see the prison railway's past

In town

The old prison

Maritime and Prison Museum

  • Opens10:00 to 20:00
  • Allow2 hours
  • TicketValid 2 days
Check dates

Start of the ride

End of the World Station

Main station, Route 3

  • From the centre8 km
  • SeeWorkshops and old photos
  • Check-in45 minutes before
Check dates

Halfway stop

La Macarena stop

Waterfall on the line

  • StopAbout 20 minutes
  • HistoryOld water stop for the engine
  • ViewPipo valley gazebo
Check dates

Where the convicts' line ran

The prison railway was far longer than the tourist ride. The museum says its length changed over time and reached more than 22 km, while its prison history page gives 25 km.23,66 It ran alongside Maipú street, passed the camp at Monte Susana and split into branches toward what is now the national park.66 From 1908 the network climbed the slopes of Cerro Susana, entered the Pipo valley and reached the Cañadón del Toro, now inside the park.67

The city tourism office describes the same purpose in simpler words: the train left the prison for the slope of Susana Mountain to fetch wood and stone for building.68 The national park service lists timber extraction works near the Beagle Channel from the early twentieth century until 1960 among the park's historic sites.69 Riding the line today, you cross the same valley where convict crews once felled and loaded logs.

The map on this page shows the old prison in town, the End of the World railway in Ushuaia's western valley, and the stations of the modern ride. The operator says the tourist train recreates the last kilometres of the historic prisoners' line.70 So the 7 km you ride today are a short piece of a much longer network that once began on the town's streets.24 The rest of the old trackbed has long since gone back to forest or under the growing city.

From colony to tourist ride

The prison railway through the years

  1. 1884

    Navy base

    Argentina sets up a permanent naval base on the channel.11

  2. 1896

    Penal colony decreed

    Decree 3335 plans a penal colony on the island.8

  3. 1902

    Prison begins

    The foundation stone is laid on 15 September.12

  4. 1908

    Metal rails

    Decauville track replaces wooden rails and oxen.2

  5. 1947

    Prison closes

    Closed on 21 March by presidential decree.4

  6. 1994

    Line revived

    The route is recovered as a tourist ride.5

Winter on the prisoners' train

The museum keeps a remarkable memory of the line in snow. Alfonso Lavado, a man born and raised in Ushuaia, recalled that the prison guards came in at 6 in the morning because at 7 the convicts left by train.71 In winter a work gang of 50 or 60 men walked ahead with shovels, clearing the track while the little train crept behind them.71 It is a vivid picture of how the forest was reached in the cold months.

The same account says that around kilometre 5 or 8 there were ravines where the convicts dug tunnels through the snow.72 Only the well-behaved prisoners went out to work, he remembered, while the others stayed inside cleaning and painting a jail kept spotless. Prisoners prepared firewood in winter and summer alike, a reminder that the whole town depended on the fuel this line brought down from the slopes.

Engines changed too. In the same memory the first engine was a small machine that lasted about 25 years, followed by a bigger one on a slightly wider gauge that could carry more cargo.73 When you ride in July past snowbanks along the Pipo, think of those crews digging the line open by hand. The national park still counts the stories of the train and of convict escapes as part of its intangible heritage.74

Video

The dark story of Ushuaia's prison at the end of the world

MARCUS VALE - The Vanished States on YouTube · The video stays unloaded until you press play.

It is known that it used to have wooden rails and was called Xylo-carril (wooden railway). Its small wagons were pulled by oxen
Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia22

Before the museum

Prison museum checklist

Tickets and time3

  • Buy tickets at the museum: they are not sold online63
  • Allow 2 hours for the visit64
  • Keep the ticket: it is valid 2 days in a row63

On the ride3

  • Choose your audio guide language on board29
  • Check in 45 minutes before departure65
  • Look for the old water stop at La Macarena39

Closure, silence and the revival

The prison closed on 21 March 1947 by a presidential decree of Juan Domingo Perón.4 The operator's history ties the end of the prisoners' train to the same closure, after decades as part of daily life in Ushuaia.75 The buildings passed to the navy, and a naval base was set up in them in 1950.76 With no convicts to haul timber, the rails had no purpose, and for years the line lay quiet.

The revival came from private hands. The operator dates a new stage to 1994, when the historic route began to be recovered as a tourist and heritage ride.5 Its history page names Enrique Quique Díaz as the key driver of that initiative.77 Since 2017 the company has been run by new owners of local origin.78 After more than 30 years the operator calls the train a key part of Ushuaia's tourism.79

The prison building was saved too. It was declared a National Historic Monument by law in April 1997.80 Today its pavilions house a maritime museum, an Antarctic museum and a gallery of marine art.27 The city's tourism office calls the old jail, built by the prisoners themselves, a living heritage of Tierra del Fuego.46 Together, the museum and the train tell the same story from both ends of the old line.

Seeing the railway's history today

Start at the station. The city tourism office says the End of the World Station displays the maintenance workshops and old photographs, with a gift shop and café while you wait.81 Its workshops repair and tune engines, boilers and every system the locomotives need.26 The operator's photographs show locomotives named Camila and Zubieta at the park station and Porta at La Macarena.82,83,84 A workshop visit is possible only when operations allow it.28

On board, the history becomes the commentary. A recorded guide in 10 languages tells the convicts' story section by section.29 At La Macarena, the stop beside the waterfall where the prisoners' locomotive once took on water, recent works added a locomotive with hoppers as an open-air walk through railway history.39,85 Look at the forest along the way with the convicts in mind, and imagine the same slopes cleared by hand for firewood.

