Issue No. 6 Autumn 2007 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 Charles Philips Journal Editor Michael Guerra Treasurer & Membership Secretary 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 £12.50 EUROPE £15.00 REST OF WORLD £16.00 Payment CHEQUE (Payable to: Iberian Railway Society) - Send to: Tony Bowles 1 Station Cottages Stow Road Toddington Cheltenham GL54 5DT

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 Sines—My Hometown Trains 6 The Lost Tribe of Trubia 17 The Chairman’s Summer Holiday 22 Startrain N Gauge Renfe 319 26 Nuria Cremallera 29 Reviews 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. Scans of 6”x4” prints should be scanned at 300dpi, 35mm slides should be scanned at 1600dpi, digital photographs should be 1920x1200 minimum. 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: At near 8pm the PTG train arrives at Sines port behind 1565 25-9-2005 Paulo Ferreira 3

OLA!

hat happened to summer? Our trip to Andalucia was not blessed with the W “scorchio scorchio” we had been promised and on our last day it rained buckets. We did have a very good time though, thanks for asking. I believe Michael may use some of the very few railway related pictures I was able to take in this edition. Please remember to send in your contributions, particularly those to do with current events.

I know that I keep banging on about increasing our membership but this is vital if we are to succeed in the long run. The sudden cancellation of the GRS show at Sutton Coldfield in September has not helped. We will have a presence at the Warley National Model Railway Show in December, it lasts two days and we would be very pleased if some of you were able to offer some assistance on the stand to give us regulars a break and a chance to look around, please get in touch if you feel able to help. This could be a good chance to achieve the magic over fifty membership objective that I set ourselves during the first year. We are close, but close is not enough, having over 50 members will make such a difference to our finances and abilities to do more to spread the word about. Please help if you can.

Enjoy the magazine, I know I shall.

David Stevenson, Chairman – Iberian Railways Society Tel: 01905 358440 Email: [email protected]

4 Jerez station taken from the platform and looking towards the overall roof. 22.05.07

embers may have recently noticed an announcement about the setting up of M Railteam. A new association of European national railways that promise to make high-speed rail travel across Europe a hassle–free experience. They promise to better integrate the high-speed timetables, making connections more secure for the traveller, along with through ticketing. They are competing with the airlines, playing on the tedious security checks, baggage restrictions, poor airline punctuality, poor environmental credentials and the non-proximity of airports to destinations. The current focus is on the central European high-speed network only, not the classic lines; and for the IRS member it is noticeable that RENFE is not a member. Perhaps this will come once the Perpignan—Barcelona LGV is complete. Until then, take the Trenhotel!

I recently took a daytrip to Frankfurt by train to collect a fragile Japanese longbow (yumi). I took the first Eurostar to Bruxelles, then ICE to Frankfurt. Route is via Köln and the scenic Eiffel mountains route (very slow). On the return I had to change at Köln from ICE3 to Thalys, with only a 10 minute connection. The ICE3 was 10 minutes late arriving in the evening rush hour, waiting on the Rhine bridge for the platform to clear. But the Thalys was held and I managed to scramble down to the underpass and get on the absolutely packed PBKA. A tangible effect of of new international relations. There are capacity issues on the Thalys route. With the Thalys taking over from the old under- powered 4-voltage SNCF Class 40100 / SNCB Class 18 TEE service, people are taking the train instead of the plane. One wonders what effect a fast service from the French Riviera to Barcelona will have once that route is finished.

Michael Guerra

5 Sines – My Hometown Trains By Paulo Ferreira

s is the case with so many small villages and towns in Portugal, apart from the old A reconstructed castle and a couple of churches, there really is no great architectural splendour to enjoy at Sines. But this genuine simplicity is also why these small villages exert a fair amount of interest. Of course, arguably some of the finest beaches (not overcrowded as in the Algarve…) and fresh fish and sea-food in the country add to the interest for visitors and the quality of life of the lucky locals.

And it has the added bonus of being a busy railway terminus.

