Daniel Osborne photo
At the moment Peru still has lots of active ALCos. Recent news is always welcome. The DL500s seem to be gone.
Andrew Jones' report (Nov 24, 2000):
3 Foot gauge:
Active locos seen were 352, 353, 356, 482, 484. There are 4 passenger
diagrams a day and one freight.
07:00 Cuz - MP, 15:55 MP - Cuz. Inka service.
07:30 Cuz - MP, 14:30 MP - Ollanta ,
16:18 Ollanta - MP , 17:?? MP - Ollanta.
07:45 Cuz - MP, 17:?? MP - Cuz. Local train, Peruvians only!
10:45 Ollanta - MP, 1640 MP - Cuz.
The 07:30 Cuz - MP and 16:40 MP - Cuz are the backpacker trains, the
Ollanta trains are shown as Economic. The local train is shown in the
Thomas Cook as going to Hidroelectrica, but I don't think it does. The
freight loco acts as station pilot at Cuzco San Pedro in the morning then
works a freight to MP around dinnertime, it probablt returns very late at
night. They are in the process of building a new station 18 km's from
Cuzco to avoid the switchbacks this should be completed very soon.
The photo, video and audio potential of these switchbacks are fantastic,
one morning we climbed up to photograph the three departures, a very
breathless climb, but well worth seeing the little ALCo's on full power at
10 KPH throwing out thick black smoke and flames, an amazing
experience!!!! Loco's seen in the new Perurail blue were 653,482 and 353,
the rest are still in ENAFER orange, usually with the ENAFER S.A. painted
out.
Standard gauge:
Locos seen active, 653,654,659,660,555 and all 7 GM's. No DL535's seen at
all. We didn't visit any sheds and you don't see locos stabled anywhere,
they must lock all spare engines up.
As for the passenger services, it seems that when both the Cuzco and
Arequipa to Puno trains run they are combined at Juliaca, this happened to
us twice, the first time the Arequipa loco went forward, the second time
555, the station pilot, went forward.
| DL500 #503 enters the wye on the Cuzco-Puno line, left is low-nose
DL560 #654, a high-nose DL560 moves in the background. January 16th,
1988. Daniel Osborne photo |
|
ENAFER Tacna - Arica/Chile line
 |
DL535B #352 shunts a tourist coach ("Turismo Inka") at
Puno, L. Titicaca Docks, September 1998. Ben Gannett photo |
| DL535B #352 at Puno, L. Titicaca Docks, September 1998. Ben Gannett photo |
 |
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Last update: 24.11.00