The eerie derelict British railway station that lies abandoned in the middle of a Brazilian jungle

A South American jungle may be the last place you would expect to see a distinctly British train station - complete with a Big Ben style clock tower.

However, this abandoned site is what greets you in the small municipality of Paranapiacaba outside Sao Paulo, Brazil.

And what makes the derelict site even eerier is the near-constant mist shrouding Paranapiacaba, due to its high-altitude location among the trees.


http://i.imgur.com/rK3flFW.jpg
A derelict carriage sits at the old headquarters for the now defunct Sao Paulo Railway, a British-owned train shuttle company deep in the misty jungle of Brazil

http://i.imgur.com/txy8iM0.jpg
In 1867 the village was the operation headquarters of the English-owned Sao Paulo Railway, but now lies mostly abandoned with a much-reduced population

http://i.imgur.com/ZgcZ6ad.jpg
During the 19th century the village was booming thanks to a funicular railway built by British engineers to transport people and coffee from Sao Paulo to the port of Santos

http://i.imgur.com/6C8m0an.jpg
What makes the derelict station even eerier is the near-constant mist shrouding Paranapiacaba, due to its high-altitude location among the trees

http://i.imgur.com/pn9Sfc1.jpg
Abandoned: A South American jungle may be the last place you would expect to see a distinctly British train station - complete with a Big Ben style clock tower

http://i.imgur.com/cLmsyRT.jpg
Eerie: An old Armstrong-Whitworth Diesel-Electric train now rots on its original rails

http://i.imgur.com/ntp2ouq.jpg
Derelict: Former storehouses that were used as training centres for local villagers stand empty and in ruins

http://i.imgur.com/gmxGwy0.jpg
The company's greatest technological achievement was the funicular: a train shuttle built specifically for the steep mountain incline through the jungle

http://i.imgur.com/AaeUAXV.jpg
The construction of this zig-zag railway line though hilly terrain was considered a feat by the British engineers working there at the time

http://i.imgur.com/b4szcKP.jpg
But technology advancements rendered the railway obsolete and original carriages were left to rot on the tracks

http://i.imgur.com/WGFnyaz.jpg
At its peak, the village in the Brazilian jungle housed 4,000 mostly British workers and their families

http://i.imgur.com/mSeXmFY.jpg
The village prospered for 30 years until automated machinery replaced the funicular, which was labour-intensive

http://i.imgur.com/HymN5eX.jpg http://i.imgur.com/dUcAY7p.jpg
After the decline of Paranapiacaba had begun, the company was bought out by the Brazilian government in the 1940s

http://i.imgur.com/Zy7ax84.jpg http://i.imgur.com/EIzCVw8.jpg
Reclaimed by nature: Plants flourish inside the crumbling ruins of the former village and the empty train carriages

http://i.imgur.com/e9PNKTl.jpg
A British clock tower stands over the eerie site, which is surrounded by thick jungle vegetation

http://i.imgur.com/bXEnVqN.jpg http://i.imgur.com/dUcAY7p.jpg
Frozen in time: The last steam train was deactivated in 1982 and several carriages (right) and platforms (left) lie derelict

http://i.imgur.com/Ps81oLQ.jpg
A playground for animals: A white cat sits on one of the disused platforms, its clean fur standing out against the decay

http://i.imgur.com/aFBcpa4.jpg
Haunting: Standing as a testament to the once bustling station at the heart of the village, this empty train carriage rusts on the end of the train line

http://i.imgur.com/NgMNuy7.jpg http://i.imgur.com/l5eBX0q.jpg
Paranapiacaba, which means 'where you will find the sea' in Tupi, has been well-preserved and the government of Brazil gave the village historic status

http://i.imgur.com/dsejXHW.jpg
The Funicular de Paranapiacaba railway museum was established in 1970 and is now one of the biggest tourist attractions in the district

Cool :tup:

Thanks for the share.