Tren de las Nubes

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The Train to the Clouds (or Tren de las nubes) is an Argentine tourist rail service on the C-14 branch of General Railroad Manuel Belgrano in the section linking the Salta station with the viaduct La Polvorilla on the Andes, more than 4220 meters (13,845 feet). The train leaves from Salta, crosses the Lerma Valley to enter the Quebrada del Toro and reach the Puna de Atacama.
The name "Train to the Clouds" is born from a film made by two students from the National University of Tucuman during the early years of the 60s, which made the stretch Salta-Socompa aboard the passenger train, which I ran back then pulled by steam engines.
The train has a capacity for 468 passengers and has a top speed of 35 km / h at a distance of 434 km (round trip) .3 Richard Maury took over the project taking into account the principle of adhesion of train wheels on the tracks, discarding the rack system commonly used for railway formations can climb the heights. No cogwheels, not even for the steepest parts of the climb because the tracks are arranged in a special way running through a system of zigzags and espirales.3 For emergency situations the train takes in each trip, besides the locomotive that pulls the training, yet another.
The train station of the city of Salta to the viaduct La Polvorilla every day of the year except 90 days of the austral summer; during this rainy season are common desmoramientos that often hinder railways. The height of the tracks reach the 4220 meters (13,845 feet), making it one of the highest trains world.4 The journey takes about 16 hours. Crosses 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, 2 "rollers" and 2 "zigzags" .4 One in San Antonio de los Cobres station, and the other on the viaduct Polvorilla: Throughout the tour just two stops are made. The train services include dining car, medical practice, audio, video and bilingual guides as well as private security and ambulance accompanying the train.