Virtual Railfan Tour of Peru - Peru Central Railway 1997 - part 1

 

This is the main station in Lima in 1984.  Didn't look too promising but in 1997 I joined a railfan tour of this line out of Lima
I found this map of the system in the station. The main line (standard gauge) actually starts at Calleo on the coast west of Lima. We will then climb up into the Andes, over the highest railway in the world at that time, and finally reach the mining town of La Oroya. From there we will continue to Huancayo and look at the narrow gauge line to Huancavalica.  Before returning to Lima we will go over the Cerro de Pasco Railway

A Canadian built diesel at Callao

No. 206 is a 2-8-0 now at San Bartolome - shown here at Callao in 1997

Callao

No. 20 in the bushes at Callao. No details.

For our trip in 1997 we had our own train. I think regular passenger service was still suspended because of guerilla activity. Our train came equipped with a nurse and oxygen to assist travelers with altitude sickness.

At San Bartolome our locomotive had to be turned

Puente Carion

Puente Carion

One of the many zig zags as we climbed into the Andes

Visio

At Visio we met a down bound freight

I was invited ito the cab

In the train the nurse was busy with a patient

We were allowed to ride, anywhere on the locomotive

This is a BBC video made in 1980

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