“We met the “men of steam.” Men covered in soot but endowed with character and courage, dedicated to a daunting task, they are the last of their kind, capable of solving any problem with the locomotive, no matter what, no matter where, even in Ecuador’s remote mountain regions.

We traveled for days, the locomotive’s whistle leading the way through the rice and coffee plantations of the coast, as the steam startled flocks of birds and families of coastal montubios cheerily waved at us from their homes, elevated by cane pillars. The cluttered markets opened up slowly to allow the train through. We cut through impressive jungle canyons, teeming with tropical life, Andean lakes and lonely stations on the hillside of majestic volcanoes. They were, for us, days of history, adventure and nostalgia, but what we remember the most is people’s joy.

We valued this as something that should be treasured, and worthy of our stewardship. Our desire to recover this facet of our history is what has inspired us to create this book, a first graphic testimony of the Ecuadorian steam train experience. We ought to recognize it for what it is, Ecuador’s most significant tourist attraction, and a main chapter in the railway history of our planet.”

Marcelo Meneses – Train to the Sun