Train Driver Toughest Place to be a...


Train Driver

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Three British workers -

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a train driver,

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a bin man,

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and a fisherman.

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They've all accepted the challenge

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to do their job in some of the toughest conditions on the planet.

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How safe is it to go through the breakers in the boat?

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If I said it was tough before,

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you could probably times that by 100.

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I'm so upset at what goes on here.

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I'd like to go and knock them out, to tell the truth.

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Simon Davies is leaving his home

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and his job as a train driver

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to work in Peru

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on one of the highest and most dangerous railways on Earth.

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He'll have just ten days to learn the ropes,

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living and working with the world's toughest train drivers.

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What's in it?

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I don't suppose they do jam and toast here either, do they?

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In the high Andes, he encounters a mining community devastated by pollution...

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..before taking his life in his hands driving a 2,000 tonne train

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down the steepest railway in the world.

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I'm just sort of figuring out which brakes are which.

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It's not a case of just passing a test and jumping in a train

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and driving off.

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Simon Davies drives the Manchester to London Pendolino,

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one of Britain's fastest trains.

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I've got 450 people, passengers, sat behind me, you know,

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and it's my job to get them from A to B safely.

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Pendolino is a, you know, very advanced train.

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It's a driver's job to carry out a pre-journey preparation,

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much like a pilot checks a plane before it takes off.

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Driving the Pendolino puts Simon amongst the elite

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of British train drivers.

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He has to constantly monitor the train's complex computer systems,

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and the trackside signals, while travelling at up to 125mph.

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If you weren't on the ball for, say, only a few seconds,

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something could happen.

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You could miss a signal, you know, anything like that,

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so you have got to be concentrating 100% all the time.

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If there's the slightest hint that safety's going to be compromised,

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you know, well, the risk isn't taken.

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Simon lives in Derbyshire, just outside Manchester,

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with his wife, Joanna, three children and nine chickens.

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Well, we've had chickens now for quite a few years.

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We hatched a few chicks out, you know, a couple of week ago.

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I just think it's nice for the kids to see stuff like that.

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In a few days' time, he'll leave all this behind

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to travel 6,000 miles to South America.

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SPANISH TUITION CD PLAYS

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Apply the brake.

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That's important, that one.

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In preparation, the Peruvian train company has sent over

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some key Spanish phrases that Simon needs to learn.

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The only one I've been learning at the moment

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that I can remember is "para", and that's "stop".

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That's the one that I think I'll need, stop.

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I think he'll be a bit apprehensive, try not to show it,

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and he'll probably just put out of his mind the fact

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that he's so far from home and has never been that far from home,

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and that we're all here on our own.

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What do I know about Peru?

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Er...I know the Andes mountains are there.

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I know it's South America...

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..and there's quite a lot of llamas there and they spit at you.

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That's about it!

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Peru, a country defined by the longest mountain range in the world.

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The Andes.

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They hold some of the richest reserves of copper, zinc,

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lead and silver on Earth.

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Getting these valuable resources from the mountains to the port

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depends on an extraordinary train

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and extraordinary drivers.

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This is the Ferrocarril Central Andino,

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"The Railway Of The Central Andes".

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At heights of up to three miles above sea level,

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these train drivers work on the steepest tracks in the world.

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There are few signals, or even safety barriers.

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Descending with massive loads,

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drivers struggle with overheating brakes

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and the constant risk of derailment.

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Look like the Lego houses the kids have at home.

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Bit nervous, I think, just because of the language barrier.

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Yeah, I think it's going to be a bit awkward to start with.

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I'll have to use my hands quite a lot, I think.

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Yeah - happy,

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no - sad.

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Gracias!

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Simon will be working with Daniel Garcia, a senior train driver.

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Nice to meet you.

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How long have you lived here?

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Ola!

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OK!

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Ta-da!

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Wow!

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Ah, right. Can I not roll around in the dirt a bit,

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just to make it look like it's used?

