Ferrocarril Central Andino

[philipmartin]

It's another attempt at humor, David. If I really needed a translation, I go to the Google translator, where I got the spelling for "s'il vous plaît." Thanks, though.
"i have a hard time translating American." I'm offended. I have a hard time translating American too. But to be serious, many of us here speak English the way the upper classes in England do, but naturally, without the inflection. For me, Spanish is the same situation. I heard it at home when growing up, and speak enough to sell tickets, and can pronounce it properly, but don't have the inflection that natives sometimes have.
I suppose I just started WWIII. Sorry, mates.

[Benny]

Read on a newspaper.

Sunday a freight train coming down from Matucana and driven by the bi-fuel 1012 loco derailed near Tornamesa with wagons and loco turned on the side. Train crew has been injured jumping out.
Until now there are not explanations of it.

Ciao

[philipmartin]

The April 2017 Trains Magazine has an eight page, well illustrated article on the Ferrocarril Central Andino. Here's a link to a different article on the subject. http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/mrperu.Html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Below is an illustration of Lima where my mom was born in 1907. It's from the Catskill Archive article.
A friend and supervisor of mine at work is a native of Peru and has ridden the Central Andino. He told me that at the higher altitudes you need oxygen.

[David Benton]

Things have certainly changed since my 90's experience. A lot more expensive , and a lot more tourists at Macchu PIccu.
If you Google earth Macchu PIccu, you can street view the railway line to Aqua Calenties. Pretty cool.

[philipmartin]

So you included South America in your tours, David. Wow!

[philipmartin]

News wire. https://www.ferrolatino.ch/en/news/peru/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Benny]

In this time FCCA is working yes and no because of heavy landslips due to bad wheather.
Three days ago I encountered this team at work at Atarjea, between Santa Anita and Agustino districts.
Please note the classic italian style of workers: the first is doing, the second is watching and the third one is chatting by phone on the draisine.

D127 draisina 311 a Atarjea.jpg (526.97 KiB) Viewed 5063 times

Ciao

[philipmartin]

Benny - in the US it takes three men to change a light bulb: one man holding the bulb, and the other two turning him around.

[Benny]

I imagined that class 700 was extinct because I saw one unit being dismantled and another one plinthed and, more important, I never saw one of these locomotives in service though I cross the railroad various times a day.
But some days ago I was cueuing on a bridge just outside of Monserrate station and heared a strange horn. Watching through other cars I saw 701 doing a shunting movement with a freight train. I could not photograph it because there was a traffic jam "leaving after the Superbowl"-style but hope to meet this "ghost" in a better situation.
Class 700 were six EMD JT26 CW 2B (how means 2B?) built under license by Villares in Brazil in 1986-88 and were, I think, the only double cab locos on the FCCA. Probably they were not very successful because lasted lower than thirty years when there are still in service some dinosaurs. The surviving loco, that I think is very little used, is really 706, renumbered after disposal of the other units and someone told me that it has only one cab on use (I don't understand what is the sense of it) so it can't go down to Callao because there is no more the turntable.
An image of 705 being dismantled can be seen at page 1 of this thread.

Ciao

[NorthWest]

I've seen pics of a charter train using one in the last few years (not sure what number) so at least one is available, if not used. Only having one cab in use probably means that the control equipment or something else necessary for operation has been removed from one of the cabs.

Not sure what the "B" means as it doesn't match any other locomotives or EMD's standard convention, however the 2 is for EMD's -2 electronics package. I'm interested to know in why they didn't last particularly long as the JT26/GT26 family has been very successful elsewhere.

[Benny]

I'm interested to know in why they didn't last particularly long as the JT26/GT26 family has been very successful elsewhere.

Good question, I'm interested too. In Europe it's plenty of "class 66" and are well appreciated.
Another question is: why take a cab out of use loosing flexibility when a double cab loco can be useful in the Monserrate-Callao stretch where there is no more the turntable?

Ciao

[Benny]

Sometimes I'm lucky... Yesterday I was cueuing on Avenida Faucett and, crossing the track, I saw the lights. As usual car badly parked and a quick slalom between the other vehicles, in perfect south american style. The result is this image of 1024 at the head of the sulphuric acid train from Cajamarquilla refinery.
Not perfect (it has been taken with the phone) but not so bad, I think.

D128 1024 con treno acido av. Faucett.jpg (313.5 KiB) Viewed 4347 times

Ciao

[NorthWest]

Nice!
Who are the worse drivers, the Italians or the South Americans?

[Benny]

In my experience, the worst drivers are the Rome ones, but also the the three-wheels taxi drivers in Lima are well reckless. Come here to try!

Ciao

[David Benton]

Trains magazine editor Jim Wrinn is currently on a organised rail tour of Peru . Hopefully non subscribers can access these blogs.
http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/staff/archiv ... day-1.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I am afraid I am going to have to put my vote for the Italians as the worlds worst drivers. But only because the roads are good, so there's no excuses.
In South America, You got an idea of how bad the road ahead was , by the number of prayers the bus driver said at the roadside shrines. Despite the steep ravines they traveled through, and the condition of the roads , I never felt overly in danger. Nowdays , I suspect the speeds and traffic have gone up more than the roads have improved over the last 30 years.
The demise of most Rail passenger services would not have helped the situation.