Emilio Savary

Visionary engineer who built Peru's first trans-Andean railway system connecting the Amazon to Pacific ports

Emilio Savary (1834-1901), a Swiss-Peruvian entrepreneur, revolutionized Andean transportation through his engineering of the Central Andean Railway. Completed in 1875, this 450km line connected Lima to the Amazonian city of Pucallpa, enabling the first overland transport of rubber and coffee from the rainforest to Pacific ports. His innovative use of spiraled rail technology allowed trains to navigate 4,000m elevation changes - a feat later studied by Japanese engineers developing the Shinkansen.

Savary's ventures included the Southern Andean Railroad Company, which employed over 10,000 workers in its peak. His 1882 memoir Mountain Iron details engineering challenges still referenced in modern civil engineering courses. The route remains operational today as part of Peru's Ministry of Transport's heritage network, recently featured in UNESCO's 2022 report on industrial heritage preservation.