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Daniel has a short journey to work.

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Adios!

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It's time for Simon to see the train he'll be expected to drive.

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TRAIN HORN BLARES

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C39?

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Uh-huh.

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Right.

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-It's massive.

-Yeah.

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Did sound quite big, but when you look at the track and everything,

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I didn't think it'd be this big.

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But, yeah, I'm a bit nervous now actually, yeah,

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because it sounds meaty as well - sounds like there's loads of power.

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Yeah, we'll give it a go.

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Initiation Stage One.

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HORN BLARES

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It's got a bigger horn than my train!

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To be honest, like, the view's a bit more restricted,

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because the windows are tiny.

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And it's a lot slower.

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It's a long way from Simon's Pendolino.

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You can tell it's quite rickety -

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some of the sleepers look like twigs, some of them.

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You go past some parts,

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there's nothing underneath the track holding it up,

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it's just the rail going across!

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And we're just going over one of them bits of track,

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that looks like it's going to bend as you go over it.

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The line begins at the port of Callao in the capital, Lima,

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before heading up into the Andes and on to the mining districts,

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ending at the city of Cerro de Pasco, 1,400 feet above sea level.

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The metals and minerals carried by this train

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have brought new wealth to Peru,

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and make up 60% of the country's exports.

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But this is a divided society with millions living in poverty.

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Passing through one of Lima's largest slums,

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the train's regularly attacked

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by people venting frustration at growing inequality.

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Daniel just said that this is where they throw stones and catapults -

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throwing stuff at the train.

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He actually said we need to keep a look out.

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I think he was trying to say keep my face back from the window as well.

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There's someone having a shit up on the side of the hillside here!

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The train company's headquarters is based on the outskirts of Lima,

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at Chosica station.

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First stop, the control room.

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How do they control the trains then?

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Primitive, ain't it?

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A control centre, I imagine to be controlling signals and everything,

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but it's just basically like a couple of guys sat at a couple of desks,

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with a radio controlling all the trains.

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It looks more like a store room than a control centre.

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Daniel's about to put Simon through his paces.

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He's beginning his training as a brequero - a brake man.

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OK.

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The brequero does the tough physical work of the running of the train -

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connecting the brakes and changing the points.

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I do everything.

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I'm waiting for him to give me a carrier bag -

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a bin bag - and send me collecting rubbish or something next.

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Brequeros usually work for three years

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before they can learn to drive the train.

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Simon's got just days.

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Compared to my job at home, yeah, it's a lot more physical,

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and it makes it doubly worse because of the altitude.

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It just saps all your energy straight away.

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Yeah, I thought that meant push.

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I'm the only one pushing!

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I'm out of breath.

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Yeah, all my chest feels dead tight - it must be the air,

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and the fact that I just pushed that turntable round on my own!

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Yeah, I'm sure I did.

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-That one?

-Si!

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Shattered.

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I'm just going straight to bed, I think.

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Yeah.

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Won't even have a shower, I don't think,

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I'll just get up tomorrow dressed like this! Yeah.

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Hello, everyone!

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Daniel's extended family all live close to the tracks.

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So this your daughter?

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Hello! Hello!

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Simon. Leonardo.

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Oh, Leonardo, hello!

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Is this your son? Hello, nice to meet you.

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Daniel, I've got some pictures of me in my train, sat in the cab.

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That's the cab of my train.

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Wow!

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That type of train

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actually tilts as it goes round the corners to let it go faster.

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Yeah, yeah, it does, yeah.

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No. Only tilts, doesn't fly.

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Yeah, yeah, that's my uniform.

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Ha, ha! Elegant!

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That's the first time I've heard that.

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You could have said dashing!

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'I wouldn't normally admit this

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'but a lot of people that know me would just probably think

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'I'm quite confident and be able to do anything,

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'but at the moment I wouldn't dream of driving the train on my own.'

