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Friday 25 May 2012

The Stranded Locomotive, Uyuni


 
The Stranded Locomotive, Uyuni, Bolivia

by
Gyan C. A. Fernando


Whilst it looks an odd sight, if you understand the Bolivian mentality well enough it is not a strange sight at all!
On the bleak Bolivian Altiplano, at an elevation of  3700 m (12,139 ft), is the town of Uyuni. As far as Railway enthusiasts go, Uyuni is famous for the “Train Cemetery”.

There are a lot of other railway artifacts placed haphazardly in and outside Uyuni railway station but the funniest is “The Stranded Locomotive” on Avenida Ferroviaria very close to the station. 
The Stranded Locomotive, Uyuni, Bolivia
The Stranded Locomotive, Uyuni, Bolivia
In the middle of this street is a preserved, non-working, steam locomotive on a traffic island.
The Stranded Locomotive, Uyuni, Bolivia
The Stranded Locomotive
The Stranded Locomotive, Uyuni, Bolivia
Hunslet plate on the Stranded loco
Very little is known about how it came to be here but by judging from the events behind the Train Cemetery, this seems to be another abandoned locomotive.

It is a Hunslet (from Leeds) and is a tank engine.


The Author with the lovely Jill H at Uyuni, Bolivia 22nd Nov 2003
The Author with the lovely Jill H at Uyuni, 22nd Nov 2003


Copyright: Gyan C. A. Fernando, 2012
All photographs are by the author. Photographed on the ‎23 ‎November ‎2003
  
Further reading: 
  1. The Hunslet Company: http://www.hunsletengine.com/ 
  2. The Original Hunslet Company: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunslet_Engine_Company

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