"A Trip up Corcovado by Train" Rio de Janeiro Travelogue by glabah

The Corcovado Railway (Trem do Corcovado - "Train of the Corcovado" in Portuguese) has been one of the longest lived passenger train services in Brasil, having started over 100 years ago with steam power.

The railway currently uses electric trains powered by three phase power - two overhead wires and a return phase in the track that is also tied to ground. Most trains operate in pairs, but sometimes there are single car trains as well - particularly for special charter trips.

Corcovado Train climbing Rio's famous Corcovado

The trains use a rack system - a gear meshed with a toothed gear rack - to power the trains up the hill. This means the track switches are a little complicated, but it is the only way to get a train up these steep hills.

Corcovado train on bridge through Tijuca Forest

Most of the route of the line passes through the Tijuca National Forest - the world's largest urban forest. At some 100 square kilometers (some 25,000 USA acres) the forest just seems to go on forever, and you would not know that this is a city of some 6 million people.

The forest includes a number of trees not native to Brazil. One fruit that grows in this forest is the Jackfruit. It was imported during a reforestation effort.

Glass line on train window shows steepness of hill

The "Oh Curve" near the top of the railway is so named because when the train exists the forest most tourists are surprised by the abrupt view of Ipanema and the ocean beyond.

Note the line in the glass window. This is the division point in the train's window, and normally would be horizontal. It is somewhat hard to stay in the seat if you are facing downhill on this steep section of the line.

The area of the city in the distance is the edge of Ipanema.

Passenger view is part of the train cab design

The cab design on the Corcovado trains allows the passengers to see the train operator as well as out the front and opposite side of the train. There are not many trains, even in the tourist industry, that have this level of passenger visibility.

The view from Corcovado is not for the fearful.

The view from the top of Corcovado overlooks the city and the forest in ALL directions. In the background of this photo, you can see the other famous hill in Rio de Janeiro: the P?o de A??car.

From the edge you can see directly down for about 100 feet, so this is not a location for those who are fearful of heights.

Rio's most famous person is Christ the Redeemer

Naturally, everyone wants a photo of themselves next to Christ - just like people do with any celebrity.

The statue is about 150 feet behind this staircase. While this makes the statue look smaller in photos than it actually is, this allows photographers to get people into the picture with the Christ. Otherwise, this would not be possible.

Signs indicate Rio's landmarks in 3 languages

These well-made signs give a wonderful indication (in Portuguese, English, and Spanish) of what landmarks people can see from the top of Corcovado. I can only wish that certain parts of my own city and state had such wonderful signs for the tourists.

Other Web Sites of Interest:

Corcovado Railway Web Site:
http://www.corcovado.com.br

Photos of the Line, including historic photos from the construction and steam operation, are located in the Corcovado Railway Section of the Brazilian Railway Photo Archives.

Other Interesting Railway Attractions in Brazil:

Rio also has a historic streetcar line. See my Travelogue for the Bonde Santa Tereza, which still sees a lot of passenger traffic.

Serra Verde Express operates a passenger train between Curitiba and Paranagua that is pimarily designed for tourists.