Colin Churcher 2020

  Santiago station serves the south of the country. It was designed by Gustav Eiffel. The railway system around Santiago is a little confusing. Track gauge is 5' 6". Although it serves mainly the south of the country the rails do go to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso although by a very circular route because of the mountains.  It is much shorter to take the bus. Before going south we will take a look at the line to Llaillay with the branch to Los Andes and originally Argentina. No. 4-8-2 at Tiltil Tiltil with 851 alongside electric No. 2903  Electric locomotive No. 2903, a 2+C+C+2 was built by General Electric in 1949. In the cab of No. 851 At San Felipe Picking up a token Electric locomotive at Los Andes Diesel locomotive at Los Andes Los Andes roundhouse

  Our private railcar seen at its final terminus - Antofagasta. When Mary and I made this trip we had started in Paraguay, quickly through Brazil and then through Bolivia. This is the meter gauge Antofagasta and Bolivia Railway, There was a brief stop at Sierra Gorda Antofagasta Everybody seemed relieved and amazed that we had completed such a mammoth trip In the shop was a former Canadian National narrow gauge diesel from Newfoundland that was being re-gauged for operation in Chile. The yard at Antofagasta The station was a mini-museum. No. 34 is a 2-8-4 tank engine. A display of track torpedoes/detonators.  Might be fun to be let loose with a hammer! Block bells A token instrument This concludes what I have seen in northern Chile. Guess I will have to work my way further south.

  On our journey towards to Pacific coast at Antofagasta we stopped off at Baquedano for a run behind steam locomotive No. 3511 into the Atacama desert.  No. 3511 is a 2-8-2 running on meter gauge track. The railway had assembled a short train with a passenger car on the back Departing Baquedano. Atacama is one of the driest parts of the world. Almost nothing can live here - except a species of small wasps which manage to survive. This is a favorite shot of mine An amazing experience.  Next we will continue on to the coast at Antofagasts

  FC del Norte de Chile at Baquedano Those of you who have followed me from Bolivia will remember that we finished in Bolivia at the border with Chile.  Our special train continued through Chile to the coast at Antofagasta.  This line was built by one company and extended from Antofagasta to La Paz, Bolivia  We will make a short stop at Baquedano where the Antofagasta line crossed the Chilean Northern line Baquedano is an outpost in the desert Baquedano A number of locomotives and exhibits were stored at Baquedano supposedly as a museum However, it doesn't look as if much work has been done as this picture from Alfredo Navarro Recabal illustrates. However, there was one steam locomotive in operating condition 3511 and a short train which will take us into the Atacama desert Next we will take a steam locomotive into the Atacama desert, one of the driest places on earth.

  Tocopilla is not very prepossessing. I'll start in the north of Chile with this nitrate railway. It was 3' 6" gauge and ran on 1500V DC. It was closed  in August 2015 after severe rainfall damaged the tracks to the extent that the owner decided it was beyond economic repair. The area is generally very dry desert so heavy rainfall was likely not anticipated. The line was known as the Tocopilla - Maria Elena line Tocopilla yard Tocopilla yard. The locomotive could be a GE 70 ton in which case it may originally have been meter gauge, Tocopilla The trip was worthwhile for the scenery alone, one of the driest places on earth. Our private cars were attached t the rear of service trains The train crew were openly drinking beer - a rule G violation in Canada I had to wait until we had returned to Tocopilla for a large beer,