THE ENCHANTED TRAIN OF SARACOCHA

They say that the first years of the construction of the railway from Arequipa to Puno, which
was the main railway line, had to pass through the side of Lake Saracocha next to the elevated
hills, located just five kilometers from the District of Santa Lucia, Lampa province, this crystal
clear lake with a lot of species of fauna and flora in its waters has a history full of mystery.

They say that something strange would have happened there. A passenger train that came
from Arequipa to the south had been enchanted and driven into the depths of the lake in the
middle of the night journey, with the locomotive and wagons full of passengers who had been
sleeping.

Mostly made up of foreign tourists, they would have disappeared next to the train without
leaving any trace at a time when it circled so many curves that exist in that place, with its
characteristic ringing of its bell and its whistle.

Some workers from the old stations tell that there was a survivor, a train driver who had
survived that accident, and this was his story:

The train left Arequipa at 9 pm bound for Juliaca, and which should be in Juliaca approximately
at 8 or 9 am, but that day the train never arrived at the station.

The train passing the Lagunillas station had accelerated until it reached the Saracocha station,
making a stop to make the necessary changes or repairs.

From the Saracocha station you could see Lake Lagunillas on one side and Lake Saracocha on
the other.

They continued their journey knowing that the next stop was the Santa Lucia station, the route
was downhill. The road reaches a curve, where there was a kind of natural alley around it,
there were several stones and rocks scattered around. They set off without any concern,
making the descent, the train began to move faster and faster, it became lighter, suddenly he
could see a city as big as Arequipa full of lights, then he realized that there was not not city of
that magnitude, and began to shout: It is not a city, It is not a city….

His partner, who was already delighted, said: We are coming to Juliaca, don't worry. Then the
driver jumped off the train in full swing in the middle of the darkness and watched as the train
and its carriages reflected the darkness.
The train got lost in the dark waters of Lake Saracocha, at that moment there was an
inexplicable splendor that when the train stopped ringing the place darkened little by little. So
after many hours he started walking scared to the Saracocha station to communicate by
telegraph what had happened.

He also said that the company had brought specialists to recover the train, but the lake was so
deep that the divers couldn´t reach the bottom. They were never able to recover the train or
its occupants.

Many residents who live near of Lake Saracocha and Lagunillas tell us that when they make
trips on foot, together with their animals, they can see from the top a beautiful passenger train
ringing its bell towards the depth this happens at certain hours called "bad time". On the other
hand there are those who go fishing alone in the lake, they appear like huge yellow trout fish.

They approach the fisherman without being afraid and curiously observe the man and it is said
that they would be the lost tourists turned into fish (trout) who want to talk with those who go
fishing.

T
here are those who claim to hear the train at noon or on full moon nights. Others observe a
great city of gold in the middle of Lake Saracocha where the train always makes its way.

This story full of mysteries has not been solved, there is no news or newspaper of that tragedy,
maybe to hide that accident. There is also no photo or recording of the sound of the train. Only
the testimonies of the residents who currently live in the region.

Would you like to navigate its waters in the middle of the full moon night?

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdwdFOhBP9CoAOlHDTmTxaw