Engineering’s Controversial deal with the Devil
Ecuador’s zigzag railway track around the Devils Nose is seen as one of the world’s most notorious and dangerous railways. It is also seen as one fine piece of railway engineering. Anyone that had the guts to take the trip will testify of the brilliance of it. By Marinda Sauerman
American Engineers were brought in to solve the puzzle around the devil’s nose. 3,000 Jamaicans and 1,000 Puerto Ricans were brought in to build this segment. Only 300 of these men stayed after completion of the railway. The railway was inspired by ancient zigzag walking trails that made the incline over the Andes Mountain much easier and safer.
The locals tell stories of travellers writing wills before taking the long trip between Quito and Guayaquil. The dangers travellers encountered when taking on the pilgrimage was extensive, and many travellers never came back.
The railway track however is quite remarkable and made the passage between Quito and Guayaquil possible. Engineers made use of a series of switchbacks that takes a great technical skill. The 12km stretch around Devils Nose boasts with sceneries that can simultaneously take your breath away and scare the living daylight out of you. It runs on a steep incline next to winding cliffs that drops 500 meters below.
The Flipside
If you are a sensitive soul by any means, you might feel that the price paid to build this extraordinary railroad was just too much. Although the entire railway made a trip between Quito and Guayaquil easier, it does not take away from pure horror that surrounded the construction of it.
To top it all off the poor local population do not benefit from this railway at all. The train travels twice a day only and can accommodate a maximum of 54 passengers at a time, each paying approximately 40 USD per person (roughly R645). The railroad attraction of Devils Nose increases tourists through Alausi and Sibambe, but tourists spend their money mostly in the larger city of Ecuador at internationally owned businesses and hotels.
The track was one of the most difficult tracks to build in the history of railway travel. Locals believe that the former president, Moreno, had to make a deal with the devil to complete the railway. The project started in 1861 and an estimate of 2,000 people had to die for it. The toll included forced labourers from the English colonies in the Caribbean. Some were prisoners that were promised their freedom on completion of the project. The chief engineer Major John Harman also passed away before completion.
Heavy rainfall, malaria, poisonous snakes, jaguars, and yellow fever plagued and delayed the project for many years until it was completed in 1905.
The Devils Nose Train Today
Although the railway is still in operation as a tourist attraction, it closed several times because of avalanches and degradation. Although parts of it was modernize, it stays on the most dangerous railway list.
The Devils Nose Train uses a segment of the Trans-Adean railroad from Alausi to Sibambe. The Trans-Andean railroad runs from Quito to Guayaquil (refurbished in 2007) but the entire trip is still extremely expensive and that makes it impossible for the locals to enjoy. One cannot help to wonder if the construction around the Devils Nose was worth the sacrifices made for beautiful views that only a selected few can enjoy.