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I'm off to bed because I think we've got to be up again

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at about six in the morning.

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I'm not sure about the plan tomorrow,

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but I think we're going down to the local station

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to pick up a train or something.

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Next morning over breakfast,

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Simon is beginning to wonder if he has the stomach for the job.

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What's...

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What's in it?

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Carne.

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Carne. Meat?

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Carne.

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It's a Latin American speciality called mondongo -

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cow's guts.

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I was told to eat this because it's going to make me run faster.

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I don't see how - if I eat all that and it's sat in my stomach,

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it'll all be coming back up when I start running!

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Today, Simon and his crew are heading up the mountain.

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Is it? Right.

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I don't suppose they do jam and toast here either, do they?

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The line from Matucana to the summit

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includes the steepest stretch of railway track in the world.

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This is Simon's first glimpse

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of one of the most spectacular train journeys on Earth.

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Basically, the track is just right on the edge of the cliff,

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about four foot the other side of the track is just nothing.

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What would happen if you let the speed increase too much

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going round one of these bends?

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Ameliano, the brequero,

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understands the risk of runaway trains only too well.

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What caused that, Ameliano?

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The biggest problem's the view down there - the drop. Aah!

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This section of the line tests the drivers to their limits.

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Simon will be going solo here in just a few days' time.

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The way he described it was like when you treat a woman,

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I think that's what he was saying. Be soft and gentle,

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try and make a woman fall in love with you,

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instead of rough and banging it about everywhere.

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To enable the train to get up the steep gradients,

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the crew negotiate a system of switchbacks, or zigzags.

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These allow the train to criss-cross its way up and down the mountain.

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The train is so long, the driver can't see the back.

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As the brequero, it's Simon's job to tell the driver when to stop.

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Uno carro.

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Alto.

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Then they change the points and switch tracks,

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and the train reverses onto the next zigzag.

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And then, when we get a bit further up,

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we're going to zigzag again to go back again up the mountain.

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When reversing, it's vital Simon gives precise instructions,

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as all of the zigzags end up in dead ends.

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The Central Andean Railway is an amazing feat of civil engineering.

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-NEWSREEL:

-Cameramen are used to soaring to great heights,

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but they usually go by the more modern means, aeroplane.

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This time, it's a climb by train

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up the Peruvian Andes by the highest railway in the world.

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The first track was laid in 1870.

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Many at the time believed such a line was simply impossible.

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The engineers had to endure freezing temperatures,

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and dangerous altitude sickness.

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At nearly three miles up,

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our cameraman shot, with his camera of course,

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a llama herd browsing by a lake perched on the top of the mountain.

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Daniel's just given me the altimeter,

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and, at the moment,

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it's 4,650 metres, so...

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..you can tell that, you know, just breathing -

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you have to really breathe quite heavy.

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You can tell with the altitude.

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The line climbs to the same height as Montblanc,

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Western Europe's highest peak. At this altitude, the air is so thin

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it affects both humans and machines.

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It keeps coming up with a warning about the high altitude.

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It's not just me that's overheating, it's the engine as well.

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Just tried starting it again, but it won't start.

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The massive diesel engine has stalled in the thin air.

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Daniel, what happens now?

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In technical terms, I would describe this predicament as...

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HE MOUTHS

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The crew have to stay with the train.

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It could be hours until help arrives to get them back down.

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The next section of the railway, and the next stage of Simon's training

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is on the other side of the highest railway tunnel in the world.

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From Galera station, the line continues along a plateau

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to the mining cities of La Oroya and Cerro de Pasco.

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Eloy Galvan is going to teach Simon

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to drive the train up here on the plateau.

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Let's go. Vamoose!

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Simon will meet up with Daniel again on the way back down,

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once he's practised driving with Eloy.

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This is the Altiplano -

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a vast wilderness that spans four countries.

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There have been mines up here since the time of the Incas.

