Campo Quijano

The Tren a las Nubes or Tren de las Nubes (English: Train to/of the Clouds) is a tourist train service in Salta Province, Argentina. The service runs along the eastern part of the C-14 line of the Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano, that connects the Argentine Northwest with the Chilean border in the Andes mountain range, over 4,220 metres (13,850 ft) above mean sea level, the fifth highest railway in the world. Originally built for economic and social reasons, it is now primarily of interest to tourists as a heritage railway.

The railway line has 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, 2 spirals and 2 zigzags. Because of the design decision not to use a rack-and-pinion for traction, the route had to be designed to avoid steep grades. The zigzags allow the train to climb up driving back and forth parallel to the slope of the mountain.

The construction of the railway started in 1921, to connect the North of Argentina with Chile across the Andes, and to serve the borax mines of the area. The viaduct La Polvorilla, the highest of the line, was finished on 7 November 1932. The complete railway was inaugurated on 20 February 1948, but it was not until the late 1970s that it started being visited by tourists. The route was designed by American engineer Richard Fontaine Maury, after whom one of the stations has been named.

The Tren a las Nubes today
After several years of refurbishing, the train was again open to the public on 6 August 2008, it is operated by a private company named Ecotren.

Currently, the train leaves Salta station for the 15-hour, 434-kilometre (270 mi) round trip to the viaduct La Polvorilla, located 4,220 m (13,850 ft) above sea level. The curved viaduct is 224 m (735 ft) long and 70 m (230 ft) high. Once the train has left Salta, it firstly enters the Valle de Lerma, and then the Quebrada del Toro, before reaching the puna. It is known as the Train of the Clouds because clouds can often be seen around and under the bridges and slopes of the landscape through which the railway passes.

Vlasroute