Ferrocarril Central Andino

[Benny]

The holes seem weapon shots, but there can be various reasons for them, starting with training for territory patrols.
You are correct, the complete phrase means "nothing, always available (for you)"

Ciao

[Benny]

Oookayyyy, finally also wives serve to something good!!! (Yes, I know, I'm politically incorrect, misogynist, male chauvinist, phallocratic etc.).
My gentle Lady sometimes is subject to bad mood attacks during which I learned, to avoid an uxoricide accusation, to take the exit and go turning around to digest the rage.
Yesterday in the morning I started to feel hot ears already when we were drinking the first coffee (Italians live for coffee) so I've taken my van key and "I've to do, see you for lunch". Logically I passed by the tankers terminal and, with the corner of the eye, I saw a loco ready to go out. Taking advantage that av. Atalaya, the road between the two terminals, was miraculously not blocked by trailers waiting to enter the port area I parked in an absolutely no parking place to wait the train transit. After more than 40 minutes I was starting to have a little of busting at middle height that worsened very much when I saw, in the distance, a freight train coming and entering in the patio central. After a further wait, passed making spicy comments about the "nice" evolution of the day, I watched the van mirror and saw something strange. Quickly down of the vehicle, I understood that my day changed from black to white: loco 415, an ALCO DL532B built in 1974 by MLW, a machine that I never imagined was still in service, quietly came towing SD40-2 1024. The two locos arrived to the patio central entrance, switched and recovered themselves inside. And I abandoned my van in the middle of the road to take the last shots.

D82r 415+1024 in corsa in av Atalaya (Callao).jpg (91.51 KiB) Viewed 3226 times

D83r 1024 trainata dalla 415 in av.jpg (73.1 KiB) Viewed 3226 times

D88r 415+1024 in manovra all'ingresso del patio central.jpg (115.76 KiB) Viewed 3226 times

It's incredible the profile difference between the two locos!
Finally I had been successful in killing three birds with one shot: 1) I've taken photos on the track between the two terminals, that normally is impossible, 2) I've taken photos to (and seen) an ALCO loco still in service on FCCA, a type I thought was extinct like dinosaurs and 3) I've taken photos to 1024, a loco that I ever seen when I was without the camera.
And the anger left me!!!
Sometimes wives serve to take good train images....

Ciao

[Benny]

And this is my personal gift to NorthWest: the truck of 1024.
Hope this will be useful.

D87r Carrello 1024.jpg (115.96 KiB) Viewed 3224 times

Ciao

[NorthWest]

Thanks, Benny! The truck looks like a standard HTC truck.

The SD40-2 is actually an SD40T-2, a special model with modified radiator for better performance in tunnels (T is for tunnel, nicknamed Tunnel Motors). They were purchased by SP and D&RGW, but the hole for the light in the short hood shows it to have originally been an SP unit. It wears KCS colors, though, as you said earlier.

Good to see the old Alcos running, and hope they continue for a while. Certainly shows off the clearance differences between American export and domestic locomotive production.

Hope things have calmed down!

[Benny]

The SD40-2 is actually an SD40T-2, a special model with modified radiator for better performance in tunnels (T is for tunnel, nicknamed Tunnel Motors).
Hope things have calmed down!

Well, let's the lion sleeping...
It's something ironical that locos modified for tunnel running are instead banned from tunnels because of fault of clearance!!

Ciao

[philipmartin]

Yes, the shunter in the 539 photo wanted to buy a loco, and after kicking wheels he examined the mileage meter and the wear of the brake handle.


Ciao

It sounds like David Benton's style of humor. Va bene!

[philipmartin]

Tren Huancayo a Huancavelica: Tren Macho - Perú. Huancavelica (1/3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkidQU3ST9Y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Out of this world railroading. They roll along at about 20mph, which is OK; you want to stay on the rails that high up.
Tren Lima a Huancayo: Ferrocarril Central Andino del Perú (Segundo tren más alto del mundo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSopsfkQGg8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Documental El Legendario Tren Macho Locomotora a vapor Huancayo a Huancavelica
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RthDt_KFnQ0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Benny]

Very interesting, thank you. The Huancayo-Huancavelica railroad was born with 3 ft gauge but has recently rebuilt to standard. The line was known as "Tren Macho" - Male Train, because it starts when it wants and arrives if it can!

Ciao

[philipmartin]

The line was known as "Tren Macho" - Male Train, because it starts when it wants and arrives if it can!

It sounds like the railway I work for in New Jersey, (a state owned railroad and bus commuter operation.) Not all our trains always make it to their destination. We have breakdowns, system wide, every day.
Two of the people I have shown that photo of the trains high up in the Andes to have been on it. One of them is a Peruvian supervisor of mine and the other a Latina customer.
I have an enlarged portion of that photo as a screen saver on my office computer, and it gives me the feeling that I am there.

[Benny]

It sounds like the railway I work for in New Jersey, (a state owned railroad and bus commuter operation.) Not all our trains always make it to their destination. We have breakdowns, system wide, every day.

In the last times I was in in Italy I was collaborating with Trenord, the joint venture between Trenitalia (ex FS) and LeNord (ex FNM) for regional traffic in Lombardy region.
As that famous movie: I saw things that you, humans, cannot imagine.

Ciao

[philipmartin]

As that famous movie: I saw things that you, humans, cannot imagine.

Ciao

It sounds scary. They can't have been good things, I guess.
"Man that escapes from the enemy is a coward!" or doesn't taste very good, as David's Maori friend said.

[Benny]

Just a sample, to avoid going too much OT.
A conductor resident in Brescia (50 miles from Milan) was called DURING HIS VACATIONS because there was need of a conductor and no other was available. It was sent a taxi to take him from home to Milano Greco station (approx. 300 Euros). At Greco station the train was there but there was not the engineer, so after a time the run was cancelled. The conductor was redirected (by taxi) to Milano Centrale station but this time there was not the train (no one knew where it can be) so the run was another time cancelled and the conductor, with smoke going out of his ears because of the rage, was for the third time redirected to Milano Fiorenza depot to take another train. Arriving in Fiorenza (a place in the middle of nowhere) the conductor, who became crafty, told to the taxi driver to wait a moment, realized that another conductor was in charge of the train and was making the pre-run checks and returned to taxi telling to the driver: "take me home, I've been mad to want to help this gang of idiots!!!!"
Result? 2 trains (and probably much more) cancelled, USERS LEFT ON THE GROUND, approx. 800 Euros of taxi gone on WC, the cost of a turn of a first class guard vacation overtime gone in the same place and, more important, a worker that wanted to help his company finally was disgusted for the bad management and surely next time he will be called for an emergency the answer will be "sorry, I'm busy."

Ciao

[David Benton]

I am currently visiting my parents, and have blown the dust off my travel memories. Didn't find any tickets for this train, but i did find a newspaper clipping of the Lima train timetables. Going by that , I think I actually went to Huancayo.
I will scan and post it once I get back to the office.

[philipmartin]

Just a sample,

Ciao

It's too bad they can't be more professional. I thought you were going to say that they stiffed the conductor with the taxi bill. It sounds like a comedy to us who aren't directly affected.
Slightly off topic, but many years ago, when I first started working toweers for the PRR, one day when they didn't have another operator available, they sent a railroad police car around to pick me up and bring me into work. But no, it wasn't a commedy of errors.

[philipmartin]

I think I actually went to Huancayo.

If you did, itt must have been a memorable experience.