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La Oroya is known as the metal capital of Peru. At its heart

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is a huge industrial lead smelter,

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which turns the ore from the mines into the valuable metal.

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Eloy was saying that the mining industry's the heart of everything,

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the economy, because everything's connected to it.

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The railways, the people that make the covers for the railways,

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you know, for the wagons, everything.

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Everything's connected to mining.

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La Oroya is a troubled city.

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It's been classified as one of the most polluted places on Earth.

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Over decades, the smelter has contaminated the environment

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and poisoned the population.

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The last few days on the train,

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all I've seen is the minerals in the wagons.

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I've not seen where it comes from,

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the effect that it has on the people that live here.

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The state of the houses and the landscape,

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and even the colour of the roofs, you can see, you know,

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like a silver grim deposit on top of the roofs.

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I presume that's the pollution, but...

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Yeah, it has opened my eyes big time.

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A recent study found that 99% of children in the city

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had abnormally high levels of lead in their blood.

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The smelting process has released cadmium,

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manganese and arsenic into the surrounding area.

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Simon is meeting Pablo Fabien, a school caretaker

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who has brought up his family in La Oroya.

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Several years ago, the Peruvian government recognised the problem.

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They insisted that the new American owners of the smelter

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clean up the operation.

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The company, Doe Run, has spent millions on decontamination,

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but they claim the government should play a bigger part in the clean-up.

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In the meantime, the smelter is closed and thousands face

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losing their livelihoods if it doesn't reopen.

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With so many jobs in the balance,

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Pablo's vocal campaign against the pollution has made him many enemies.

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You OK?

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It takes someone really brave, like yourself and your family,

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to put up with all the abuse, you know, the attacks,

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and also to sort of challenge a big company.

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It's like a catch 22, you know, because the miners need their jobs,

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people need the jobs.

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At the same time, the pollution is killing the place and the people.

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I'm not one that sort of shows my emotions a lot,

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but it did upset me a lot

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to see another guy, you know, crying in front of you

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because of the situation he's in.

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I found that...

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you know, really hard.

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The next morning, Simon and Eloy are clocking on for work.

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Ah, this is it, where they keep the trains.

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The train drivers believe

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that the Virgin of Cocharcas will keep them safe.

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Shall I do this?

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We have a railway vicar,

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but we don't really do this before we take a journey, no.

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You close the doors?

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Makes you think, you know, these guys are obviously aware

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how dangerous this job is, and how dangerous the route is.

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Today is Simon's first chance to take control of the train.

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Time for Eloy to pass on some more Peruvian driving tips.

0:29:440:29:49

You like to take the lead with your women!

0:30:080:30:11

Oh, we're up to eight.

0:30:360:30:38

First time I've been in eight!

0:30:380:30:41

Simon Davies from Derbyshire is finally driving

0:30:450:30:48

the 3,900 horsepower train across the high Andes.

0:30:480:30:53

He's showing me his style of driving now,

0:30:580:31:01

which I like because I went to eight!

0:31:010:31:03

He doesn't hang about.

0:31:030:31:05

Eloy only sees his family for two days each fortnight.

0:31:170:31:21

This weekend he is heading home.

0:31:210:31:23

This is your home. This is your home.

0:31:230:31:27

Eloy and his family used to live in La Oroya,

0:31:270:31:30

but they were driven out by the pollution.

0:31:300:31:33

It must be, obviously, worth it then, you know,

0:31:580:32:01

to only see your family every two weeks,

0:32:010:32:04

but the benefits of living here outweigh that because of the health.

0:32:040:32:09

Oh, guinea pigs.

0:32:260:32:28

I've got chickens at home.

0:32:280:32:30

Can I hold one?

0:32:300:32:31

Oh right, are they better tasting, the black ones?

0:32:420:32:47

There's another local custom that Simon has to sample up in the Andes.

0:32:500:32:54

Oh, that little bit.

0:32:560:32:57

Do you swallow it? Er, no, no.