1570 leaves the Repsol branch at Sines with an empty cement stone train 24-3-2005

Railways reached the small fisherman’s seaside town of Sines only in 1936. The 50 km branch off Ermidas do Sado in the Linha do Sul (Southern Line) lived a lazy and quiet life until passenger services closed in 1990. Passenger freight ended for lack of patronage. The line was run as a branch, meaning travellers had to change trains at Ermidas do Sado junction. Sines station is well located in the centre of the town, but Santiago do Cacém station (the smaller and only other significant stop in the branch) is somewhat far from the town it served and thus was not very convenient. The line diverts almost all the way towards the interior of the country, in Eastern direction, when most of the people really want to go North, heading for Setúbal – the district capital – or Lisbon. By then the road network was already far more convenient and frequent direct 6 buses linked Sines with Setúbal and Lisboa in shorter journey times. Closure of passenger services was preceded by bustitution in later years. When passenger trains finally ended there really was not much sorrow.

1460 leaves Sines port with the PTG train at 9.30am 26-9-2005

Since the ending of passenger operations Sines station has been closed. For a while it served as the bus company terminal. Recently it has been cleaned and repainted and is now amidst a pleasant garden as part of a new high quality residential development. It is of the elegant typical Caminhos de Ferro do Estado (State Railways) architectural style, with stone columns supporting the platform canopy. Its walls sport the typical Portuguese figurative ceramic tiles panels, displaying scenes from local history. But it is still closed with no usage. On the other hand the goods shed is currently being refurbished into a cervejaria. For those not familiar with the Portuguese language, it means soon I will be able to drink beer and eat sea-food or grilled meat there!

Freight service is a totally different story.

When passenger services ceased Sines had already changed its main sustenance source from fishing to heavy industry. The government chose Sines at the site of a major industrial complex. It would take advantage of the deep waters around the Sines cape to harbour the larger super tankers of the time before the oil crisis of the late 70’s. So, through that decade, Sines changed from a small bucolic cove to a world class international harbour. A 1200 MW thermal power plant (the largest in Portugal) was built, being fed with Australian coal. A 10 million ton per year oil refinery (also the largest in Portugal) feeds half the country with fuels and derivates (plus some exporting). 7 Clockwise from top-right: 1908 Leaves the GalpEnergia Sines refinery with heavy residue to the Quimiparque ammonia plant at Barreiro 21-6-2005. 5609 approaches Sines port with a Terminal XXi bound train 18-11-2006 . A 1900 with coal from Sines in Renfe Faoos hoppers leaves Ermidas-Sado. The Zaes tankers have mixed couplers 22-12-2006. 1909 with an empty stone cement train in the final portion of the Metalsines-Repsol branch 25-8-2005. A large petrochemical plant produces polymers and other base chemical products. These three major industries followed by some smaller ones - including Metalsines, a rail wagon and heavy metallic structures builder – naturally spurred a host of local industrial and services activities in the area. So, without losing its fishing traditions, Sines has become a major industrial pole at national level.

Sines port has thus grown to become the most important in Portugal in the energy area. These activities comprise the import of crude oil to the refinery and the export of some of its refined products; the import and export of the petrochemicals used in the polymer plant and the coal to the local power plant and the one at Pego of which we will deal later on. Recently a container transhipment terminal has been built, levering this port to become the Portuguese busiest in handled tonnage.

Naturally all these activities have some share in rail activities.

A new Porto de Sines (Sines Harbour) station was built at the port. This is a modern plain and bland box-like building and has only administrative facilities to support the port rail freight operations and shunting duties in the coal and container terminals.

The single line is electrified at the standard Portuguese voltage of 25 kV 50 Hz. The private industrial branches currently in use are also electrified. Power comes from Santiago do Cacém substation, approximately half way along the branch. 8 Traffic is controlled by a CTC system, from Setúbal. Bidirectional block signalling is by colour lights linked to the Convel (Controlo de Velocidade – speed control) ATP system - Ericab 700, by Ericsson – and is supported by train to ground radio communication. The line is now well equipped with welded heavy rails and bi-bloc concrete sleepers to the UIC D4 standard, thus allowing the heaviest of trains at up to 120 km/h. Sines has no stabling facilities so all trains are scheduled to spend here just the required time to deliver empties and pick up loadeds.

A 5600 on the final approach to Terminal XXI. Sines power plant on the background 16-8-2006

The current freight traffics are the following.

