Campo Quijano

Town in Northern Argentina


November 2022

 

by Ravi Chandra Gundakaram


Campo Quijano is a town about 35 km southwest of Salta. It is famous for its railway station, which is one of the stops of the tourist ‘Tren a las Nubes’ (Train to the clouds). One reads that one can take the train for the 450 km of so of its journey, and can return to Salta the same night by the return train. But at this point, it seemed that the train was running only for a shorter distance. I saw the tracks undergoing repairs in many places and a tour guide said that the train should be ready this year (2023).


The beautiful surroundings of the station in Campo Quijano.


A view of the station, with a heritage steam engine on display.


Another view, showing the railway line.


Inside the steam engine seen above.


Schoolchildren on a visit, seen from inside the engine!


A painting on the wall, showing a lady in traditional attire carrying a baby, and a man buying tickets for him and his kid at the window. To the left of the photograph is a plaque, giving a description (in Spanish of course!) of the construction of the line.


Zoom of the plaque referred to in the earlier image. Here is an approximate translation: “In 1920, from the beginning of the railway laying and the settlement of the first camps, which would carry out this fabulous engineering work, the first railway station of our town was built in this place, a place where its firm foundations are still preserved. This is how from then on Campo Quijano began to create with its main street, today called Avenida 9 de Julio and its first houses; starting point for the expansion and growth of a town made up of hardworking people who came from different points and united by the same goal, as it was: the worker for a visionary work to unite two nations: Argentina and Chile.”


To the left of this image is a board that starts with ‘Referencia Historica’. That is the place in the railway station where the remains of Richard Maury (spelt Ricardo on the board) are buried. Maury was a railway engineer and worked, among other projects, on the Tren a las Nubes.



That's all from Campo Quijano! See you in el Alfarcito!
Location: Campo Quijano, Salta Province, Argentina

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  From winter to Spring and back in a few days My trip to Peninsular Antarctica   November 2022     by Ravi Chandra Gundakaram I hope you have read the ‘Introduction’ before coming to this post! The ship ‘Ocean Endeavour’ that took us to Antarctica and back. It is seen here docked at the pier in Ushuaia. This photograph was clicked while waiting to board the ship. Zodiacs (more about them in a while) in black are to the right (and slightly below) the funnel, whereas the lifeboats (with orange tops) can be seen on the left. The cabin on the ship 'Ocean Endeavour' that was home to me for the duration of the trip. This is an 'inside' cabin, meaning there is no porthole or window. Inside cabins are less expensive than other cabin types. Moving away from the pier, at the start of the voyage! The city of Ushuaia can be seen touching the water, and the Martial glacier is at the back. On the first evening of the voyage, the ship sails through the calm waters of the Beagle Ch...
Read more
Image
  Tierra del Fuego National Park   November 2022   by Ravi Chandra Gundakaram The Tierra del Fuego (literally, the Land of Fire), National Park, ‘ Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego’ is the southernmost national park in Argentina. It is a short distance from Ushuaia and can be easily reached by private vehicle or bus. Pretty much every travel agency and hotel in town will be able to arrange half day and full day trips to the park. The park is very beautiful, and is rich in flora and fauna. There are also several hiking trails, but if you go as part of a tour group, you most probably will not be able to go hiking. Lago Roca (lake Roca) is partly in Chile and Argentina, and a part of this lake is in the park and is known as lake Acigami, which means ‘ basket or elongated bag’ in the now-extinct Yámana (Yagán) language that was spoken by the indigenous people of the region. Inside the park is also the end point of Ruta no. 3 (Argentinian Route no. 3) that starts in Bue...
Read more
Image
  From winter to Spring and back in a few days My trip to Peninsular Antarctica - Introduction   November 2022     by Ravi Chandra Gundakaram   “You went to Antarctica?” “Yes!” “Was it part of some research project?” “No.” “You are not kidding?” “Yes!” A few years ago, I too thought that you could go to Antarctica only for research. Or else, you were a porter or a cook or something like that, supporting serious-looking Scientists. But there is tourist access to Antarctica – to the peninsular part at least. Now, if you were to stand high in the sky right over the South Pole and look downwards, Antarctica would look like a circle – well, kind of. However, there is a peninsular portion sticking out, and the closest landmass to this is the southernmost part of Argentina, and of Chile. It is to this ‘Peninsular Antarctica’ that many if not most tourists go to. Most expedition ships start from Ushuaia in Argentina, or Punta Arenas in Chile and fli...
Read more