On a much lighter note, Reuters also had an article about Tiradentes, a lovely colonial town in Minas Gerais, Brazil. One popular element of its charm is an old steam locomotive (Maria Fumaça or Smoking Mary) that travels along an eight mile route to the much more modern city of São João del Rei.
"Smoking Mary" is a great attraction for tourists fleeing the crowded beaches of Rio de Janeiro, a five-hour drive away through the mountains."It's a dream, so peaceful and romantic," said Maria Ribeiro, 22, from Minas Gerais' capital Belo Horizonte 135 miles inland, as she hugged her boyfriend Luiz.
Trains are a rare delight in Latin America's largest country whose endless roads are packed with peril.
"The engine's a beauty, it's a pleasure to work here," said engine driver Mauricio Andrade da Silva, 49, who's worked nine years on the line in three stints. The railway, operated by the Ferrovia Central Atlantico, is owned by the world's No. 1 iron ore miner Cia Vale do Rio Doce.
The railway has 17 sparkling black and red Baldwin locomotives in the station museum in Sao Joao del Rei, which like Tiradentes was founded by gold prospectors at the start of the 18th century. Baldwin is the once-mighty U.S. manufacturer of locomotives based in Philadelphia but is out of business.
I have been Tiradentes once, albeit briefly and look forward to taking Mércia there as she has never been there. Unfortunately when I went I didn't get to ride the train, something I truly regret. My brothers-in-law tell me it makes you feel like a kid again. If only . . .
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