In 2002, Dr. Lynn George and his wife Ruth served as missionaries in Ecuador. While there, they took a trip on the Guayaquil & Quito Railway from Guayaquil near the Pacific Ocean up the spactacular mountain climb to the city of Quito. The photos below and the text presents Lynn's impressions of the trip.

Click on each image below to see its full sized version. Hit your back button to return and view the next photo. All images are copyrighted by Lynn George, 2002

Image	Description
	The trip began at a hospital in the town of Shell. The town was founded by Shell Oil Company but was abandoned due to the impractibility of oil exploration there. The site was then occupied by missionaries who built a hospital there. The origin of the movie "End of the Spear" was located near here. We served here as missionaries for two weeks prior to the train trip.
	The trip from Guayaquil to Quito was not entirely a rail journey as the tracks were no longer continuous. From Guayaquil we took an excursion to Doran, a nearby town.
	We always had a diesel railcar to back up our steam train.
	Our excursion train.
	A demonstration of a hand car.
	The Devil's Nose - a double switchback. The photos depict only the upper switchback. The G & O was surveyed and planned by a Virginian named Marman. (Click for a photo sequence).
	Assembling the train in Riobamba, Ecuador for the climb to Urbinia (altitude 11,000 feet)
	Train enroute to Urbina.
	Urbina (11,000 feet).
	Nearing the end of the journey.
	Ruth standing on the Equator (near Quito)