Tejo Energia Tejo Energia is a private 600 MW thermal power plant located nearby Pego, close to Abrantes. This is fed with the Australian coal that is disembarked at Sines Port. Right after being unloaded from the transoceanic bulk carrier ships, coal is piled up in two neatly formed “hills” from where it can be either taken in carrier belts to the local EDP power plant or, more interestingly to us, conveyed by similar belts to a close by loading silo. The bottom of this silo fills the Tejo Energia own Uaoos bogie hopper wagons. These were built locally at Metalsines, initially with roll up canvas covers but these were found to be too labour consuming to unroll and roll back so were soon replaced with two longitudinal frames, pneumatically openable. The controls for these are automatically actuated when approaching the silo. As soon as the empty train arrives the rakes of 22 wagons are uncoupled from the locomotives and slowly pulled under the loading silo by one of two Vollert tractors, radio controlled by the filling operator. When loading is complete the tractor pushes them back into the main yard thus closing their tops. 9 A pair of 5600 in UM with its load of coal for Tejo Energia passes the Sines power plant branch. Harbour cranes in the background 1-11-2006 It is time than for the two 5600 electrics, working in multiple unit, to take them back on their journey to Pego. Seven of the 5600 locos are equipped with Atlas couplers specifically for this service (an eighth locomotive was scrapped after a tragic head-on collision). The line to the Tejo Energia power plant (a branch from Beira Baixa line) is fully electrified so the pair of 5600 takes the train all the way. At arrival the train is automatically unloaded from the bottom and soon returns to Sines. Three or four trains are diagrammed daily. This is currently the heaviest train regularly scheduled on Portuguese tracks.

Before electrification of the Itinerário dos Granéis (Bulk Itinerary) as the Sines branch as become known more or less officially, these trains were hauled by three 1900 diesels. The climb up the Santiago do Cacém hill provided one of the most memorable and far reaching roaring soundtracks your humble writer has ever enjoyed! I could hear it at my home in central Sines!

Terminal XXI Terminal XXI is the new Sines harbour container terminal (leased to the Port of Singapore Authority). Its main purpose is the transhipment of containers between large transoceanic vessels and smaller coastal ships. Nevertheless it is also the source of some considerable rail traffic between Sines two container terminals.

Three daily trains to the large terminal at Bobadela (just North of Lisbon) are normally 10 in charge of multiple units of 2500 or 2550 electrics, with the occasional 5600 appearing now and then. Recently 2600 electrics have been adapted for multiple unit operation and allocated to the CP Cargas (Freight) division and have thus also appeared in these trains. Containers were initially only loaded in articulated Sggmrss wagons, but due to the ever increasing traffic, CP uses whatever flats with container fixings that are available, such as the Rs and Rgs. Some low sided Sgs wagons have had their drop sides cut away and, under their new designation of Regmms are also employed. Similar, if more radical, transformations have been applied to high sided Eaos bogie wagons, now designated Sgmms. Some two axle flats Lgs are also employed. Renfe and Transfesa wagons are regular visitors too.

A pair of 2550 in UM heads for Sines Terminal XXI. Grândola 14-8-2006

MSC – Mediterranean Shipping Company has been the mainstay supplier of container traffic but an additional contract has been signed with Maersk and is already showing in more colourful varieties of container colours.

A thrice weekly service to SPC (Sociedade Portuguesa de Contentores – Portuguese Container Corporation) container terminal at Praias do Sado, near Setúbal, has recently been added.

The Administração do Porto de Sines (Port of Sines Administration) set themselves the goal of doubling the container traffic in the next two years. If the current growth is sustained that should not prove hard to achieve.

11 Heavy residue One of the sub-products of the crude oil refining process is heavy residue. This bitumen-like substance is used by Adubos de Portugal (Portuguese Fertilizers) to produce ammonia at their Quimiparque plant, at Lavradio, near Barreiro. The residue is loaded in Zaes thermal insulated tank wagons at GalpEnergia Sines refinery. A 1900 diesel with Atlas couplers delivers the daily empty train, picks up the rake that was loaded previously and returns to Barreiro, normally after lunch time. The rake of empty tanks is pulled under the top loading bay by a cable powered truck. Tankers are loaded one by one as there are some strict safety precautions to take into account due to the flammability of the residue.