0:33:020:33:05

Do you swallow it?

0:33:060:33:07

No, no!

0:33:090:33:10

Too late, I've already swallowed it!

0:33:100:33:13

I can see why you live out here, Eloy,

0:33:160:33:18

because, you know, it seems pretty laid back,

0:33:180:33:21

and we're sat here chewing coca leaves, having a smoke.

0:33:210:33:25

Coca leaves are the raw material of cocaine

0:33:380:33:41

but up here they're chewed to relieve altitude sickness,

0:33:410:33:44

as well as for a little pick-me-up before work.

0:33:440:33:48

What's... Is that a weed?

0:33:480:33:50

Oh, everything?

0:33:500:33:51

Oh, I threw that one then.

0:33:510:33:54

You get that.

0:33:550:33:56

Every year, Eloy throws a fiesta for his family and neighbours.

0:34:030:34:07

For Simon, it's his first chance to relax since he's been in Peru.

0:34:200:34:24

You with him?

0:34:310:34:32

It's a varied menu but Simon's sampling the liquid refreshment.

0:34:460:34:51

Whiskey.

0:34:510:34:52

-Oh, good.

-Whiskey.

0:34:520:34:54

That much?

0:34:540:34:55

-You can have it back!

-OK.

0:35:020:35:04

It's a night of pure Andean hospitality.

0:35:050:35:09

I wasn't expecting the reception I got.

0:35:120:35:16

Everybody was really welcoming.

0:35:160:35:18

In a way, you know, his family reminded me of my family,

0:35:180:35:21

you know, welcoming, friendly.

0:35:210:35:25

I know at one point, I sat there and wished my family were here now

0:35:260:35:31

so they could join in,

0:35:310:35:33

and meet Eloy and his family.

0:35:330:35:36

I think this has been the best day I've had since I've been here.

0:35:380:35:41

I think there's a leak in the roof. That was the only downside,

0:35:420:35:46

but apart from that, you know, what a fantastic day.

0:35:460:35:51

COCKEREL CROWS

0:35:520:35:54

Next morning and it's time to head back to the railway.

0:35:560:36:02

So, you won't see them again for another two weeks now?

0:36:030:36:06

Two weeks.

0:36:060:36:07

Two weeks... Dos weeks?

0:36:070:36:10

Then come back here.

0:36:100:36:12

Simon's got just five days before he'll be driving down

0:36:220:36:26

the steepest train tracks in the world.

0:36:260:36:29

In the UK, train drivers take regular breaks.

0:36:460:36:49

Fatigue is a major cause of accidents.

0:36:490:36:53

In Peru, drivers keep going until they reach their destination.

0:36:530:36:57

Five hours, I hope he was joking then!

0:37:040:37:07

Finally, they arrive at the mining city of Cerro de Pasco.

0:37:280:37:32

After seven hours sat there,

0:37:340:37:35

my arse is killing me,

0:37:350:37:38

my feet are numb from holding the pedals down.

0:37:380:37:41

You just can't... It's not like in the UK where we get breaks,

0:37:410:37:46

and not as long journeys - you've just got to sit there and carry on.

0:37:460:37:50

Simple dormitories like this are Eloy's home for most of the year.

0:37:520:37:57

Do we have a fire or heater or anything?

0:38:080:38:11

No?

0:38:110:38:12

And it's cold now, ain't it?

0:38:120:38:15

Yeah, yeah.

0:38:150:38:16

You get up here and realise just how hard things are.

0:38:270:38:32

We have to stay over here.

0:38:320:38:34

And I tell you now, it's freezing cold.

0:38:340:38:36

I'm leaving my hat on.

0:38:360:38:38

I've got all my clothes on because it's absolutely freezing

0:38:380:38:42

and we've only got these, you know, like llama blanket things.

0:38:420:38:46

I'm usually pretty good at staying awake and...

0:38:460:38:49

..working - hard work, but this is something else.