Finish in town at the old prison. The Maritime and Prison Museum opens from 10:00 to 20:00, and adult tickets cost ARS 50,000 from 1 October 2026.47,86 The ticket is valid for 2 days in a row and is sold only at the museum.63 The museum recommends allowing 2 hours.64 Children under 12 with an adult go in free, which makes it an easy family pairing with the ride on the same day or the next.30 Leave big bags at your hotel, since the museum turns away luggage and large backpacks.87

FAQ

Quick questions get quick answers.

Was the End of the World Train really built by prisoners?
Yes, the original line was.

The museum says convict labour built the southernmost train, used to haul timber and stone.34

When did the prison railway close?
With the prison, in 1947.

The operator ties the end of the prisoners' line to the prison's final closure in 1947.75

What gauge did the prisoners' train use?
600 mm.

The museum gives the prisoners' line a 600-mm gauge.3

How long was the original line?
Over 22 km, by one museum count.

The museum gives over 22 km in one place and 25 km in another.23,66

When did the tourist train start?
Its revival began in 1994.

The operator dates the recovery of the route as a tourist ride to 1994.5

Can I visit the old prison?
Yes, it is now a museum.

It opens 10:00 to 20:00; tickets are sold only at the museum.47,63

Were the first trains pulled by animals?
Yes, by oxen.

The first wagons ran on wooden rails and were pulled by oxen.22

Sources

  1. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Nuestra historia ↩
  2. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Prisoners Train ↩
  3. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  4. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museo del Presidio de Ushuaia ↩
  5. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Nuestra historia ↩
  6. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Nuestra historia ↩
  7. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · City of Ushuaia ↩
  8. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Prisoners Train ↩
  9. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  10. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  11. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Nuestra historia ↩
  12. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museo del Presidio de Ushuaia ↩
  13. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museo del Presidio de Ushuaia ↩
  14. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  15. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  16. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  17. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  18. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  19. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  20. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  21. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  22. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  23. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  24. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Preguntas frecuentes ↩
  25. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Recorrido ↩
  26. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Nuestros talleres ↩
  27. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · Maritime Museum and Former Prison ↩
  28. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Preguntas frecuentes ↩
  29. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Tren del Fin del Mundo ↩
  30. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Opening hours and tickets ↩
  31. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  32. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museo del Presidio de Ushuaia ↩
  33. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  34. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  35. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Prisoners Train ↩
  36. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Preguntas frecuentes
  37. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Recorrido
  38. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Obras en Estación La Macarena
  39. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Preguntas frecuentes ↩
  40. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Recorrido
  41. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Preguntas frecuentes
  42. Administración de Parques Nacionales · Actividades, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego
  43. Administración de Parques Nacionales · Actividades, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego
  44. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · City of Ushuaia
  45. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · City of Ushuaia
  46. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · Maritime Museum and Former Prison ↩
  47. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Opening hours and tickets ↩
  48. Administración de Parques Nacionales · Actividades, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego
  49. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · Tierra del Fuego National Park
  50. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · Walking in the Park
  51. Administración de Parques Nacionales · Actividades, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego
  52. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · Tierra del Fuego National Park
  53. Administración de Parques Nacionales · Información para visitantes 2024 (PDF leaflet)
  54. Administración de Parques Nacionales · Actividades, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego
  55. Administración de Parques Nacionales · Actividades, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego
  56. Chile Travel (Servicio Nacional de Turismo) · Puerto Williams
  57. Chile Travel (Servicio Nacional de Turismo) · Puerto Williams
  58. Administración de Parques Nacionales · Horarios y cómo llegar, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego
  59. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · How to get here?
  60. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · How to get here?
  61. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · How to get here?
  62. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · How to get here?
  63. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Opening hours and tickets ↩
  64. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Opening hours and tickets ↩
  65. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Preguntas frecuentes ↩
  66. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  67. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Prisoners Train ↩
  68. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · Tren del Fin del Mundo ↩
  69. Administración de Parques Nacionales · Patrimonio cultural, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego ↩
  70. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Tren del Fin del Mundo ↩
  71. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Prisoners Train ↩
  72. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Prisoners Train ↩
  73. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Prisoners Train ↩
  74. Administración de Parques Nacionales · Patrimonio cultural, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego ↩
  75. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Nuestra historia ↩
  76. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museum of the Prison of Ushuaia ↩
  77. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Nuestra historia ↩
  78. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Nuestra historia ↩
  79. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Nuestra historia ↩
  80. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Museo del Presidio de Ushuaia ↩
  81. Secretaría de Turismo, Municipalidad de Ushuaia · Tren del Fin del Mundo ↩
  82. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Recorrido ↩
  83. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Recorrido ↩
  84. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Nuestra historia ↩
  85. Tren del Fin del Mundo (operator) · Obras en Estación La Macarena ↩
  86. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Opening hours and tickets ↩
  87. Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia · Opening hours and tickets ↩

Related guides

More for the train and the park

GuideEnd of the World Train ticket pricesGuideWhich train and national park tourGuideTrain tickets on your own or a guided tourGuideIs the End of the World Train worth it

Before you go

Hold your seat on the old line.

Reserve the train and park morning now and pay nearer the day; cancel free up to 24 hours before the start.

Look up availability