Train of the clouds

The Train of the clouds or Tren has tired Nubes in Argentine is the old section C-14 of old the Railroad General Manual Belgrano, become tourist railway managed by a privately held company, after privatization and dismemberment of the Argentinian rail network beginning of the year 1990.

Between the station of Salta and the collar Paso Socompa, at the border with the Chile through the Andes cordillera, the branch C-14 of the railroad Belgrano, popularly known like Tren of mow Nubes or Tren has tired Nubes traverses very high mountains, with sections located at the top of 4.000 meters, and proposes to the travellers a spectacle of any beauty.

History

Its origins go up with 1899, when preliminary studies were carried out on the feasibility of the layout of a line shoed to reach the Puna. In 1905 the national law 4.813 authorized the president of Argentina to build the first section of the railroad, between Cerrillos and Rosario de Lerma. In 1906, new studies indicated like possibilities to reach Puna, either the Quebrada de Humahuaca, or the Quebrada del Toro. New studies followed in order to determine the best alternative.

The project awoke with the election as president, in 1916, of Hipólito Yrigoyen, which affirmed that work should break " the primitive shape of the colonial grounds " (" formed it primitiva LED solar colonial ). Around the construction of the railroad was held consequently a clash of interests within National congress, between the partisans of a concession to a British foreign company and those which defended the completion of the work by the Argentinian State. In 1920 the technicians of the company Ferrocarriles del Estado (State railways) ensured viability of the project, with however a terminus projected with the collar paso of Huaytiquina , and advised its immediate execution. Because of its layout projected initially by this collar, the C-14 branch was also called wrongly Ferrocarril Huaytiquina (or railroad of Huaytiquina ). Construction started in 1921 under the direction of engineer Ricardo Maury. In 1924 one inaugurated the section active until Puerta Tastil.

At that time worked on the building site, as a foreman ( capataz ) a Yugoslav immigrant unknown, some Josip Broz, future Tito, president de Yougoslavie.

In 1930 a coup d'etat against the president Yrigoyen paralisa work during six long years. A few additional kilometers had been however carried out of which the viaduct most important Polvorilla , of all the line, with its 224 meters length, 70 top and its weight of 1.600 tons. Maury was congédié by the military intervention. Work started again in 1936, reaching Olacapato in 1941, Unquillal in 1944 and Tolar Large in 1945. In 1946, the new elected official Juan Domingo Perón gave fresh impulse to the project. At the same time, for technical reasons, one replaced the collar of Huaytiquina by that of Socompa, like terminus of the line.

The January 17th 1948 the rails arrived at destination, being linked in Socompa with the Chilean rails. The line was officially inaugurated the February 20th of this year, 49 years after the first studies.

Works of art

On its way, the railway crosses a total of 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, 2 corkscrews and 2 zigzags .

The tourist train

Towards 1971 germinated the idea, on behalf of the authorities of the railroad Belgrano, to make circulate on the line a tourist Train. The same year one made traverse the line by an experimental train, and as of the July 16th 1972, took place the inaugural voyage of what was going to be called the Tren has tired Nubes . In technical jargon of the railroad Belgrano, the course of the tourist service received the name of Salta - Kilómetro 1350 , and one calls convoy 809 , the convoy which goes up and convoy 810 that which goes down.

Privatization

This service continued in an uninterrupted way until 1990, where very stopped with the beginning of the privatization process and concessions of Ferrocarriles Argentinos, under the impulse of Carlos Menem.

In 1991 one started again the service, this time in private hands. But in 2005 the Government of the province of Salta cancelled the concession to seek a new operator. In 2006, one calculated that some 30.000 tourists make the excursion each year, the line remaining in more the single connection of several localities on its passage.

Schedules

The Train of the clouds functions from April at November.

It leaves to 7:00 hours Salta, going back the evening there towards 22:40. In summer (from December to March), there exists the Tren del Sol , which goes from Salta to the station Diego de Almagro, with 3.500 meters of altitude.

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