Trasandino de Los saldes

Foundation and years as Trasandino and Cobreandino

The club was founded on 1 April 1906 by workers of the Ferrocarril Trasandino Los Andes–Mendoza. It competed in the Los Andes Association, where it won league titles in 1912 and 1926, followed by eight consecutive championships between 1928 and 1935, as well as titles in 1938 and 1950. In 1943, it also secured the Los Andes Regional Championship. Between 1949 and 1951, the club participated in the División de Honor Amateur (DIVHA). In 1952, it became one of the founding members of Chile’s professional Segunda División. In 1961, the team finished third in the promotion tournament and would have been promoted on sporting merit; however, the Asociación Central de Fútbol instead granted promotion to Magallanes, despite the latter having finished sixth. Two years later, Trasandino finished as runners-up in the 1963 Segunda División, but promotion was awarded solely to the tournament champions, Green Cross. Following a poor campaign in 1969, the club finished bottom of the table and returned to its original regional association. In 1972 and 1973, it competed as a guest team in the Regional Central tournament, before rejoining the Segunda División in 1974. Promotion to the Primera División was finally achieved in the 1982 season, after defeating Malleco Unido at the Estadio Ferroviario, in front of 7,530 spectators. In its first season in the top flight, Trasandino finished 14th out of 22 teams. The most notable results…