One of my earliest memories as a kid was riding in the cab of a steam
switch engine with my grandfather who was an engineer with the Illinois
Central. I got to blow the whistle!
I've done many train trips around Latin America including quite a few
pulled by steam locomotives. Not tourist trains but on normal scheduled
routes. A memorable one was south along the eastern foothills of the
Andes to San Juan, Argentina. Also in Chile and Peru. The longest trip
we did when my daughter was young was all the way across Mexico from
Mexicali to Merida. All diesel.
In the 1980's my wife and I visited the round house in Zacapa. I also
have some slides of the Hotel Ferrocarril which I should scan. Zacapa
featured in Paul Theroux's book "Patagonia Express". I have learned that
what remained of the hotel recently burned. At the time of our visit the
train was still running ... just barely. I have never seen such a
decrepit specimen calling itself a train.
OM content: old crappy scan previously posted. I really must redo some
of my old slides.
<http://www.interisland.net/watershed/mike/LatinAmerica/MexCentralAm/train1.JPG>
In the 90's the line was purchased by a US company who began a tourist
train route. I talked to a Guatemalan a few months ago who said the
remaining engines have been put in a museum in Guatemala City. The round
house in Zacapa is still there and nominally a museum .
Photos from 2001:
<http://www.le-rail.ch/text/projekt32.htm>
As of 2007:
> The old roundhouse at Zacapa (itself now almost derelict) houses 183,
> 153, 189 (all US built) plus 165 and 168 (Krupp) in near derelict
> condition.
Mike
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