0:38:510:38:55

This is more than hard work.

0:38:550:38:57

Cerro de Pasco,

0:39:110:39:12

one of the highest cities in the world.

0:39:120:39:16

This is the end of the line.

0:39:170:39:20

Here, thousands of tonnes of mining ore are loaded onto the trains

0:39:200:39:23

before heading back down the mountains.

0:39:230:39:26

Walter is a local driver who works in the depot.

0:39:270:39:31

Bloody hell, I didn't realise it was that deep.

0:39:430:39:46

The centrepiece of Cerro de Pasco is a big hole, over a mile wide.

0:39:470:39:52

This huge open-cast mine is getting bigger every day.

0:39:520:39:57

But bigger.

0:40:210:40:22

If you look at the wagons compared to the lorries...

0:40:220:40:26

tiny.

0:40:260:40:27

The city of 70,000 people

0:40:300:40:32

is built on top of some of the country's largest deposits of lead,

0:40:320:40:35

zinc and silver.

0:40:350:40:37

But Cerro de Pasco is slowly eating itself.

0:40:400:40:44

A city that relies on the mine is also being destroyed by it,

0:40:440:40:49

as the giant hole expands, devouring roads and buildings.

0:40:490:40:54

On this wild frontier, nothing stands in the way

0:40:590:41:02

of the mining industry.

0:41:020:41:03

I'm starting to realise

0:41:070:41:09

that the main thing is to get this valuable mineral to the port,

0:41:090:41:13

to ship them off

0:41:130:41:14

to other countries - rich countries like America and China.

0:41:140:41:18

That's all they're bothered about,

0:41:180:41:20

and especially so when you see the state of the track.

0:41:200:41:24

People living next to the track, you know, the crap everywhere,

0:41:240:41:29

the way people are living - they're not bothered about anything,

0:41:290:41:34

other than getting this stuff to the ports and on the ships.

0:41:340:41:38

Simon has mastered driving the train

0:41:560:41:59

on the gentle plateau - now it's time to head back down the track

0:41:590:42:03

for another lesson with Daniel.

0:42:030:42:06

Hopefully.

0:42:170:42:18

But today I might be back as a brequero.

0:42:180:42:23

Si!

0:42:230:42:24

Si?! Oh, thanks a lot!

0:42:240:42:26

You're supposed to say no.

0:42:260:42:28

Controlling this massive train as it descends from the mountains

0:42:380:42:43

depends on keeping to a precise speed.

0:42:430:42:46

Simon has to work a system of four different brakes,

0:42:470:42:51

all the time communicating with his crew,

0:42:510:42:53

who are his eyes and ears at the back of the train.

0:42:530:42:56

As well as the technical demands,

0:43:000:43:02

train driving Peruvian-style is an art.

0:43:020:43:06

Yeah, well, I was a bit rough at the start.

0:43:130:43:16

I can see how easy it is to, like, you know,

0:43:190:43:23

because of the weight and the gradients, to let it run away.

0:43:230:43:27

You know, as soon as you take the brakes off, it moves...quick.

0:43:280:43:33

TRAIN HORN BLARES

0:43:420:43:44

I'm just sort of figuring out which brakes are which, and then...

0:43:480:43:52

URGENT VOICE ON RADIO

0:43:520:43:55

Hang on a minute.

0:43:550:43:56

If going too fast is dangerous,

0:44:010:44:05

so is going too slowly.

0:44:050:44:07

The plumes of smoke mean the brakes are overheating.

0:44:070:44:10

I can smell them now.

0:44:360:44:38

I feel a bit confident, most of the time,

0:44:410:44:46

but as soon as we start to go downhill, on the bends,

0:44:460:44:50

that's when I start shitting myself.

0:44:500:44:53

The job that you do,

0:44:560:44:58

some of the dangers and the risks that you take,

0:44:580:45:02

do you still enjoy the job?

