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

In the middle of this street is a preserved, non-working, steam locomotive on a traffic island.

The Stranded Locomotive

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, 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