The "Ribeirão Vermelho” roundabout: emblematic example of Brazilian Railway Heritage

Abstract

The importance of railway complexes for Brazilian history is built on the economic-industrial development of the mid-19th century. It is also a relationship between the historical-social reality of Brazilian cities and the railway complexes through the development of social systems or infrastructure of cities and regions. Among the railway structures, the railway roundabouts stand out, not only because of their importance to railroad complexes and maintenance of the machines, but also because of the architectural grandeur and identity. They have commonly constituted one of the main buildings and have always aroused interest, from their centrality in the railway offices to the admiration of people for their size, structure and complexity, which would characterize them as emblematic objects. Based on these ideas, the paper seeks to present the reality of one of these examples, the Ribeirão Vermelho railway roundhouse, located in the namesake city in Minas Gerais (Brazil). It is proposed a reflection based on the example and reality of this railway structure that largely reflects the complex set of railway elements in Brazil. There are those who maintain their functions, have been restored or reused, but also others that have been transformed into social equipment, and, negatively, abandoned ones. At the end, we evaluate the various examples of railway roundhouses, from reuse and reconversion to abandonment and ruin. Finally, the reflection on the railway architecture, its unique and emblematic aspect and its importance for memory and history must be understood according to the multiple and interdisciplinary interpretations about cultural and industrial heritage and historical and social memory.