Ecuador Train: Ride to Devil’s Nose, mostly foreign tourists

100 Points to Consider Before Moving or Retiring in Ecuador
gulf-times.com reported….Two long pips of the whistle are followed by a series of jerks and the steam engine slowly pulls away. The grey seats in the two wooden-panelled carriages are all occupied.
The train has hardly set off and already passengers are brandishing cameras and camcorders. Before them lies a short journey through the Ecuadorian Andes — one of the steepest rail-trips in the world and also one of the most dramatic. In the space of 30 minutes passengers travel from Alausi to Sibambe, down the face of the infamous “Nariz del Diablo” or Devil’s Nose.
There are precipitous switchbacks where the train goes into reverse three or four times, zigzagging down the mountainside. It works its way heroically down into a cleft in the rock, descending from 2,300m to 1,800m above sea level. The trip begins in the nondescript little town of Alausi where the train rolls out past pastel-coloured houses and restaurants.
Alausi is dominated by an oversized statue of San Pedro and most tourists only come here in order to leave as quickly as possible on the famous train. The big rock known as the Devil’s Nose is just a few hundred metres away as the crow flies and exerts an almost irresistible attraction on those who come here. Read Article