Issue No. 3 Winter 2006/7 he inaugural IRS meeting took place at the Model T Railway Club in London on 22nd February 2006, and was attended by about 20 prospective members from all around the UK. A general discussion took place and introductions, suggestions and proposals were made. At this meeting a small committee was voted on and tasked with setting up the Society on a formal basis. The Committee members are: Chairman David Stevenson Secretary and Membership Secretary Charles Philips Journal Editor Michael Guerra Treasurer Tony Bowles Publicity & Exhibitions Myles Munsey THE BASICS The remit of the Society is to stimulate interest in and disseminate information about railways on the Iberian Peninsular and the Balearic Islands. It was felt at this time that extending this remit to Spanish and Portuguese speaking areas of the world would be too ambitious. It is proposed that a Society Journal be published four times a year and that this would be the main conduit between members. Local meetings and branches were also to be established wherever possible to encourage membership from the widest possible area. A fledgling library could be made available to members as time went on. Consideration would be given to organising trips from the UK, both formal and informal, as a way of enabling members to meet in a very convivial atmosphere and whilst indulging their passion for rail travel! MEMBERSHIP Membership was to be open to all and would entitle the member to receipt of the magazine, use of the Societies’ facilities and attendance and voting rights at an Annual General Meeting. MEMBERSHIP RATES FOR ONE YEAR – APRIL 2006-MARCH 2007 UK £12.00 EUROPE £14.00 REST OF WORLD £16.00 Payment CHEQUE (Payable to: Iberian Railway Society) - Send to: Charles Phillips 52 Brookmans Road Stock, Ingatestone Essex CM4 9DB Those joining during the year pay the Annual Rate and will receive all copies of the journal for that year. Membership of the IRS is subject to the rules and constitution of the IRS. Membership records are held on a computer database in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. 2 Title Page The Society 2 The Chairman’s Page 4 The Editor’s Page 5 Spanish Railway Museums: Madrid Delicias 6 RENFE’s Class 250 & 251 11 Steam Citadel: Valencia Termino, 1963 17 Portugal’s Last Steam Locomotive 21 Centenarian Locomotives in Spain 23 The Santander—Mediterraneo Railway in 1936 28 Book Reviews 30 AGM Details 32 Contributions for publication should be, if possible, by email or computer disk (to avoid time spent transcribing text). Photos should be of good quality, sharp, well composed or of significant historical interest. Prints, slides, digital photos or good scans can be accommodated. All prints and slides should be sent by recorded delivery, they will be scanned as quickly as possible and returned by recorded delivery. Articles can be of any length, though generally of between 500 to 800 words for a book review, and up to 4,000 words for a main article. Maps should be of a good clear line, and legible at quarter page size. Submissions should be to: Michael Guerra, 6 Nash Close, Welham Green Hatfield, HERTS AL9 7NN Email (pref): [email protected] Front Cover: Toreelavega. FEVE 1651 with Transcantabrico tourist train. 08/01. Photo M Guerra 3 his is the first opportunity I have had to welcome all of you to our new Society. T Our Editor, Michael Guerra was so efficient he had produced and distributed the first editions of Correo before any of us realised. First a little about myself. David Stevenson, lifelong enthusiast who is never happier than when he is lineside taking pictures. I work for Volvo selling coaches in the UK and was Editor of the Swiss Railways Society journal, Swiss Express, for over seven years. I recently gave it up but am still involved on the periphery. Many of you will have seen me at Exhibitions doing my bit. When I saw the cutting in Today’s Railways about the formation of an Iberian Society I went along to the meeting and found myself Chairman at the end of it. I do believe that if you are a member of a society and circumstances are right then one should give it a go and do something. Inevitably I belong to many of the other European railway societies but my interest in Iberian Railways stems from my enjoyment of Spain & Portugal. I am not an expert, far from it. I love Spain and Portugal, enjoy travelling to all parts of the peninsular experiencing the culture, scenery, food and yes the railways as well. Fortunately we have a plethora of experts within the Society who can more than make up for my