0:45:020:45:04

Obviously you must think it's worth it,

0:45:040:45:06

because it provides for your family, but do you think about that?

0:45:060:45:10

After today, I've realised that I've been dropped in at the deep end,

0:45:490:45:54

big time.

0:45:540:45:55

As you're driving along, you know,

0:45:570:45:59

and you look over the side of the track and it's just sheer drops,

0:45:590:46:03

and you realise that you really need to be on the ball

0:46:030:46:06

and keep control of the train.

0:46:060:46:08

That's my main objective, just to keep control of the train.

0:46:100:46:14

It's Simon's last chance to practise driving the train,

0:46:270:46:30

but the odds against him are stacking up.

0:46:300:46:33

In difficult conditions, Simon makes another mistake.

0:46:440:46:48

In giving the train full throttle in the thin mountain air,

0:46:480:46:52

the engine has stalled.

0:46:520:46:53

Being stuck there in them sort of conditions, with no heat,

0:47:020:47:06

no power, nothing,

0:47:060:47:08

I could see panic.

0:47:080:47:10

I think they were trying to hide it a bit,

0:47:100:47:13

but I could see a bit of panic on their faces.

0:47:130:47:16

OK. Stop.

0:47:240:47:26

And luckily, it started up again.

0:47:270:47:30

But starting the engine hasn't solved the problem.

0:47:350:47:39

The wheels are just spinning.

0:47:390:47:41

With the weather closing in,

0:47:420:47:44

Daniel decides drastic measures are called for.

0:47:440:47:48

After leaving several of the wagons behind on the track,

0:48:040:48:07

the train can just about move.

0:48:070:48:10

That must be the guys at the top asking where we are.

0:48:140:48:17

It's not the day Simon had hoped for.

0:48:320:48:34

Tomorrow is crunch time.

0:48:510:48:53

Simon has to drive down the mountain by himself.

0:48:530:48:57

The best thing that came out of today for me,

0:49:070:49:12

even after my major balls-up of stalling the engine

0:49:120:49:16

and, you know, the potential there that I could have left us all stuck

0:49:160:49:21

up the side of the mountain in that weather...

0:49:210:49:23

was the fact that, you know, Daniel...

0:49:230:49:26

..came up to me...

0:49:280:49:30

..at the end of the day and said, "Don't worry about it".

0:49:320:49:36

He's still, you know...

0:49:360:49:39

He's still confident,

0:49:390:49:41

and so are the rest of the lads,

0:49:410:49:44

with me driving the train on my own.

0:49:440:49:46

He told me that but, at the moment, I don't feel that confident

0:49:480:49:52

and I don't share their optimism.

0:49:520:49:55

Dawn at the second highest station in the world.

0:49:590:50:03

Today, Simon Davies,

0:50:030:50:06

who usually drives a passenger train out of Manchester,

0:50:060:50:09

will attempt to guide a 2,000 tonne mining train

0:50:090:50:12

down the steepest track in the world.

0:50:120:50:14

I'm nervous.

0:50:160:50:17

I'm not going to go out there and let, you know,

0:50:190:50:22

Daniel know I'm worried,

0:50:220:50:25

but I'm going to walk out there and, you know,

0:50:250:50:29

let him know that I'm confident.

0:50:290:50:32

Which is the dangerous bit again?

0:50:340:50:35

That bit?

0:50:350:50:37

Ooo, si!

0:50:370:50:38

Si. Now I'm ready.

0:50:420:50:44

All right.

0:50:470:50:50

Simon has to stop the train running out of control

0:50:500:50:53

and manoeuvre his way through the complex system of zigzags,

0:50:530:50:57

all the time working hand in hand with his Peruvian crew.

0:50:570:51:00

It's 15 hours and downhill all the way.

0:51:000:51:05

If I said it was tough before, you could probably times that by 100.

