Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)
The Devil's Column
Weightlifting Hall of Fame
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
3 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
4 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
5 days ago
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Chile Copiapó The Copiapó

The Copiapó

South America's oldest surviving locomotive.

Copiapó, Chile

Added By
CoolCrab
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Copiapó.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
The Copiapó.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
The Copiapó.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
The Copiapó.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
The Copiapó.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
The Copiapó.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Copiapó was the first locomotive ever imported into South America. It was built by the Norris Brothers in Philadelphia in 1850 and came to Chile the following year.

The locomotive was in use for about seven years to transport goods and passengers. Every day, it traveled between Copiapó and Caldera.

The train had two passenger cars, one for first class and one for second class. Oddly, the two cars were pretty much the same, except for the decorations that adorned the walls. The Copiapó was also comprised of a luggage car and some cargo cars.

The Copiapó was originally a wood burning locomotive, a curious choice given Chile’s general lack of trees. Switching its fuel from wood to coal, coupled with the salinity of the area’s water, ultimately led to its demise.

The locomotive still traveled quite a bit after it was retired from service. The Copiapó was moved to the National Museum of Chile in Santiago. In 1901, it went to the United States to be displayed at the Buffalo Pan American Exposition, and in 1929, it was used one last time to transport delegates of the South American Railway Congress. The locomotive finally returned to Copiapó in 1945, where it was placed on the grounds of the University of Atacama, where it still stands today.

Related Tags

Universities Trains Transportation Industrial

Know Before You Go

The locomotive is freely accessible, but ask the guard to see it before wandering onto the terrain. They rarely speak English, so practice your Spanish or show a translated message.

Community Contributors

Added By

CoolCrab

Published

July 10, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.geovirtual2.cl/Museovirtual/FFCC/Locomotora-La-Copiapo-Atacama-02.htm
  • https://www.geovirtual2.cl/Museovirtual/FFCC/Locomotora-La-Copiapo-Atacama-01.htm
  • https://www.geovirtual2.cl/Museovirtual/FFCC/Locomotora-La-Copiapo-Atacama-03.htm
  • https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Copiap%C3%B3
The Copiapó
485 Av. Copayapu
Copiapó
Chile
-27.356485, -70.353133
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Statue of Juan Godoy

Copiapó, Chile

miles away

Museo Mineralógico (Mineralogical Museum)

Copiapó, Chile

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Copiapó

Copiapó

Chile

Places 3

Nearby Places

Statue of Juan Godoy

Copiapó, Chile

miles away

Museo Mineralógico (Mineralogical Museum)

Copiapó, Chile

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Copiapó

Copiapó

Chile

Places 3

Related Places

  • A Brooklyn Rapid Transit electric streetcar in 1908.

    Brooklyn, New York

    Canarsie Trolley Graveyard

    Residents of this Brooklyn neighborhood may be unaware their houses sit atop a buried trolley graveyard.

  • Obihiro, Japan

    Kofuku Train Station

    On an abandoned railway line, "happiness" station is still a popular destination for lovers.

  • Looking up at the Highball Signal.

    Delmar, Delaware

    Highball Signal

    This relic is one of the last survivors of the earliest eras of the American railroad.

  • Verviers, Belgium

    Verviers Station's Comical Hare and Tortoise Bas-relief

    A humorous work of art making fun of the station's very long construction time.

  • Riga, Latvia

    Latvian Railway History Museum

    A collection of historical engines and rolling stock from throughout Riga's rich railway history.

  • Shinagawa Station in the 21st Century

    Tokyo, Japan

    Shinagawa Station

    Japan's first train station is also the site of Godzilla's first destructive visit to the nation.

  • TY 51 locomotive.

    Krakow, Poland

    Kraków-Płaszów Train Graveyard

    This cemetery of rusting Soviet-era steam locomotives and train cars offers an apocalyptic glimpse into a bygone era.

  • Richmond, Virginia

    The Triple Crossing

    Where three rails and three centuries of transportation meet.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.