Ecuador Steam 2003 Part 1 Duran to Yaguachi

A RTC charter on the Guayaquil & Quito Railway to travel all operable parts of the line in September 2003
After many decades of service the railway was severely damaged by heavy rainfall during the El Niño in 1997 and 1998 but in 2008 the president Rafael Correa named the railroad a "national cultural patrimony" and indicated that it would be restored. The government of Ecuador started to rehabilitate the railway and service was restored between Guayaquil and Quito by 2013. However in 2020, after a change of president, all railway services ceased and by presidential decree the liquidation of the railway company commenced.
Part 1 shot on 06-09-2003 goes from Duran to Yaguachi (21.2 km 13 miles), not the most spectacular part of the line but interesting nevertheless. As there were so few trains motorists did expect to stop at any of the ungated crossings!
Featured are
Onboard, pacing and runpast footage of the trip.
Locos seen are
G&Q Baldwin 2-6-0 11 (1900)
G&Q Baldwin 2-8-0 55 (1953) Remains of
Autoferro 03