0:51:290:51:33

I feel under pressure to do it right, mainly for all these guys,

0:51:330:51:37

and for Daniel,

0:51:370:51:39

and, obviously, I've got a wagon full of minerals in the back.

0:51:390:51:44

I'm just coming up to a crossing there. It went quite a lot steeper.

0:51:450:51:49

TRAIN HORN BLARES

0:51:490:51:52

Here, it's a bit of a game of chicken.

0:51:550:51:59

As lorries ignore the oncoming train,

0:52:010:52:04

it's Simon's call whether to stop,

0:52:040:52:06

or simply hope they get out of his way.

0:52:060:52:09

If you take your eyes off the gradient or the speedo,

0:52:270:52:31

or stop concentrating on how much brake...

0:52:310:52:34

..you know, it runs away with you straightaway.

0:52:370:52:40

Simon has to be constantly wary about the state of the brakes.

0:52:460:52:50

The wheels are starting to overheat.

0:53:030:53:06

It could get that hot, you know, set fire to something,

0:53:220:53:25

or it could derail.

0:53:250:53:26

Just got to my first zigzag,

0:53:500:53:52

so we've just gone past the changeover where you change track.

0:53:520:53:57

HORN BLARES

0:54:000:54:04

Simon's successfully negotiated his first zigzag

0:54:120:54:16

when a call comes through from the control centre in Chosica.

0:54:160:54:20

There's another train waiting to come up where we've just come from,

0:54:260:54:30

and we've got to go back into the tunnel.

0:54:300:54:33

Getting out of the way is a very difficult manoeuvre.

0:54:350:54:39

He has to reverse into a dead end tunnel

0:54:390:54:41

with only Ameliano, his brequero, to guide him.

0:54:410:54:44

Now they've changed the points at that end for him, he can go up now.

0:55:170:55:22

Simon is through the zigzags, and he's on the home straight.

0:55:240:55:28

In the past two weeks,

0:55:320:55:33

he's experienced the tough, physical job of the brequero.

0:55:330:55:37

He's learned how to drive a mining train weighing over 2,000 tonnes,

0:55:380:55:43

and now he's successfully brought the train down some of the steepest

0:55:430:55:47

and most difficult track in the world.

0:55:470:55:51

Quite chuffed that I've nearly done it now, you know.

0:55:550:55:59

At Chosica, Daniel's family and workers

0:56:000:56:03

from the station have gathered to welcome them back.

0:56:030:56:06

To be honest, I never thought I'd do it on my own,

0:56:060:56:09

because the first go I had, sort of had a few mishaps,

0:56:090:56:13

and got a bit too big for my boots, I think.

0:56:130:56:16

I've never done a journey that long and that difficult for 15 hours -

0:56:470:56:51

really chuffed that I've done it, and not made any mistakes.

0:56:510:56:55

Every day, every hour that they're working

0:57:060:57:10

there's potentially, you know,

0:57:100:57:11

a major danger there, and that camaraderie's there,

0:57:110:57:15

that teamwork's there -

0:57:150:57:18

you know, they look after each other,

0:57:180:57:20

so, yeah, I'd describe them as warrior-type drivers.

0:57:200:57:24

Really take my hat off to them.

0:57:260:57:28

To be honest, when I came back,

0:57:360:57:37

even how tough it was and hard it was,

0:57:370:57:41

you know, I actually missed the place and I missed the people.

0:57:410:57:44

And I actually started joking.

0:57:440:57:46

I said to my wife, you know, that I didn't want to come home.

0:57:460:57:51

Back at home, Simon's trying to see if he can help the drivers in Peru

0:57:540:57:58

and improve the conditions that Daniel, Eloy and the crews work in.

0:57:580:58:02

You know, even if it's just something small,

0:58:040:58:07

if I can do that through a bit of awareness over here,

0:58:070:58:10

through my union, and the company I work for,

0:58:100:58:15

hopefully, that'd be, you know, at least it's a step.

0:58:150:58:19

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