Most of the route taken by these trains is electrified but the few hundred metres inside the refinery and the 15 km between Pinhal Novo and Barreiro have no overhead catenary (yet?), hence the diesel traction. These tank wagons were acquired for the transport of fuel-oil from the GalpEnergia refinery to the EDP power plant at Setúbal in the 1980’s. Three daily trains of 25 wagons were hauled by pairs of 1900 diesels with Atlas couplers. These were the first trains in Portugal such equipped. For some time they were top and tailed by one 1900 at each end. When EDP built a ship unloading facility the rail traffic ceased and the wagons were stored for some years. The 1900 then had their Atlas couplers replaced with the standard UIC type until this residue traffic started some years ago.

A graffited 1550 with the jet fuel train to Faro airport at GalpEnergia Sines Refinery 21-9-2004

Jet fuel and diesel The GalpEnergia Sines Refinery provides another freight service in the form of jet fuel and diesel to the Faro airport, at Algarve. Faro airport fuelling facilities were supplied by Sines refinery via road tankers. As the air traffic increased this road traffic became expensive and cumbersome, so GalpEnergia turned to rail transport. This requires some juggling as the Faro airport has no rail link. CP, wanting to win this contract, came up with an almost intermodal solution. Some 20 feet tanker containers were purposely 12 acquired. These are bottom loaded at the refinery, atop their Rgs container flats, again one at a time. When loaded, they are pushed away by another cable powered truck and await the pick-up engines.

This comes usually in the very small hours of the morning, before dawn (thus complicating the photographer’s life...), in the shape of a pair of 1550 diesels in multiple unit. The empties are left for loading during the day and the loaded train is swiftly towed away. This train goes as far as the multipurpose terminal at Loulé, in the Algarve. Once there the tank containers are transhipped by an overhead gantry to road lorries for the short journey to the nearby Faro airport where they are unloaded directly from the truck. This then returns to Loulé where its empty tank container is moved back to the wagon. This daily train travels all the way “under the wires”. Only the above mentioned few hundred metres inside the refinery have no catenary. It seems that CP, REFER (Rede Ferroviária Nacional – National Rail Network – the track authority) and GalpEnergia could not reach an agreement on who would pay the bill for the electrification of this stretch of track inside the refinery, as it is a private branch – even if they have electrified the rest of the branch up to the refinery gates. And so, two diesel engines travel daily all the way up and down through almost 200 km of electrified tracks...

A pair of 2550 in UM leaving Sines area with a Terminal XXI container train. GalpEnergia refinery chimney in background 26-9-2006 Fly ash In spite of the EDP power plant at Sines being fed with coal directly from the harbour through conveyer belts it produces some freight trains in the form of fly ash. This results from the burning of the finely grinded coal and is valued as an add-in component in cement plants. The power plant top loads this fly ash onto Uacs Cimpor tank wagons, from a huge concrete silo straddling atop the track. The weekly train is normally in 13 charge of a 2500 or 2550 electric that runs round its train and waits patiently while the wagons are shunted by a small cable powered truck. The loading track and its run round loop are electrified so the train is electrically powered all the way to the Cimpor cement plant at Alhandra, in the North of Lisbon.

Before the electrification of the Sines branch this service was normally in charge of ageing 1320 diesels. These Alcos were bought second hand from as a short time interim solution to the lack of line diesels to face the rising freight levels. As CP had then already opted for a general electrification of its main routes it was considered wise not to invest in new (and therefore more expensive) diesels.

Due to the ever more stringent environmental concerns, laws and EU directives, EDP is building a second ash silo to cope with the extra particles extracted from the fumes. This has implied the temporary suspension of the rail operations during this construction period but some more traffic is then to be expected later on.

In the recent past, some additional freight activity was noted for some time.

A pair of 2600 in UM changing trains at Sines Terminal XXI 17-5-2005 Coal to Souselas Besides Tejo Energia power plant, the cement plant at Souselas also receives imported coal from the same loading silo at Sines port. One pair of standard coupling 5600 electrics hauls the Regmms wagons with open top containers. But this traffic seems to be quite infrequent and has not been noted in the past couple of months.

