Virtual Railfan Tour of Bolivia - Cochabamba branch

 

When I first visited Bolivia the staff system was still in operation on the Cochabamba branch from Oruro.  It had been discarded when I made my inspection and now the line is not used. I was presented with one of the staffs from this line - it is a treasured possession. I showed a photo of it in an earlier blog.

It looks as if this machine has been cleaned and painted specially for the visit of the Latin American Railway Congress

The line to Cochabamba runs through difficult terrain keeping to a river valley.  It is subject to frequent land slides

The ground is very unstable. 

We stopped at a village close to Cochabamba for a quick break.  These track cars are larger than the zorras but cannot be turned as easily.  Because this is narrow gauge hy-rail trucks cannot be used.

It is lunch time in the main street and there is absolutely nothing happening in this village.

Going on a little further we came across this illegal track car that had been left on the main line. We put it carefully on a siding so that we could pass.

Cochabamba is a bustling place

I had a good meal before we headed to the airport to catch a plane out