Unusual railways

Unusual railways

Mekong Market Railway (Thailand)The food market in Mekong, Thailand is located on top of train tracks. Several times a day shopkeepers swiftly pack up their food stalls and pull back their canopies to let the trains pass. Once the trains have rumbled through, the crates of vegetables, fish, and eggs are placed back into position and shoppers return to the tracks, which serve as a path through the market.

• Mekong Market Railway (Thailand)The food market in Mekong, Thailand is located on top of train tracks. Several times a day shopkeepers swiftly pack up their food stalls and pull back their canopies to let the trains pass. Once the trains have rumbled through, the crates of vegetables, fish, and eggs are placed back into position and shoppers return to the tracks, which serve as a path through the market.

Napier-Gisborne Railway (New Zealand)The Napier to Gisborne Railway Line is unique in that it crosses the main runway of the Gisborne Airport. Trains have to stop and seek clearance from the air traffic control tower to cross the runway and continue down the line; a 1939 steam train in the middle of an airport runway isn't exactly a common sight!

Tren a las Nubes - Train to the Clouds (Argentina)The Tren a las Nubes (Train to/of the Clouds) is a touristic train service in Salta Province, Argentina. The service runs along the eastern part of the C-14 line of the Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano, connecting the Argentine Northwest with the Chilean border in the Andes mountain range. At over 4,220 meters (13,850 ft) above mean sea level, it's the third highestrailway in the world. Originally built for economic and social reasons, it isnow primarily a tourist attraction as a heritage railway.The railway line has 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, 2 spirals, and 2zigzags. Because of the design decision not to use a rack-and-pinion system for traction, the route had to be designed to avoid steep grades. The zigzags allow the train to climb, travelling back and forth parallel to the slope of the mountain.

• Tren a las Nubes - Train to the Clouds (Argentina)The Tren a las Nubes (Train to/of the Clouds) is a touristic train service in Salta Province, Argentina. The service runs along the eastern part of the C-14 line of the Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano, connecting the Argentine Northwest with the Chilean border in the Andes mountain range. At over 4,220 meters (13,850 ft) above mean sea level, it's the third highestrailway in the world. Originally built for economic and social reasons, it isnow primarily a tourist attraction as a heritage railway.The railway line has 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, 2 spirals, and 2zigzags. Because of the design decision not to use a rack-and-pinion system for traction, the route had to be designed to avoid steep grades. The zigzags allow the train to climb, travelling back and forth parallel to the slope of the mountain.