Gamboa maritime station: between railway expansion and port improvements in Imperial Rio de Janeiro (1876-1883)

Abstract

At a time when railroads were expanding, widespread steam navigation and the functioning of ports were questioned throughout the country, providing Rio de Janeiro with an infrastructure capable of integrating these modes became an aspiration of the ruling classes. Only in this specific context could the idea of a Maritime Station in the Court of the Empire come to fruition. There was no precedent for the efforts and resources committed, both by the imperial government and by the largest Brazilian company – the Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II. Objective, in this paper, to demonstrate the creation of the Maritime Station of Gamboa as a unified solution to contemplate complex changes and resolve problems of different origins, raising overwhelming action for the preparation and execution of its construction (1876-1883). The investigation was carried out in government and company sources and in publications not related to the promoters of the work.