Gavin,
Very timely post. My Wife and I were trying to plan a field trip to Huallanca, Peru the terminis of the FC Santa. It took some research to determine the possible route?.We had decided to drive to Huaraz and then over the Santa River to Huallanca (370 miles). In 1970 a massive earthquake brought down a mountain side burying the nearby village under 30 meters (90 feet) of mud and dirt. Soon after the railroad was abandoned.
We have not decided if we could go that route? I have a Subaru Forester and I was told that we needed a higher clearance 4x4. The old railbed is a one lane road with many of the tunnels in use. It usually states there are 41 tunnels on the route. My Wife has been in the area before. She states that she has not seen any railroad equipment or structures. From what I have seen in the vicinity of Chimbote, Peru, the line is completely scrapped out. Some equipment was sent to Cusco for use by the FCyS line.
I still don't have good information on the fate of the line and it's equipment. We still are checking into the road trip. It is not so easy to plan a trip here in Peru. It is a matter of safety and knowing if the route is open. The rainy season in the Andes has turned the dusty roads into mud trails. The old railbed is described as a dangerous route with high cliffside locations. There are dangerous curves and the risk of landslides.
I unfortunately do not believe that the SV locos could have survived. The location of a scrap metal steel mill in Chimbote may have sealed the fate of the locomotives. This also could affect the fate of the USA Mikes in Hacienda Casa Grande which is just north of Chimbote?
The book that you mentioned was the one we started doing research. On my first tour to Peru, Bob was with our tour to Peru in 1999. Unfortunately I had known about this line at the time of the trip and would have asked more questions of him.
Dale Brown
Lima, Peru