lack of knowledge. I see my role as an enabler and leader setting some goals and objectives and doing everything in my power to see that they are achieved. I am not going to apologise for sounding business-like here. We are after all in the business of increasing membership, creating economies of scale and putting the Society on a sound financial footing. We have the people to do it and they will tell you about themselves elsewhere in Correo. Our first objective is to increase membership. We are up to 38 as I write, which is a great start. I would like us to reach 50 by the end of our first year as a minimum. Why not talk to your friends and railway colleagues and get them to join. Do you perhaps belong to a Model Railway Club, are they holding an exhibition? If so then you need some flyers, send me an email and I’ll send some to you for the date you need them. Get the word out! We have established good contacts already with Continental Modeller and Today’s Railways; we have contacted the other European societies all of whom have been supportive and helpful. We are on our way I promise. Thanks again for becoming part of the Iberian Railways Society, may our association be a long and happy one. David Stevenson ([email protected]) 4 was hoping to have this issue finished in time for the mid Winter festive period. I However, the run up to the Christmas did not run smoothly - my computer died. Please come to the AGM on March 3rd (details on back cover). The more the merrier. It will be good to put faces to names. In looking forward to our family trip to Japan in the Spring I thought to having a look at the geography of the route we would be taking in Japan itself, and on the route back through Russia (Trans-Siberian), Belarus, Poland and Germany. We have various atlases, but it was recommended that we had a look at Google Earth (earth.google.com). This is a computer mapping program, based on the stitching together of numerous satellite photographs at various resolutions, overlaid with some simple (on the free version) place name, transport and political information. There is a definite US bias, though in Europe all the major cities are resolved down to street level. For a railway enthusiast this is a boon. Take a look at the screengrab of the deco Valencia Nord below. Although I have not covered the whole of the Iberian Peninsular, I can recommend a detailed look at Madrid, Lisboa, Porto, Valencia, Sevilla, Zaragoza, Gijon, Bilbao, Hendaye/Irun and Latour de Carol. Most places are not so detailed, so looking for Burgos, Valladolid or Avila is a bit disappointing. Although not Iberian, explore Paris, for a good view of the terminals and depots; my 10 year old says he can distinguish between BB16000 and BB15000 units from space. Have fun and explore. Michael Guerra Valencia Nord from Space (earth.google.com) 5 Text & Photos Michael Guerra Continuing a tour of Spain taken in the Spring of 2001, taking in the railway museums of Vilanova, Madrid, Gijon and Azpeitia. Intro/Location/Transport The museum is located in the south of central Madrid in the Delicias district. The site is an easy walk up from the Delicias Metro station or just across from the new Delicias Cercanias station. The main building has RENFE offices on the west side and offices shared with a technology college on the east side. Where the carriage sidings used to be at the south end of the old station are the RENFE sports facilities. Madrid in Spain, like Paris in France, is the centre of the rail network (literally). It is possible to travel north from Delicias on a Cercania 440 EMU right through the centre of Madrid and its 2 major termini, Atocha and Charmartin, through to the main depot at Fuencarral; and if you continue on the main line to Medina del Campo will pass the newer Talgo facility at Las Matas. South from Delicias is another major depot at Alcalar de San Juan – where the Mikados for the ‘Tren de la Fresa’ (Strawberry Train) are stored. Madrid has a clean and efficient Metro system (the air-conditioning is particularly welcome on a Madrid summer day), and the Cercanias (suburban service) provide frequent services to almost anywhere within a couple of hours from the city centre. 6 El Museo del Ferrocarril, Estacion Madrid-Delicias. View from the entrance. 04/06 History Opened in 1984 on the site of the elegant 19th century southern terminus (built in 1880 for the Madrid -Cuidad Real - Badajoz Railway), the Delicias museum was intended to both provide a central focus for Spanish railway history and to provide an overflow for the collection at Vilanova.