Panama - not scrapped yet!

I stand corrected! I had been told by someone who was in Panama in September that everything but two 32 tonners were gone. Before anyone gets an idea about getting anything else out, it is not the scrap value but the transportation that will cost you. My guess - if you do not have and are not willing to spend $200,000, don't bother asking.

Dan




From the Yahoo World Diesel List message #7289 dated March 13. 2008!



Panama: Actual situation at Almirante (BFC)


Hello,

today a small party of railfans visited the BFC-railway at
Almirante.

The actual situation is following:

-The rails are being lifted between the bridge over the Rio
Changuinola and Almirante, while the lifting works actually reached
about Mile 9.
-The last passenger service from Almirante to Mile 7.5 was stopped
somewhen in February. The people of the village at Mile 7.5 can
still travel on the service-trains for track-lifting, as long as
they run...
-It was possible for us to run with an engine (817) and three flat
cars from Almirante to the end of the line (about 9 miles) and back.
-The track is still more or less complete at Changuinola, but
unused. No rail-vehicles were seen at the shed at Changuinola.

Following locomotives were seen at Almirante (no remark = stored,
more or less complete / no builder plate).

GE 50 tons:

56 (GE 31146 / 1952)
803

GE 32 tons:

816 (GE 36466 / 1968)
817 (working)
818 (dismantled)
819
820
821
822
823

There is one very last passenger coach around (no 21993).

According to the staff at Almirante, a new road will be built
between Almirante and Changuinola on the actual location of the
railway. The works for a new bridge over the Rio Changuinola are
already in progress, while it`s pretty breathtaking to see how the
heavy lorries cross the old combined rail/road bridge...

As soon as the lifting works will have reached Almirante, the whole
NG-system of Bocas del Toro will very probably be part of the past...

Greetings from Puerto Limon (Costa Rica)

Patrick