This early postcard photographer presumably arranged the scene to add a railway for a little extra interest. With a peak elevation of 6,268 metres (20,564 ft), Chimborazo is the highest mountain in Ecuador, the highest peak in close proximity to the equator and while not the highest mountain by elevation above sea level, its location along the equatorial bulge makes its summit the farthest point on the Earth's surface from the Earth's centre.
It's not stated which railway this is, it may be a present day one which comes closest to the mountain at a place called Pilco-Mocha.
The photo was shot at the site of Luisa Junction on the Guayaquil and Quito Railway about 5 Miles North West of Riobamba. The highest point on the railway is right up ahead about 15 miles or so at Urbina Summit This section of the road was built in 1906-7 and the photo was taken by Mr. John Horgan Jr., a view photographer working for the railway famous for his documenting the Pennsylvania Coal Industry. Kurt Hibbert-Sugar City, ID
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