Gartcraig bricks found in Argentina
Many thanks to Jaya Pargade-Klitzke for sending the photograph and information.
Jaye states – I am a French master’s student, part of a European master’s degree on industrial heritage (Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, Universita degli studi di Padova, Universidade de Evora). I am currently working on a cableway in Chilecito, La Rioja, Argentina (Cablecarril de Chilecito – La Mejicana), finished in 1905 (35 kilometers, going up to 4,600 meters above sea level) and I found out that the bricks used on this site for the boilers of the steam engines are from Scotland. The company in charge of building the cableway was a German one (Bleichert and Co.), the boilers themselves were German too (A. Büttner and Co.) but the bricks used are marked “Gartcraig”. They were used for the flooring around the machines as well, and that’s where you can sometimes read the brand.
Below – Gartcraig bricks – Gartcraig Fire Clay Co, Millerston, Glasgow.
Below – Another photo of Gartcraig bricks, again taken by Jaya Pargade-Klitzke.
Jaya states – This picture was taken at the Station 6 “El Cielito”, 3,200 meters of altitude, but Gartcraig bricks can be found in the other stations too.