International Railroad Discussion > Fepasa Chile on the former Transandine

FCP GE #1810 with a loaded copper concentrate train from the Codelco Saladillo mine ready to depart Rio Blanco, Chile 12/29/14. This is a 20-mile long remnant of the meter gauge Transandine line between Los Andes, Chile and Mendoza, Argentina and is used solely to transport product from the mine to the transloading facility at Los Andes. There, the tubs will be lifted onto wide gauge (5'6") flatcars for transport to a smelter on the Pacific coast at Ventanas.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/14 13:39 by masterphots.

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Beautiful shot, Alan!

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

Very nice Alan - do FEPASA still use the narrow gauge Alcos too?

This is railroading!

--jim Baker

86235 Wrote:
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> Very nice Alan - do FEPASA still use the narrow
> gauge Alcos too?

Both are in service at the transfer yard in Los Andes, but get out on the line when one of the two GEs need work. Alco No. 1213 was in road service for a few weeks recently when GE 1820 was being worked on/repainted. mukinduri posted a picture of the Alco on a train on this board on Dec 11.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/14 18:13 by masterphots.

masterphots Wrote:
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> mukinduri posted a picture
> of the Alco on a train on this board on Dec 11.

Thanks, so I see now, I had missed his post.

Alan, next time in Chile we have to do this together.

Christoph from Berlin

Alan very wisely left the nomenclature of 1820 open

Until around 6 years ago Chilean foamers referred to 1820/1821 as U9C. However there is strong evidence that one of the pair was U12C Dt-12004. Both of these types are dimensionally identical. It is probably safe to conclude that 1820 was rebuilt from a U9C, either Dt-9004/9006/9009/9011, and that 1821 was rebuilt out of Dt-12004

There was an excellent photo illustrating the difference between the low profile Alco's and broad gauge US profile unit from Argentinean Jorge Nicolo, posted on RailPictures.net http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=371290&nseq=313

If anyone wants to go into the history of Chilean meter gauge diesel disposal/withdrawal/re-numbering, there was extensive discussion on this topic on the site TrenChile, back in 2009, I have a number of these posts archived, please PM

If anyone was fortunate enough to tour Casagrande's establishment at Cheana prior to the late '90's, or the loco dump at Maria Elena (the old black powder magazine area to the SE of the overburden/spoil dump), and has photos or notes, can they please PM

jmt Wrote:
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> Alan very wisely left the nomenclature of 1820
> open
>
> Until around 6 years ago Chilean foamers referred
> to 1820/1821 as U9C. However there is strong
> evidence that one of the pair was U12C Dt-12004.
> Both of these types are dimensionally identical.
> It is probably safe to conclude that 1820 was
> rebuilt from a U9C, either Dt-9004/9006/9009/9011,
> and that 1821 was rebuilt out of Dt-12004


At least they didn't rebuild it into an overheating EMD-powered unit like our friends up north. LOL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/15 08:48 by masterphots.

This photo from Jean-Marc Frybourg illustrates the size difference between broad and narrow gauge locos, taken at the Los Andes transfer yard

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=513369&nseq=0

Nice information and photo, thanks for sharing,
Alan