Sunday 14 October 2007

7:01 Train Derails (3 times!)















On Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays a tourist train departs Riobamba to head down the Devils Nose, a series of switchbacks allowing the train to rapidly drop down the side of a steep valley. On some days the train is a converted bus that runs on the rails, but I was lucky I had a real engine and old old train carriages. This poses some problems though, as the engine is very heavy, it can crush the rotting sleepers and derail. On my journey it did this three times within a one mile stretch. Each time we would all get off the train to see what had happenned and watch the train staff replace the sleeper the quickly get the train back on its tracks.

Going down the Devils Nose was supberb. I sat on the steps of my carriage and peered over the edge into oblivion.