Rented Renfe wagons For a couple of months in the end of 2006, CP rented a dozen or so Faoos hoppers from Renfe. These were used in two rakes with an empty mixed coupling Zaes CP tank 14wagon at each end to provide the required Atlas coupler for the 1900 diesel that hauled them away from Sines, again loaded with coal. I did not manage to sort out where this traffic was headed.

Cement stone During the spring and summer of 2005 stone (or possibly clinker?) was brought in by rail from the North of the country to a new cement factory built close to the power plant. As this traffic was only provisional (the stone is now apparently shipped by sea) it was dealt with in quite a peculiar way. The stone was carried in half-height containers in Sgs flat wagons. The containers were shifted unto road trucks in the middle of nowhere. That is: halfway the Repsol petrochemical plant branch, which has not been used since the 1980’s when palettes of bagged polymer grains were shipped in Gabs bogie sliding wall wagons. The road trucks travelled half a dozen kilometres to the cement plant, tipped back the stone and returned the empty container back to the train. A few trucks were used in this merry-go-round.

Upon arrival, the daily 1550 or 1900 left the loaded train (a dozen or so wagons) at Metalsines run round loop, went to Repsol branch, picked up the empty train and brought it back to the Metalsines loop. The loaded train was then pushed to the Repsol branch. Finally, the loco coupled to the empty train and left. A Refer worker joined the loco crew at Ermidas do Sado and travelled all the way to Sines and back, just to assist in the shunting and coupling manoeuvres at the Metalsines loop. Sometimes, a couple of standard containers, grain hoppers, or timber wagons appeared coupled to end of the train. I never figured out why…

A pair of 5600 with coal leaves as a pair of 2550 with containers arrive. Sines port 22-3-2007 15

Axle bearing maintenance In 2005 Metalsines won a contract for the maintenance of the axle bearings of the Tejo Energia Uaoos coal hoppers. Despite Metalsines having good facilities with direct rail access, this contract was performed at a rented warehouse in the port, nearby the coal loading silo. Thus it was easy for a small road-rail vehicle to get one or two wagons from incoming coal trains and replacing them with freshly serviced ones. For a couple of years this activity provided the opportunity for some unusual pictures of lifted wagons and dismantled bogies.

Furthermore, Sines seems to be a popular destination with British rail fans. For us, the local fans, these visits are always highly appreciated as they provide the opportunity to photograph some rare and original trains.

Thus on the 25th September 2005 passenger coaches hauled by 1565 returned to Sines with the merry travellers of the PTG – Portuguese Traction Group. They left the following day behind 1460. Unfortunately Sines station had its tracks already lifted by then. So it was time for Porto de Sines to become a passenger station for a night. The absence of platforms was not deterrent for the alightment of the shutter-happy photographers though!

One year later, on the 26th September 2006 the transport for a Graham Tours excursion was provided by the Allan VIP motorcoach. Probably a first at Sines!

After all, Sines may be no strange land for some of the readers. Am I right?

Left:: Sines Station 8-4-2007 Right: The Allan VIP motorcoach and the Graham Garnell Tours travellers at Port of Sines Station. Terminal XXI in the background 26-9-2006

16 The Lost Tribe Of Trubia

hen I was a small boy I was sent each week to Sunday School, and one week the W poor young lady Sunday School teacher tried to tell us with limited success about the ten lost tribes of Israel who were banished into the Assyrian wilderness to wander for forty years before ultimately being completely scattered and destroyed. A similar fate befell a class of ten Spanish steam locomotives, namely the ten metre- gauge 2-8-2 tanks intended for the Ferrocarril de El Ferrol a Gijón. (FCFG).

This line was conceived as a strategic/military connection between the Trubia Arsenal and the other explosives and armaments factories around and the naval centres of El Ferrol, La Coruña and Vigo. The French military build-up in the nineteenth century made Spain (and Britain) very jumpy, and led to increased military activity in response. In 1886 the Congress of Deputies approved a project for a line across the North principally for strategic purposes.

