how high is the world's highest railroad? 16,400 feet (where is the oxygen mask?)

[Anonymous]

Picked this from another forum... they're all bloody nose territory!

Highest railway lines of the world.Here is the requested list,which includes all lines higher than 3000 meter:
SUMMIT RAILWAY GAUGE ALTITUDE

La Cima Peru Central, standard 4818m
Morococha Branch
Condor Bolivian National, metre 4787m
Potosi Branch
Galera Tunnel Peru Central standard 4781m
Caja Real Yauricocha,Peru standard 4602m
Chaucha Yauricocha,Peru standard 4564m
Km 41 Yauricocha,Peru standard 4538m
Chorrilos Argentine Railways metre 4475m
(North Transandine)
Crucero Alto Southern of Peru standard 4470m
Yuma Bolivian National metre 4401m
Alcacocha Cerro de Pasco standard 4385m
La Raya Southern of Peru standard 4314m
Pike's Peak Manitou and Pike's standard 4302m
Peak,Colorado,U.S.A.
Jeneral Lagos Bolivian National metre 4257m
La Cima Cerro de Pasco,Peru standard 4214m
Cuesta Colorado Bolivian National metre 4137m
El Alto Guaqui-La Paz metre 4106m
Escoriani Bolivian National metre 4057m
Between Potosi Bolivian National metre 4033m
and Sucre
Comanche Bolivian National metre 4031m
Kenko Bolivian National metre 4004m
Munano Argentine Railways metre 4000m
(North Transandine)
Ascotan Bolivian National metre 3959m
Socompa Antofagasta-Salta metre 3908m
(Argentina)
Tres Cruces Argentine Railways metre 3693m
Urbina Guyaquil-Quito 1067mm 3609m
(Ecuador)
Pumahuasi Argentine Railways metre 3559m
Climax Spur Burlington Northern standard 3472m
Jungfraujoch Jungfrau,Switzerland metre 3454m
Fremont Pass Burlington Northern standard 3450m
U.S.A.
Villazon Villazon-Atocha metre 3447m
(Bolivian National)
Iturbe Argentine Railways metre 3343m
La Cumbre Chilean Transandine metre 3191m
Tennessee Pass Denver and Rio Grande standard 3116m
Tunnel Western,Colorado,U.S.A.
Monarch Denver and Rio Grande standard 3093m
Western,Colorado,U.S.A.
Gornergrat Gornergrat,Swutzerland metre 3088m
La Cima National Railways of standard 3054m
Mexico
Cumbres Pass Cumbres and Toltec 914mm 3053m
Scenic Railroad,Colorado,
U.S.A.
El Oro National Railways of standard 3041m
Mexico
HIGHEST RAILWAYS OF ASIA:
Ghoom North Eastern,India 610mm 2258m
Asit Turkish State Railway standard 2256m
Kan Mehtarzai Pakistan 762mm 2222m
Nilgiri Hills Nilgiri,India metre 2217m
Nurabad Iran State (Trans standard 2217m
Iranian,southern
section)
Gaduk Iran State(Trans standard 2112m
Iranian,northern
section)
Shelabagh Pakistan 1676mm 1950m
Pattipola Sri Lankan 1676mm 1898m
Government
Near Zebdani Syria 1050mm 1794m
Kolpore Pakistan 1676mm 1791m
Between Beijing China standard 1585m
and Suiyuan
Taurus Turkish State Railway standard 1494m
Between Beirut Lebanon State Railway 1050mm 1487m
and Zahle
Kalaw Union of Myanmar metre 1405m
Railways
Maan Hedjaz 1050mm 1128m

[markpierce]

According to The Guinness Book of World Records, the highest town in the world is Wenzhuan, which was founded in 1955 on the Qinghai-Tibet road north of the Tangla mountain range. It is 16,730 feet above sea level.

The highest capital in the world, before the domination of Tibet by China, was Lhasa, with an elevation of 12,087 feet above sea level. La Paz, the administrative and de facto capital of Bolivia, stands at an altitude of 11,913 feet above sea level.

And finally, the highest city in the United States is Leadville, Colo. with an elevation of 10,152 feet.

[jkubajakiii]

Actually, until this new line opens, Peru has the highest railroad in the world. Its eastern terminal is the highest city in the world: 2 MILES above sea level. This is not some mining town like Leadville, Colorado. No, it has accual skyscrapers!

[csmith9474]

I occasionally hear stories about folks who drive up the Pike's Peak Highway and don't bring any water with them and run into a little trouble. It seems that hydration is the key.

[DPD1]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CopCarSS

QUOTE: Originally posted by ndbprr

Some of the railroads in Peru and Ecuador can't be far behind. They have a person who does give you a sniff of oxygen if you are feeling the effects on some of their trains.

My cousin has been on some of the Trains Unlimited Tours down that way, and I seem to remember him talking about passing out Oxygen balloons, and piping Oxygen into cars over some passes. 14,000-16,000 isn't really all that high given a little time to acclimate, but I imagine some people don't deal well with it while riding on a train.

