Rails, rails
In the world there are several examples of outstanding achievements in the field of engineering, inserted work and boldness in the development of human nature. Beijing-Lhasa, Peru, Bolivia - these mountain railways are dazzling.
Beijing-Lhasa or Shanghai-Lhasa. China
Latest Railway, built through the picturesque province of China. The highest railway in the world. Engineering building, which ranked with the Great Wall of China. Undoubtedly, the most interesting part of the journey begins on the Tibetan Plateau, where the train overcomes the pass at an altitude of attention ... ... 5072 meters! Prior to that, the railways have not climbed so high. While passing through the mountainous areas supplied oxygen in cars. If you for freedom of Tibet - better give up the journey through this amazing creation of the Chinese masters. Tibetans have always been against the railroad.
Marias Pass. United States
One of the most popular routes in the game Microsoft Train Simulator. Real railroad in Montana. The pass was opened in 1889, engineer John Frank Stevens for a couple with Indian Koons their Blackfoot tribe. The road is difficult, especially for long freight trains. Marias Pass is the path of a passenger train with an impressive name of "empire-builders", which should be from Chicago to Portland.
Spiral Raurimu. New Zealand
New Zealand Railway miracle of engineering. During the construction of the main road of the North Island from Wellington to Auckland in the late 18 th century there was one problem: how to overcome the steep slopes separating the volcanic plateau and the valley of the Wanganui. Then the engineer Robert Holmes invented to twist in the national park Raurimu crazy rail spiral with two tunnels, three turns of 180 º and one full circle. And all this is only 7 kilometers of the road!
Uyuni, Oruro, Potosi. Bolivia
Railway, which formerly belonged to a record high - 4787 meters at the pass Condor. Starts this journey in the vast Salar de Uyuni, which is popular among tourists cemetery entire compositions with these locomotives on abandoned tracks. The road on which the walk does not even train, and some cars, rising to the very altitude city in the world - Potosi, which is located at an altitude of 4200 (!) Meters. Along the way, you can see the rare South American phenomenon - a railroad that runs right in the middle of busy streets in cities and towns.
Nose of the Devil. Ecuador
Nariz del Diablo - the main attraction of Ecuadorian railways. 100-kilometer one-track-road, starting at the Highlands in Riobamba and descend to the real jungle in Sibambe. Travel the train, which meanders along the slope of the famous South American 6 000 metres height volcano Chimborazo, tourists prefer to the roofs of cars - from there the best kind, despite the obvious climatic inconveniences. Part of the road in 1997-1998. was destroyed by El Niño, but it quickly recovered. Enjoy a ride on a rickety train from the hill is only $ 15.
Lyantas-Porterilos. Chile
One of the most clinical cases of railway construction, and general planning of industrial production. Extracted near Lyantasa iron ore cargo is sent to a branch high in the mountains to the processing plant in Porterilos to a height of 3300 meters. The road goes on completely dried mountains, where almost never rainfall. Normal rainfall, if it happens here, can suddenly washed away to lands locate right on the steep mountainside.
Lima-Huancayo-Huancavelica. Peru
It so happened that the most extraordinary railroads concentrated in South America. Another wonderful way with streamers and recurrent deadlocks, that kind of a zigzag-shaped Z, when the train rests on a dead end, going backwards down the slope next to a dead end, and then forward again. That such artful engineering tricks distinguished builders, when their path stood the steep slopes of the Andes.
Of course, besides these, there are many other interesting railway routes: Banana Express in South Africa, and Patagonian Express "train at the edge of the world" in the very south of Argentina, the great Trans-Siberian, BAM, and the Circum-Baikal railway construction 501 in Russia, the tunnels under the Channel Tunnel and under the Alps, the train to Darjeeling, Canadian, Australian, Japanese and Nigerian Railways, but this is how some other time ...