International Railroad Discussion > Only the Lonely (with apologies to Roy Orbison)

FCAB Chile NF210 1420 westbound near Los Morros siding.  4/16/16.  The train is hauling sulphuric acid and is less than twenty miles from the Pacific Ocean on its way to the port at Mejillones.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/21 10:06 by masterphots.

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Looks to be a pretty boring run!  What is the distance between origin and destination?  What speed are the trains allowed to run? 

This train originated in Calama so the run is about 150 rail miles.  It's pretty flat and straight until the line reaches the coastal mountains.  A westbound then climbs up to the summit,  and then down to the coast through many curves,  including a double horseshoe and then onto the flats where the photo is taken.   On heavier trains, helpers are used in both directions, but almost always on eastbound.   The three track yard at Cumbre, is a great place to shoot roster shots and trains as they all stop there.  One time I saw four trains up there,  with a third of FCAB's units in attendance.  Speeds range from a walk to 35 mph.  The 30-mile trip over the mountain can take up to two hours,  depending on the train.   btw,  if you're up for it,  the entire line is accessible by dirt road.  Can be rough in spots but  never wet,  no sand.   Ground clearance rules.  The number of good photo spots is infinite.

Here are a few photos of the mountain part of the line.  From August 2018 when the new EMD (Indiana) GT42ACs had recently been put in service.  They have 14 of these,  as well as 5 lightweight GE-Brazil C23-EMPs.  (thanks to pedrop for the correction) This has meant the end for most of the former CNR Newfoundland NF210s,  as well a few older GR12s.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/21 14:19 by masterphots.

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Not one sign of green anywhere!

Regards, Jim Evans

Yup,  never have to worry about a bush getting the way or anything else.  No wildlife either.  Plus the sun is out about 340 days a year.   And an hour's drive from the beachfront Holiday Inn.  What's not to like?

What's not to like indeed, lovely set Alan.

BTW have you seen these films on YouTube, Rails through the Long and Dry Chile?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUnEYyXvkPM&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop&persist_app=1



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/21 12:18 by 86235.

Fantastic photos, but I think the vorrect model of the GE's are C22MP or C23MP. They are more modern than the old U type.

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

pedrop Wrote:
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> Fantastic photos, but I think the vorrect model of
> the GE's are C22MP or C23MP. They are more modern
> than the old U type.

Correct,  I couldn't find my roster when I posted.  They're C23-EMP,  built at Contagem over by you.

Love your stuff Alan, keep it comming!

https://www.openrailwaymap.org/?style=standard&lat=-22.570902079599385&lon=-69.00581359863281&zoom=10

Link to openrailwaymap.org map of the line.

Lots of curves in that mountain section!

Ted in OR 

Great survey, Alan.  Lots of "fresh air" out there.

Greg Stadter
Phoenix, AZ

Wow. That line must be incredible around sunset. 

Congrats for the picture of the day!!!

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

And I thought Nevada looked desolate!

Interesting. The trains look a bit on the short side. 25-30 cars. How long do they get? Any other kind of freight run there? Thanks for sharing.

SantaFeRuss

SantaFeRuss Wrote:
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> Interesting. The trains look a bit on the short
> side. 25-30 cars. How long do they get? Any other
> kind of freight run there? Thanks for sharing.
>

Quite a few timber trains apparently...

Most trains don't exceed 40 cars, although I've seen the ore concentrate train from Bolivia with as many as 52.    The only traffic on FCAB is sulphuric acid,  copper anodes,  as well as copper and other metal concentrates.   Timber traffic is about 1,200 miles south on the wide-gauge network.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/21 09:27 by masterphots.

Great pics! I'm glad to see the new units are really working out well, but bummed I'll never see the NF210's in person. Always loved their unique designs :)

masterphots Wrote:
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> This train originated in Calama so the run is
> about 150 rail miles.  It's pretty flat and
> straight until the line reaches the coastal
> mountains.  A westbound then climbs up to the
> summit,  and then down to the coast through many
> curves,  including a double horseshoe and then
> onto the flats where the photo is taken.   On
> heavier trains, helpers are used in both
> directions, but almost always on eastbound.  
> The three track yard at Cumbre, is a great place
> to shoot roster shots and trains as they all stop
> there.  One time I saw four trains up there, 
> with a third of FCAB's units in attendance. 
> Speeds range from a walk to 35 mph.  The 30-mile
> trip over the mountain can take up to two hours, 
> depending on the train.   btw,  if you're up
> for it,  the entire line is accessible by dirt
> road.  Can be rough in spots but  never wet, 
> no sand.   Ground clearance rules.  The number
> of good photo spots is infinite.
>
> Here are a few photos of the mountain part of the
> line.  From August 2018 when the new EMD
> (Indiana) GT42ACs had recently been put in
> service.  They have 14 of these,  as well as 5
> lightweight GE-Brazil C23-EMPs.  (thanks to
> pedrop for the correction) This has meant the end
> for most of the former CNR Newfoundland NF210s, 
> as well a few older GR12s.

Really NICE series, congrats on the IOTD!

Larry

Great shots Alan. Looks like you are in the middle of nowhere.  I thought Nevada and Arizona had places in the middle of nowhere but I think you have that beat hands down.
Keep the great shots coming.  Keep safe out there.
Mike Reid



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/21 22:25 by lapklub.