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International Railroad Discussion > Mantiqueira hill - from Rocha Dias to João Aires (Brazil)

Since some fellows enjoyed the pics in the thread of Rocha Dias loop, I decided to open this new thread to show the tracks from Rocha Dias siding to the summit at João Aires siding. 

On October 11, 2015 I joined a group of railfans in a trip to walk along the MRS tracks at Mantiqueira hill. We walked from Km 345.383 to Km 351.654, a distance of 6,191 meters of tracks, plus one km from the parking lot to the tracks near Tunnel 26. So, we walked about 14 km in a round trip.

Our start point was at Cabangu, a small stop in a beautiful horse shoe curve right below tunnel 26. Cabangu is an old farm that belonged to Henrique Dumont, a civil engineer that built that tracks to former Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II (EFDPII) -  later Central do Brazil (EFCB)  - in the 1870´s. Henrique son Alberto Santos Dumont is the inventor of the airplane. In Brazil and in many countries, "Santos Dumont" is considered the inventor of first airplane to take off by its own.  More on him here https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santos_Dumont   In Cabangu there is a nice museum dedicated to Santos Dumont. Nowadays Cabangu is a property of federal government due to Santos Dumont importance to Brazil history.

We started our trip walking about one km in the forest inside the property of Cabangu farm to reach the tracks near tunnel 26. Then we decided to walk up the hill to visit the summit at João Aires siding before to go down in the direction of tunnel 26 and  Rocha Dias siding.

1  and 2 - Old views of Cabangu curve before the big trees block the view of the line from the tracks after tunnel 26. The second pics shows a train going down hill. In the past, before the construiction of Ferrovia do Aço in 1984, the Centro lines had traffic in the both direction, up and down Mantiqueira hill.

3 -  C44i  3951 leading an empty ore train at Cabangu curve;

 

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/16 14:17 by pedrop.

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1 and 2 - Walking through the forest to reach the tracks near tunnel 26;

3 - the first railfans to reach the tracks posing at Km 345, about 500 meter ahead tunnel 26. Later, other railfans joined us. 

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/16 05:26 by pedrop.

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1 - The stone cut at Km 345. View down to up hill

2 - The same cut seen from up to down here;

3 - Km 346.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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1 - A greese machine at Km 346. Note the big grade ahead (4,3%);

2 and 3 - Friends posing on the old EFCB culverts at Km 346. The date showns the time the tracks were remodelated with better curves.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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1 - Approaching tunnel 27 at Km 347.061, with 164.5 meter long. At right we see the old bore of the tunnel built in 1876;
2 - Our group posing in front of the south portal of tunnel 27;
3 - A detail of the inscriptions on the south portal of tunnel 27.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/16 05:27 by pedrop.

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The old tunnel 27 is at right of the new one (up the hill direction). 

1- The groups exploring the south face,

2- The datailf of the date written on top;

3 - Inside the bore senn from the north face (from up to down hill)

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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1 - The north face (from up to down the hill),

2 - Uncovering the plate with the inscriptions of the length of the tunnel;

3 - The old place shows that the old tunnel had 139.40 meters long. it was abandonned due to the new aligment of the tracks done in the late 1940´s. The new tunnel was opened in 1948.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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A view of the tracks at Mantiqueira hill from Google 
 

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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1 - The old and new tunnels can see in this pics taken at the north face.

2 - After a rest at the north face of tunnel 27, the group started the walk along the former siding of Km 347. This siding was removed after the opening of Ferrovia do Aço in 1984 due to the traffic direction change in Centro line to up the hill only. The siding had 2 km long and a grade of 2%.
One can ask why there is signals in bolth direction on Mantiqueira hill since the traffic is in one direction only. The answer is that the traffic can change to bolth direction when Ferrovia do Aço is closed by an accident or MoW equipments need to work in the hill. It is rare, but special trains can go down the hill too.



 

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/16 19:24 by pedrop.

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1 - A friend explains the use of modern plastic plates and steel ties in this section of the hill. He worked for GE of Brazil for 30 years, and then work to MRS. 

2 - Elastic clamps on steeel ties are been applied at the hill;

3 - The plastic plate used with the new steel ties at  Mantiqueira hill.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/16 05:27 by pedrop.

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The MoW gang left many steel ties along the tracks, some of them damaged.

1 - A new steel tie seen from its underside;

2 - A sttel tie damaged during istallation;

3 - Another view of the plastic plate installed on the steel tie.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/16 19:26 by pedrop.

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1 - The dirty road at left is the old roadbed of Km 347 siding. Nowadays it is used by MoW gangs.

2 - More steel ties abandoned along the tracks. Note the grade of the tracks;

3 - Some ties had this inscription showing they were produced to Rumo / ALL railroad in the south. Interesting how they were sent to MRS.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/16 19:26 by pedrop.

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1 - Walking along the Km 346. Note the huge termite nest at left.

 2 - The old steel plates removed with the wooden ties;

3 - Wooden ties replaced by the steel ones.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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1 and 2 - Very old steel plates and other steel pieces are stacked at Km 347. I imagine they were from the 1970´s or older. 
 

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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As we approached tunnel 28 at Km 349, the had a green light. Time to chose a place to get pics and video of the train coming up the hill.

 

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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We had our first train at Km 349, near tunnel 28. It was a common empty ore leaded by GE AC44i´s 7337 and 3469.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

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After passage of the first train, our group explored tunnel 28 and 29, that are separated by a small space of 104 meters. These tunnels are, actually, false tunnels that works like a shed to protect the track from rock and mud slides. 

1 -  The souh portal of tunnel 28. It has 74 meter long;

2 - Tunnel 28 seen from tunnel 29;

3 -  Tunnel 28.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/16 05:45 by pedrop.

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