TARGET 150318
A SCENIC TRAIN RIDE
(That you probably wouldn't want to take)
Beautiful scenery in both directions (up and down)
The Chanaral Llanta Potrerillos railroad line in Chile is one of the most stunning railways in the world. It connects Potrerillos, a now abandoned town and mine in the remote Andes located 2850 meters (1.8 miles) above sea level, with the filtration plant and workshops in the towns of Llanta and Diego de Almagro, far below. There, the line connects to the Longitudinal Norte, and continues to Chaņaral and the sea level harbor at Barquito, Chile.
No plants can grow a this altitude, so you might think that the vista would
get a little boring after a while.....
...but somehow, it seems to hold your attention.
While the forward angle of travel (3.9% grade) is manageable...
...side to side, it is definately not.
Even when it reaches the top, it will still be on a slope.
TIMELINE:
1916: The line was built starting 1916 by the Andes Copper Mining Company to connect the Potrerillos copper mine and smelter with Pueblo Hundido (now called Diego de Almagro), where it connected to the state railway network, which continued to Chaņaral. It was built because there was no other way to get copper from the newly descovered mine to civilization, below.
1927: The Potrerillos mine started production a decade later in 1927. The railway was subsequently used to transport supplies up to the mine and refined copper down to the harbor at Barquito.
1954: The quality of copper ore was diminishing as the richest ore had already been minded. But another copper deposit that was still rich in quality was discovered at newrby Indio Muerto.
1959: The diminished quality at Potrerillos finally lead to the closure of Potrerillos mines in 1959. However, the refining plant there was still useful, so liquified ore from El Salvador began to be transported by pipeline from El Salvador to a filtration plant near Llanta, from where the dried ore concentrate is transported up the mountain by railway to the Potrerillos plant. Potrerillos now supplies other plants with sulfuric acid, required for purification of copper, both by truck and railway.
2000: The company town that had been established around the Potrerillo plant was abandoned by the end of the 20th century, but the copper smelter and refinery continued to operate there.
MEASUREMENTS:
The line between Potrerillos to the filtration plant in Llanta is 90 km (55 miles) long, and to Barquito is 155 km (96 miles) long. The most spectacular section (that part shown here) is the ascent between the station Montandon at 2350 m (1.5 miles) in altitude and Potrerillos at 2850 m (2.8 miles) in altitude. On that part of the trip, the train passes through sharp curves and tunnels, all just barely cut into the slope. On the last 66 km (41 miles) between Llanta and Potrerillos, the railroad first passes a rugged, lonesome valley and finally winds up to the end of the line, passing mountain scenery that is truely breathtaking (especially in the rarified atmosphere of 1-2 miles up). It is a fantastically beautiful trip (but not one for the faint-hearted to take.)
FEEDBACK MAP
Sources: Wikipedia, Myetymology, Britannica, Markus' Classic Trains, Encarta maps
If you got impressions for which this feedback is insufficient, more information,
pictures and videos can be found at the following web sites:
Amusing Planet website