An unusual publication is the story of an exceptional railway line; planned and designed by a Pole. Many curiosities, unknown facts, maps, archive photos - all this can be found in the publication by Przemysław Dominas.

Peru is Machu Picchu, the mysterious Nazca, the Colca Canyon, but also beautiful railway routes in the Andes. One of them - the Callao-Lima-La Oroya line - might be the next point on the map of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

It is worth knowing that carrying out the railway line was quite a challenge for the constructors and contractors, requiring their knowledge and experience. In the end, a route was created that can be the adventure of a lifetime. The train zigzags down the slopes, disappears into numerous tunnels and then rolls over bridges with a bang. Some viaducts are suspended over valleys, between earth and sky.

The project to run a railway line was put forward by the Polish constructor Ernest Malinowski. but was initially considered impossible to realise. In 1859, a special commission was set up to study the feasibility of a steel route across the Andes. It was not until 10 years later that the then Peruvian government signed a contract with Henry Meiggs, an American entrepreneur. It was he who commissioned E. Malinowski to draw up the technical and economic guidelines for the investment.

It is estimated that more than 10,000 people worked on the construction. Among them were Chileans, Peruvian Indians, Chinese and Africans. Engineers from the company of the famous Gustave Eiffel were engaged to assemble the bridges. Steel materials, timber and station boxes were imported from as far away as the USA .

You can find out about these and other stories related to this great technical challenge in the book by Przemysław Dominas The Transandine Railway - Callao-Lima-La Oroya, the work of the Polish engineer Ernest Malinowski , published by the Polonica Institute and Dom Wydawniczy Księży Młyn.

The publication is the fruit of the author's expedition to Peru, numerous source searches in Lima. A field inventory of the railway route made it possible to complete photographic documentation of the most important engineering structures, architecture and technical solutions. The book also includes a map of the railway route and the distribution of the main facilities of the line, as well as unique archival photographs.

We recommend and invite you to read it.

We are also happy to announce that in the ACADEMIA 2023 competition, Przemysław Dominas's book Transandian Railway - Callao-Lima-La Oroya, the work of the Polish engineer Ernest Malinowski, won the Rector of the Warsaw University of Technology Academia 2023 Award for the best academic publication in the field of technical and exact sciences , which was presented during the International Book Fair in Warsaw.

Przemysław Dominas' publication was once again recognised. This time, the Society of Scientific and Technical Associations-NOT awarded it a distinction in the competition for the best technical book and the best technical guide TECHNICUS 2023.

Author: Przemysław Dominas

Language editing: Emilia Baranowska

Year of publication: 2023

Co-publisher: Księży Młyn Dom Wydawniczy

Number of pages: 375

Binding: Hard Cover

Format: 210x290

ISBN: 978-83-7729-691-2