Altitude sickness can be kind of weird anyways. I've heard of lifelong Coloradoan residents have some bad bouts with it, although personally, I've only had a couple small problems, usually if I haven't been to conscious of keeping myself hydrated very well. I suspect its something like the bends for divers. Cases can very person to person and day to day. Being smart about what one is doing can usually ward off most threats, but occasionally, one can get affected no matter how well one is prepared.

I don't think I'd do well... I never had a problem with altitude before, but I've started noticing that I get sick, even at only 8k now. Must be a sinus problem or something.

It does sound like it would make an interesting article though.

Dave
-DPD Productions - Featuring the TrainTenna LP Gain RR Scanner Antenna-
http://eje.railfan.net/dpdp/

[Anonymous]

There have been bicycle races to the summit of Mt. Evans CO (over 14,000 ft on a paved but rough road without oxygen masks). Is it possible there might some day be an annual Tour d'Asia event over this 16,400 foot pass? I guess the postal service will be busy with commemorative stuff when the line opens.

[Anonymous]

Here's the solution--vacuum brakes! [:)][:D]

[CopCarSS]

QUOTE: Originally posted by espeefoamer

I rode the Pike's Peak Cog Railway to the summit at 14,100 ft. in 1967.This new line in China beats that by over 2000 ft[:0].Can we assume pressurized pasenger cars on this line? It's too bad steam won't be seen on this line but an open cab would be virtually impossible!

I don't think pressurizing would be necessary. As has been mentioned, some of the Andean stuff is not that far below this, and those lines were built a long time ago. The Guyaquil and Quito run used Baldwin steamers for quite a long time.

Piping a little oxygen into the cars as was mentioned in the article would help the problem well enough, I think.

[espeefoamer]

I rode the Pike's Peak Cog Railway to the summit at 14,100 ft. in 1967.This new line in China beats that by over 2000 ft[:0].Can we assume pressurized pasenger cars on this line? It's too bad steam won't be seen on this line but an open cab would be virtually impossible!

[samfp1943]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GAPPLEG

QUOTE: Originally posted by carnej1

I believe it is for this line that China has ordered 6,000HP units from both GE and EMD (which actually will be assembled in Chinese factories). I seem to remember reading that these will have some sort of Oxygen system to deal with the altitudes. The GE will be based on the AC6000CW but with a 16 cylinder GEVO and China specific modifications. The EMD will use SD90MAC-H components but will be built with a twin cab Chinese style carbody.

I helped build the first two chinese loco for this line, yes it uses the 16 cylinder turbo engine de-rated to 4000 because of altitude problems, and yes the cab has oxygen drops at each position. The second order your referring to is not for the high altitude portion of that line, 74 special units I mentioned are for that section.

Some pictures would really be interesting to see. AS fievel said, A Trains article on this line would be quite a story to read and hopefully there would be pictures also..How about it, Jim Wrinn??

[Anonymous]

here's an update...make your bookings

Qinghai-Tibet luxury tour train ready to roll by 2007

PEOPLE will get to see the beautiful scenery of mysterious Tibet on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau aboard a luxury train by the end of 2007.

According to an agreement signed in Beijing on Saturday, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corporation and the Railpartners Inc of the United States will set up a joint venture to operate the tour business.

The train will run 2,040km from Xining, capital of northwestern China's Qinghai province, to Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region in south-western China. The tour will be part of the country's gigantic Qinghai-Tibet Railway project.

It would take three days to complete the one-way travel, and rail stations have been built near scenic spots, a Qinghai-Tibet Corporation release said.

With the railway open to traffic from July 1 next year, scenic spots on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau such as Qinghai Lake, the Kekexili Nature Reserve, Potala Palace and the Taer Lamasery – the sacred place of Tibetan Buddhism – will be linked together.

Railways Ministry transport bureau director Zhang Shuguang said it would take only 48 hours to travel from Beijing to Lhasa once the railway is open next year.

“Given that the railway is located at an average altitude of 4,500m above sea level, trains including sleeping carriages, a dining carriage and domed carriages will be equipped with an oxygen system to combat the thin air,” Zhang told reporters.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which connects Tibet with the rest of China, was completed in October after four years of construction. – China Daily

[vsmith]

Is there a compelling reason why they didn't use electric engines for a line this high? Ice buildup on the overhead wires? Power generation too far spread?

[CopCarSS]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ndbprr

Some of the railroads in Peru and Ecuador can't be far behind. They have a person who does give you a sniff of oxygen if you are feeling the effects on some of their trains.

My cousin has been on some of the Trains Unlimited Tours down that way, and I seem to remember him talking about passing out Oxygen balloons, and piping Oxygen into cars over some passes. 14,000-16,000 isn't really all that high given a little time to acclimate, but I imagine some people don't deal well with it while riding on a train.