In the Spanish way time went by. The 1888 Secondary Railways plan supported the project, consolidating it into the 1906 Law of Strategic and Secondary Railways. This led to the formation of the FCFG, to make an end-on connection with Los Ferrocarriles Económicos de (EA), the Ferrocarril Cantábrico (FC) and the Ferrocarril de Santander a Bilbao (SB), providing a metre-gauge strategic route all the way along the Northern coast. Work did not begin until 1921, just in time for the effective coup d’état by General Primo de Rivera in 1923. His military dictatorship naturally approved of ‘strategic’ projects, but still things didn’t get moving. The political situation worsened, and King Alfonso XIII tried to revoke the military dictatorship, but then the anti- monarchist Republican movement led to his leaving the country in 1931, then the continuing leftward swing provoked the fascist General Franco to mutiny and come back from Morocco to undertake his civil war.

Rather desultory work had begun on the FCFG using three small locomotives. According to information gleaned from the 1995 Industrial Railway Society ‘Pocket Book SNG’ (from which so much is taken with grateful acknowledgement) they were: An 1890 Sharp Stewart 4-4-0T, no. 2 ‘Zalla’ and a 1904 North British 4-4-0T, no. 5 ‘Denito’, both from the SB, and a 1902 Borsig 2-6-0T no. 3 ‘San Tirso’ from the isolated Ferrocarril de Villaodrid a Ribadeo. This latter must have been surplus to requirements on the VR, as they had hired it out to the Ferrocarril de Ponferrada a Villablino in 1919 for a while, and then hired or sold it to the FCFG.

The ten locomotives for the FCFG, (remember them, the subject of this article?) had been ordered in about 1930 from the Government Trubia Arsenal arms factory. They were to be heavy 2-8-2 tanks, and would turn out to be to all intents and purposes a copy of the Babcock & Wilcox Mikado tanks of 1929, built for the FC. The same design was repeated by B & W for the Ferrocarrile Vasco-Asturiana (VA) in 1958, therefore 17 one supposes it was deemed to be satisfactory. Trubia was building M26 army tanks at this time, but I don’t think they had much experience of railway locomotive building, although they seem to have made a good workmanlike job of the 2-8-2s, if slowly. Indeed, the only other steam vehicle that I have been able to discover is a small non-self- propelled steam crane built in 1890 for their own internal use, and now in the museum at Gijón. Of course, they might have built themselves little shunters also, and quite possibly someone out there knows.

The first locomotive was completed in 1933, but I can find no evidence that any of the new locomotives were delivered to the FCFG or any other railway before the 1936 Civil War engulfed the area, and in effect trapped them within the Oviedo area. The aforementioned pocket book SNG states that at least four locomotives, nos. 2,3,6 and 8 were used to work for the besieged Republicans between the Trubia Arsenal and another armaments factory near Oviedo, noting that no. 8 was used whilst still only partially painted! When the Nationalists finally over-ran the Asturias they were transferred to the EA.

FG no.4 at El Ferrol, on 26/07/61 As an armchair research exercise, it has not been too easy to chart the wanderings of the lost tribe of Trubia, even with the aid of the world-wide-web! The principal source for the following list is the Pocket Book SNG (Mr. Morley and Mr. Plant must have sweated blood to amass all the excellent information in that booklet) plus several Spanish web- 18 sites and a nice little book recently discovered in Dénia entitled ‘Del Tramway al Ferrocarril – la línea Carcaixent-Dénia’ and written by Vicent Ferrer i Hermigildo. I have also had personal sight of three of the tribe during my Iberian travels. Here follow my comments by number.

