Month: October 2021

Scrap metal

Probably the world’s most famous railway scrapyard is outside the town of Uyuni in Bolivia. End of the nineteenth century Uyuni became a rail hub for the mining industry. From here trains brought the ore to the port of Antofagasta in Chile. The line is still operating, but in the middle of the previous century the mining industry collapsed. About 60 years ago, many of the engines not needed any more were dumped outside Uyuni at the border of what is the world’s biggest salt flat, the Salar de Uyuni. And there they still are, partly scrapped for some of the more precious metal like the copper of the fire boxes, covered in a thin layer of rust but otherwise well preserved in the dry desert climate

The abandoned engines now are a tourist attraction.

There are plans of turning the site in a museum. However, in my view, any development would destroy the atmosphere of the site

Roundhouse

The building where maintenance and repairs were done on trains used to be called a roundhouse. Some of them had a turntable inside so they could maneuver the locomotives and cars into position for easy parking for storage or work in one of the open bays. I also think it might have kept the tools and large equipment more centrally available for mechanics. This roundhouse is located in Jamestown Ca at the Railtown Historic Museum. It is still in active operation and maintains and restores their antique train equipment. It remains open through private funding and a wonderful group of volunteer’s after the state closed it down a few years ago. The park offers train rides during the summer, and a Polar Express ride in December. Enjoy your day and stay healthy.

Ornate

Next week is a ‘themed’ week for the blog dealing with Railroads. I thought I’d jump the gun a little with a blast from the past. Railtown 1897 is a state park near Jamestown CA. It is a working museum and has numerous projects, rolling stock and steam engines. It’s just a great place to photograph. This vestibule on a coach in storage caught my eye, you won’t see intricate work like the railing or the light fixture on modern coaches.

Nächste Woche ist eine “Themenwoche” für den Blog, der sich mit Railroads beschäftigt. Ich dachte, ich würde ein bisschen mit der Waffe aus der Vergangenheit springen. Railtown 1897 ist ein State Park in der Nähe von Jamestown CA. Es ist ein funktionierendes Museum und verfügt über zahlreiche Projekte, Fahrzeuge und Dampfmaschinen. Es ist einfach ein großartiger Ort zum Fotografieren. Dieser Vorraum an einem eingelagerten Reisebus ist mir aufgefallen, komplizierte Arbeiten wie das Geländer oder die Beleuchtung an modernen Reisebussen werden Sie nicht sehen.