Altitude sickness can be kind of weird anyways. I've heard of lifelong Coloradoan residents have some bad bouts with it, although personally, I've only had a couple small problems, usually if I haven't been to conscious of keeping myself hydrated very well. I suspect its something like the bends for divers. Cases can very person to person and day to day. Being smart about what one is doing can usually ward off most threats, but occasionally, one can get affected no matter how well one is prepared.

[ndbprr]

Some of the railroads in Peru and Ecuador can't be far behind. They have a person who does give you a sniff of oxygen if you are feeling the effects on some of their trains.

[CSXrules4eva]

The first thing that came to mind here was alititude sickness. I do wonder if this railroad partakes in both passenger and freight service? If they do operate passenger I hope they have a very good heating, ventailation, and oxygen system. lol That would really be cool to take a trip 16,400 feet in the Tibetan wilderness. I'm up for that!!!!

[GAPPLEG]

QUOTE: Originally posted by carnej1

I believe it is for this line that China has ordered 6,000HP units from both GE and EMD (which actually will be assembled in Chinese factories). I seem to remember reading that these will have some sort of Oxygen system to deal with the altitudes. The GE will be based on the AC6000CW but with a 16 cylinder GEVO and China specific modifications. The EMD will use SD90MAC-H components but will be built with a twin cab Chinese style carbody.

I helped build the first two chinese loco for this line, yes it uses the 16 cylinder turbo engine de-rated to 4000 because of altitude problems, and yes the cab has oxygen drops at each position. The second order your referring to is not for the high altitude portion of that line, 74 special units I mentioned are for that section.

[selector]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CopCarSS

Egads, and I thought the air was thin at 14,433! (Mt. Elbert, the highest I've managed to attain so far). Seriously, I bet working there for the first week or two probably would be tough, with a lot of huffing and puffing, but after that the red blood cell count would climb to compensate for the thinner atmosphere. As an added bonus, anytime the workers head anywhere lower, they will feel like a million bucks!

I lived @ 14,300' from 1957-58, and again from '62-'64 when my father worked as a Mill
Superintendant for Cerro Mining Corp in Peru. Cerro owned the rail lines from La Oroya to Cerro de Pasco, where we lived. It ran as high as 15,000 at the summit of the Ticlio pass. The first diesel was a GP something or other and it was pushed by a Consolidation for good measure. It arrived in 1963. We din't need no stinkin' oxygen! [:D]

[carnej1]

I believe it is for this line that China has ordered 6,000HP units from both GE and EMD (which actually will be assembled in Chinese factories). I seem to remember reading that these will have some sort of Oxygen system to deal with the altitudes. The GE will be based on the AC6000CW but with a 16 cylinder GEVO and China specific modifications. The EMD will use SD90MAC-H components but will be built with a twin cab Chinese style carbody.

[Anonymous]

I wonder what motive power is going to run those trains at that kind of altitude. I suspect the Chinese are going to have to use some kind of supercharged diesel- although an electric locomotive would not (guessing here) be adversely effected by altitude.

Haven't heard about railroads using oxygen bottles for crews although I read once that some US railroad used a respirator for crews on steam locomotives going through tunnels. Apparently, crews were known to pass out from the lack of ventilation- and the respirators filtered out the soot and gunk the tunnel trapped.

Erik

[Anonymous]

I was on the cog railway up Pike's Peak (14110') this September when my wife had a conference in Colorado Springs. We experienced that "Rocky Mountain High"! We also went on the Royal Gorge train.Great weather except a little chilly up top with a 60 mph wind!

[csmith9474]

The cog on Pike's Peak isn't too far behind. I have been here for over a year and still haven't taken that trip. It is a little pricey though.

[CopCarSS]

Egads, and I thought the air was thin at 14,433! (Mt. Elbert, the highest I've managed to attain so far). Seriously, I bet working there for the first week or two probably would be tough, with a lot of huffing and puffing, but after that the red blood cell count would climb to compensate for the thinner atmosphere. As an added bonus, anytime the workers head anywhere lower, they will feel like a million bucks!

[fievel]

It would be nice to see Trains Magazine do a substantial article on this project.
Political problems aside, it sounds very interesting. I'd like to see how the
managers and construction workers deal with the terrain, logistics, weather
extremes, oxygen deprivation, etc. I bet they'll have fun bringing in materials.

[markpierce]

Per The Economist magazine:

Trainspotters had better bring their thermal underwear. The highest railway in the world, due to begin test runs in July 2006, crosses the famously bleak Tanggula Pass in western China (average temperature, freezing) to connect the Tibetan capital of Lhasa with Golmud in Qinghai province. About half ot the 1,100km (680 mile) route is covered with permafrost. Its highest point tops 5,000m (16,400 feet) -- 250m or so higher than the Lima-Huancayo line in Peru, which had held the "highest railway" record since the 19th century.
The Qinghai-Tibet railway is a leading project in the opening of China's vast -- and vastly poor -- western provinces. The government says the railway will bring propserity to isolated Tibetans. Tibetans say it will serve merely as a means of carting off the regions's mineral riches and, perhaps more worryingly, of bringing in soldiers, should the natives, still unhapppy about 55 years of Chines rule, get restless....