Over the decades, railroads in Bolivia evolved to form two separate meter-gauge networks - the Ferrocarril Andino (FCA) in the high plains of the Andes in the country's west, and the Ferrocarril Oriental (FO) in the eastern lowlands.

The FCA is operated by Empresa Ferroviaria Andina, S.A. and operates largely with a fleet of Japanese-built Hitachi-Mitsubishi locomotives. Here, #1015, model BFA-32M of about 2100HP, departs from the hub of Uyuni in the country's southwest with a train of boxcars - mostly loaded with mineral products for export - to be handed over to the Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia (FCAB) at the Chilean border for furtherance to Pacific ports.

Note the unit's B-B-B truck configuration - the center truck is mounted on a frame that allows it to slide from side to side, reducing wear on the curves.

February 22, 2014

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