Connection between North and South America
FRLISS
a question
came up that nobody could answer.
Is there rail service, passenger or freight, between North America and South
America?
Our consensus was that there isn’t any. Does anybody out there have a
definitive
answer?
Fred
Remove SD80MAC to reply.
James Robinson
> Is there rail service, passenger or freight, between North America and South
> America?
No. The farthest south you can get is San Salvador, if the lines are
still in operation. (Questionable) The farthest north you can get in
South America is Medellin in Colombia. While there are short sections
of railroad in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, they do not
interconnect. The gap between San Salvador and Colombia is therefore
about 1,000 miles.
Nergd
<< Subject: Re: Connection between North and South America
From: James Robinson <NOS...@ERIE.NET>
Date: Sun, Feb 21, 1999 7:10 AM
Message-id: <36D021...@ERIE.NET>
A long time ago, I read somewhere that plans to construct the Pan-American
Highway (no railroad) between the two continents were abandoned due to the
inability to pernetrate the Panamanian jungle ("rainforest" if you prefer) and
the threat of cattle migrating north with hoof-and-mouth disease.
Remove "NOSPAM" from address to reply.
Wes Leatherock
> FRLISS wrote:
>> Is there rail service, passenger or freight, between North America and
>> South America?
> No. The farthest south you can get is San Salvador, if the lines are
> still in operation. (Questionable) The farthest north you can get in
> South America is Medellin in Colombia. While there are short sections
> of railroad in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, they do not
> interconnect. The gap between San Salvador and Colombia is therefore
> about 1,000 miles.
Mexico-Guatemala is not functional at this time so the through
route breaks even further north.
I'm forwarding this to the MexList to see if more information,
or more current information, about the Mexico-Guatemala border
situation is available.
Wes Leatherock
wle...@sandbox.dynip.com
James Robinson
> Some time ago it was reported that the connection at the
> Mexico-Guatemala is not functional at this time so the through
> route breaks even further north.
The rail connection between Mexico and Guatemala is not in service, but
the track is more or less still in place.
The railroad in Guatemala itself was badly damaged last year by
hurricane Mitch. The railroad is essentially out of action, other than
a few short sections that operate tourist trains. Rail Development
Corporation of Pittsburgh (Iowa Interstate) has taken over the operation
of the railroad on behalf of the government, and is attempting to
restore service.
The rail lines in El Salvador and Honduras were also put out of service
by the hurricane, but it is debatable if these railroads were even in
service prior to the arrival of Mitch. My understanding is that it is
unlikely that either railroad will ever operate again.
Donald J. Hanson
>A long time ago, I read somewhere that plans to construct the Pan-American
>Highway (no railroad) between the two continents were abandoned due to the
>inability to pernetrate the Panamanian jungle ("rainforest" if you prefer)
and
>the threat of cattle migrating north with hoof-and-mouth disease.
The Killer Bee's made the trip OK.
Chuck Gibson
James Robinson wrote:
>
> The rail lines in El Salvador and Honduras were also put out of service
> by the hurricane, but it is debatable if these railroads were even in
> service prior to the arrival of Mitch. My understanding is that it is
> unlikely that either railroad will ever operate again.
Sigh...In early 1981 I twice rode the Tela Railroad from from San Pedro Sula
to Choloma, Honduras.
Even at that point in time, with the development of a paved highway network
in the country,
the railroad was clearly not what it once was and passenger serivice had
lost ground
to busses and the automobile.
The route was narrow guage, in the 3' to 3'6" vicinity. Does anyone know
just what it was?
We bumped along at about 30 mph in a one-car Japanese built rail bus. The
ballast
looked like material dug from a river bed, rounded rock ranging in size from
pea gravel
to 6" in diameter.
Chuck Gibson
Phil...@m2.sprynet.com
Darien Gap where there is not even a road! I spoek with a guy named
Garry Sowers(?) who had driven from the furthest point north to the
furthest point south (in the Americas) and this was the one spot non
traversable via wheeled vehicle. I believ it is even difficult to
traverse on four or two legs.
Phil
On Sun, 21 Feb 1999 10:10:02 -0500, James Robinson <NOS...@ERIE.NET>
Donald J. Hanson
traverse from the North America to South America and vice versa.
Phil...@M2.sprynet.com wrote in message
<36d196cf....@news.sprynet.com>...
Wes Leatherock
> I thought that the Pan American Highway made it possible for vehicles
> to traverse from the North America to South America and vice versa.
Phil...@M2.sprynet.com describes quite well the
impracticality of traversing this jungle by land.
There have been a number of books written by people
who tried to drive, to bicycle, or otherwise to travel
entirely by land from North America to South America, and
all of them failed in this stretch.
Wes Leatherock
wle...@sandbox.dynip.com
Eben Corbiere
that the terain is indeed forbodeing. There are sheer rock cliffs that
spring up and the vegetation is extremely dense.
Doug Smith
>
> There are sheer rock cliffs that
> spring up
And Smitty replies:
Must be quite noisy.
patr...@outbackofbeyond.com
<Pine.LNX.4.02.99022...@mail.sandbox.telepath.com>, Wes
Leatherock <wle...@sandbox.dynip.com> wrote:
> "Donald J. Hanson" <hanso...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> > I thought that the Pan American Highway made it possible for vehicles
> > to traverse from the North America to South America and vice versa.
>
> The dream foundered when it came to the Darien Gap.
> Phil...@M2.sprynet.com describes quite well the
> impracticality of traversing this jungle by land.
>
> There have been a number of books written by people
> who tried to drive, to bicycle, or otherwise to travel
> entirely by land from North America to South America, and
> all of them failed in this stretch.
>
> Wes Leatherock
> wle...@sandbox.dynip.com
I would like to respond to above post "all of them failed in this
stretch"...not quite. There have been several vehicle, motorcycle, and at
least one bicycle expedition to cross the Darien Gap of Panama and Colombia.
My husband, Loren, and I, are entered in the 1992 Guinness Book of Records for
the first ALL LAND crossing of the Darien Gap by vehicle, a 1966 Jeep (1985-
1987). Since then we have all been the first to cross the Darien Gap ALL on
LAND via a two wheel drive Rokon motorcycle (1995). All other vehicle
expedtions that crossed the Darien Gap traveled a great deal of the distance
via the vast river systems. For more information please see
http://www.outbackofbeyond.com/world.htm or
http://www.outbackofbeyond.com/gap.htm
Patricia E. Upton
patr...@outbackofbeyond.com
>
> > Phil...@M2.sprynet.com wrote in message
> > <36d196cf....@news.sprynet.com>...
> >>Between Colombia and Panama is a section of the world known as the
> >>Darien Gap where there is not even a road! I spoek with a guy named
> >>Garry Sowers(?) who had driven from the furthest point north to the
> >>furthest point south (in the Americas) and this was the one spot non
> >>traversable via wheeled vehicle. I believ it is even difficult to
> >>traverse on four or two legs.
> >>
> >>Phil
>
>
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own