What remains of Nicaragua's railroad system is a sorry sight. There are a few corroded skeletons of rail cars and the short stump of track they sit on. In 2006, the country's President sold the railroad cars, ripped up the tracks and peddled the metal for scrap. As a reminder of what trains looked like, the government keeps a couple of souvenirs from the system that traveled across the terrain from 1882 until 2006. Having suffered from economic distress, earthquakes and competition by trucks, autos, roads, and some blame accusing meddlesome outside countries, rail ultimately failed.
The shell of the train station in Granada has been partially restored and now operates as a technical school. On one side of the building is a rusting steam engine penned in behind a chain link fence.
On the other side is the faded luxury of the President's passenger car, with its wooden louvers misaligned and missing slats.
