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Published: October 21st 2007
A Most Fabulous Train Journey
The Devil's Npose is the best train ride I have experienced. Every thing to see was almost within hands reach. Felt truly part of the terrain and part of the effort it took to get from Riobamba to Asauli.Riobamba is the town where the train ride to the mountain called El Nariz Del Diablo begins.
The tickets cost $11 in October 2007. They should be bought the day before. The time of sale may vary from that stated in the book. Go early. I was second in line and the man before me was buying 30 tickets because he worked for a travel agent.
People who tried to buy tickets at 7:00 AM the next morning were turned away.
Arriving at 6:15 a barrage of people, selling coffee, buns, scarves, gloves, hats, bananas, water, cookies, chips and anything else that could be carried in a basket, met the approximatly 150 people who were about to begin the perilous ride to and down the mountain called Nariz del Diablo( Devil’s Nose).
Four old passenger cars, one freight car for backpacks and the modern looking engine made up the length of the train. All seats were occupied.
The ride began by rolling slowly thru the town of Riobamba past civic buildings, churches, garages, private homes, stores and finally small farms. The farms became bigger. The train rolled faster. The curves increased. The tracks ran thru cuts
Chimbarazo Volcano
The Volcano dominates Riobamba. in the sandy hills. And all around the green and black quilted mountains became higher and higher.
The train ran along the depressions between the fields. Tethered cows, sheep, pigs and goats grazed along the track, in front of brick houses, in the irrigation ditches between fields, and high on the steep edges of the mountain. During this ride I saw my first real live llamas, four to be exact. Each time it was too late to get a clear shot because invariably by the time I trained my camera lens on a pair the train would turn a curve or go past a rise in the cut of the track.
Sitting on the right side of the train was a good suggestion. I did find a small corner under the stairs to the roof of the train. I was able to watch the ‘caboose man’ as he moved from one side of the last car in the train to the other. He wore an official hat, sunglasses and a bandana across his nose and mouth. What he was watching for I know not. The train continued down the track lurching suddenly when the conductor changed gears, slowed
Coffee
At 6:00 coffee in a pliable plastic cup taste good. down or increased on the straightaways.
We only had three derailments!
One occurred almost the instant we started to leave the town where the train had made its first stop. Everyone had seated themselves for the continued excitement of startling scenery, varied greens and locals in traditional dress.
The train lurched, ground, swayed and came to sudden dramatic stop. All of the passengers piled out of the cars. Cameras snapped. Men crouched down. Towns people came to gawk. The train men surveyed the situation.
Rocks came from a big pile by the side of the rail. Seventy centimetres long, heavy metal shoulders were placed close beside the track just in front of the derailed wheels. Agave cactus leaves were placed on the stones that held the metal shoulders in place. Hand signals weaved thru the air. Train men scrambled out from under the train. Final signals sent the message to the engineer to start the train rolling.
Slowly, slowly, slowly the train moved forward. The two front wheels of the last car sprung back onto the rail. Sadly the back pair of wheels moved further away from the metal ribbon.
When looking down the track the
Selling Knitted Things
Bought gloves with a llamas design to go with my llama hat bought in the market the day before in Riomamba. reason for the derailment became evident. The right track was wrenched away from the ties and had moved at least 20 centimetres away from the parallel bed.
An hour later the train men had succeeded in getting all eight derailed wheels back on the track. The last car was the most derailed (my car). The six steel wheels had damaged 32 ties (sleepers as they are called by my English friends).
All along the track the ties were spaced irregularly and were different widths and lengths. Small rivulets ran under the steel bands. Bridges over bigger bodies of running water were made of cement, wood, or logs. There was an unspoken hope that no derailment would occur during a pass over a bridge or at a point where the rail was perilously close to the edge of the mountain.
The next time the wheels fell of the steel during a sharp curve. Luckily there was room on both sides of the track. Once again the men came out with the steel shoulders, small boulders and greenery to act as lubricant. No agave this time. Bunches of green leaves sufficed. One set of wheels was no sooner back
on track at the front of the train when two wheels in the back dropped off the rusty narrow strip.
All this excitement happened before we reached the truly precipitous section of the track. Up to now we had been passing thru pastoral sections of the country. Fields growing potatoes, flowers, cabbages, peas, pumpkins and watermelons flew by as the train progressed on its six hour journey.
At Asauli we had a stop long enough to drink soup and savour roast pig. We would return to this town and take the bus to Cuenca. But first onward to the Devil’s Nose.
El Nariz del Diablo is a mountain. For the train to get down this mountain it has to negotiate two switchbacks. This is accomplished by all of the cars of the train being absorbed into a length of track as it comes down the mountain and then proceeding backwards in the shape of an elongated Z. At one point the train is travelling backwards down the mountain.
After two switchbacks the train reaches the base of the mountain. All the passengers disembark, take lots of photos and admire the mountain on which the track can
clearly be seen coming down in the classic Z. It must be mentioned here that there were a number of men who took this opportunity to relieve themselves. Why they walked towards the mountain upon which all the cameras were trained remains a mystery. It was a challenge not to get these pissers into shots of the devil’s nose… almost had more than one nose in the composition.
The trip back to Asauli was uneventful and quite two hours late. Thoughts turned to the next leg of the journey. Crisps, chocolate, Doritos and water were consumed. It was decided that I would hurry and buy the tickets for Cuenca. Paul unlocked our laptops and came behind.
We settled into our seats thinking we would have a comfortable five hour ride. The ride took more than five hours. Many passengers boarded along the way. School children, women with shopping from weekend markets and men returning to jobs in the city after time at their finca. At most times more people were standing than sitting.
Many opportunities arose for dramatic pictures of deep gorges and drop away precipices. The sun set and the ride continued into the night towards Cuenca
and the Casa Naranja.
At nine o’clock a door under the number 1369 was reached. The street was deserted. The taxi sped away. The two Scots women, met the day before in Riobamba were close behind. They too had decided to come to Casa Naranja. The proprietress opened the door. Paul and I took the larger room.
At ten we were eating meatballs that could put a hole in the gyproc. The spaghetti and tomato sauce accompanying them was no better. Am looking forward to breakfast.
Cuenca will be a surprise in daylight.
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sylvian ung
non-member comment
response to your travelblog/ecuador
hi, i have been trying to figure out how to do the chiva express from quito to guay without a tour if possible. reading online and the latest lonely planet quide has not helped much. would you please tell me if independent travelers can do this and how. thank you. sylvian