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

[Teh One Who Knocks]

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.



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


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


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


What makes the derelict station even eerier is the near-constant mist shrouding Paranapiacaba, due to its high-altitude location among the trees


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


Eerie: An old Armstrong-Whitworth Diesel-Electric train now rots on its original rails


Derelict: Former storehouses that were used as training centres for local villagers stand empty and in ruins


The company's greatest technological achievement was the funicular: a train shuttle built specifically for the steep mountain incline through the jungle


The construction of this zig-zag railway line though hilly terrain was considered a feat by the British engineers working there at the time


But technology advancements rendered the railway obsolete and original carriages were left to rot on the tracks


At its peak, the village in the Brazilian jungle housed 4,000 mostly British workers and their families


The village prospered for 30 years until automated machinery replaced the funicular, which was labour-intensive


After the decline of Paranapiacaba had begun, the company was bought out by the Brazilian government in the 1940s


Reclaimed by nature: Plants flourish inside the crumbling ruins of the former village and the empty train carriages


A British clock tower stands over the eerie site, which is surrounded by thick jungle vegetation


Frozen in time: The last steam train was deactivated in 1982 and several carriages (right) and platforms (left) lie derelict


A playground for animals: A white cat sits on one of the disused platforms, its clean fur standing out against the decay


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


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


The Funicular de Paranapiacaba railway museum was established in 1970 and is now one of the biggest tourist attractions in the district

[Goofy]

Cool

[Muddy]

Thanks for the share.