On the outskirts of Uyuni, a small trading region high in the Andean plain, “The Great Train Graveyard” attracts thousands of visitors every week. It’s a cemetery of trains, a massive ground filled with hollowed-out bodies of locomotives which were left to rust since the 20th century.
Uyuni is a jump-off point to the world’s largest salt flats, Salar De Uyuni. In the late 19th century, then-president Aniceto Arce determined to give Bolivia a state-of-the-art rail system, with Uyuni as its major hub. The Bolivian Railway Company invited engineers from England to construct rail lines between 1888 and 1892. Until the late 1940s, these trains carried minerals from the Andes mountains to the ports in the Pacific Ocean. But soon because of the mineral exhaustion, the mining industry collapsed. These mighty locomotives were abandoned and left to slowly succumb to the ever creeping hand of rust.
Most of the trains that can be found in the Graveyard date back to the early 20th century and were imported from Britain.
Visiting The Train Cemetery
The train cemetery is the first stop on the itinerary of every tour operator in Uyuni. The train cemetery usually gets flooded with people between 11 in the morning till late afternoon.
If you are visiting this place by yourself then it’s best to visit early in the morning or in the evening. It’s in walkable distance from the centre of Uyuni or you can take a taxi for around 15 Bolivianos.
If you are planning to go on a guided tour then Juakil De Los Andes offers daily tours at an affordable price.
Both, eery and beautiful this rail graveyard offers a glimpse into the past and conveys a sense of adventurous nostalgia.
Wow…that is a unique place and one that I have not heard of before. I like the spray art on all those locomotives. Makes the place a little vibrant. Good captures you have there.
such a unique place!! I loved the rustic look of all the locomotives and the fact that it has been preserved so well 🙂 Love the graffitis on them too. Very well captured!
This is a fascinating post for me. Trains and the railroads have always attracted me with their aura of romance. A train cemetery is something unique. So many iron machines lying around also has a sad tinge if one imagines their heyday when they would have rolled majestically in their full glory.
What a fascinating place to visit, both for the decaying trains and the colourful graffiti, there is so much to photograph here!
What an interesting place.
And the graffiti adds so much character to the cemetery.
It surely does. It was a great feeling being there.
Perfectly described eerie yet beautiful! Creative people can turn waste into works of art.
Thanks Neha.
Wow never knew there existed such a cemetery.
Ideal place a photo shoot.
It indeed is an ideal place specially when there aren’t many people around.
How wonderful to know about this. Amazing stuff is done by creative people around the world. Thanks for sharing this worthy info. Sreeram 🙂
Pleasure is all mine, Tara.
I love it when there are no people in your shots to crowd the frame. Nice photographs from a unique place.
Thanks Animesh.