FG1. Trubia 1933, rebuilt (refurbished?) Cádiz 1953. Recorded on the Calahora- Arnedillo railway in October 1959 and scrapped at unknown place and date – possibly Arnedo depot. FG2. Trubia 1933. Did war work as above, then to the EA, returned to FCFG in November 1942. It was at the Castro-Urdiales to Traslaviña railway by September 1955, and scrapped by September 1964. FG3. Trubia 1933. The same adventures as FG2, then to the VA, then across to Cataluña to the Manresa to Olván-Berga line around 1952. My brother Richard photographed it at Sallent in March 1961. SNG notes it at the Talleres LaFuente, Madrid in February 1964, presumably being converted to oil burning (which this firm did to many locomotives). No. 3 was not heard of again. FG4. Trubia 1933. SNG records the first user as the Vasco-Navarro, then to the Manresa to Olván-Berga around 1952. I saw No. 4 on its home ground at El Ferrol in July 1961, when 46 kilometres of line had been completed as far as Puente Mera. A service started a few months later. SNG records it at Talleres LaFuente in February 1964 and on the Carcagente-Dénia railway in November 1964. However, Vicent Ferrer says it was received at Carcagente in 1966, having been converted to oil-burning at TLF. It was intended to work the through Carcagente-Alicante trains, but the lighter, shorter wheelbase Batignolles diesels delivered in 1959 were preferred for this work. No. 4 was scrapped around 1973. FG5. Trubia 1935, rebuilt Astillero Cádiz 1953 and LaFuente 1962. No. 5 was at Castro-Urdiales by May 1956, moving to the Amorebieta-Bermeo line by August 1958. I saw no. 5 at the Madrid Goya terminus of the Madrid-Almorox line in June 1963. It was scrapped from there some time after May 1964. FG6. Trubia 1935, rebuilt Cádiz 1955. This locomotive seems to have spent its working life at Castro-Urdiales. It was seen there in May 1954, August 1958, June 1959, and September 1964. FG7. Trubia 1935, rebuilt Cádiz 1953. No. 7 turns up at Carcagente in 1950. Curiously, booklet SNG does not mention no.7 here, only no. 4. It mentions 7 as being at the Calahora-Arnedillo in October 1959, which agrees with Vicent Ferrer’s book. An interesting slant on the Trubias can be obtained from his book, and a rough translation of the relevant paragraphs goes as follows. “The next locomotive to arrive on this railway (FCCD) was a 141T built by the Trubia works for the Ferrol-Gijón railway, and therefore nicknamed ‘La Ferrolana’. It never saw service on its native line, being sent all over the country by the Estado authorities. It was one of a group of locomotives that were contracted directly by the Superior Council of Railways with the Trubia Arsenal Factory, corresponding to the design built by Babcock & Wilcox for the Cantabrian Railway. This locomotive made its appearance at Carcagente in 1950, causing quite a stir on account of its great size. Footplate crews who were to take charge of no. 7 were sent by the Estado to the Manresa-Olván line to be 19 trained by crews who already had knowledge of the type. The absence of turntables large enough at Gandía or Dénia restricted its usefulness (I always thought tank locomotives were equally at home in either direction, only requiring infrequent turning). Also the higher boiler pressure and superheated steam allegedly made extra work for the footplatemen. Most importantly, the heavy weight and long wheelbase on the weak rails of the system led to the railway making little use of it. From this railway it was taken to Cádiz for overhaul together with others (1953?) and later to the Calahora Arnedillo railway.”

FG no. 3 at Catalanes Railway Sallent mpd on 26/03/61 Sure enough it was recorded at Calahora in October 1959, and was broken up at Arnedo. One wonders why no. 4 was sent to Carcagente in 1966 (or 1964 according to SNG) when no. 7 had already been so unpopular. Looking at the technical details, it does seem that the permanent way department would have a genuine complaint, as the 2-8-2Ts weighed 53,000 kg. in working order as against the 24,000 or 26,000 kg. of the Black Hawthorn 4-4-0Ts or the Belgian 0-6-0Ts, and the fixed wheelbase was almost a metre longer. ‘Foreign’ steam locomotives were seldom accepted anywhere. I recall BR(M) authorities sending a nice handy L & Y 2-4-2T to Bedford, thinking it would be just the thing on the Hitchin branch, but it just rusted away at the back of the shed!

FG8. Trubia 1935. No. 8 spent time on the Vasco-Navarro, the Vasco-Asturiano and at Castro- Urdiales. FG9. Trubia 1940. There isn’t much information to be gleaned, but she was at Castro- Urdiales by 1958 and scrapped after September 1964. FG10. Trubia 1942. No. 10 also went to Castro-Urdiales from the Amorebieta-Bermeo line by June 1959, and on to the Santander-Bilbao railway by August 1964. It was seen derelict on the SB in August 1967, by now a victim of dieselisation, no doubt. 20

There was an unconfirmed story that FG8 might have been preserved on a plinth at Dénia or Calpe, on the Costa Blanca, but I have not seen or heard of it there. I suffered some confusion for a while because a 2-8-2T from the Vasco-Asturiano numbered 8 is preserved at the Museum at Gijón. The VA had FG8, but also their own number 8 of the same design, supplied by Babcock & Wilcox in 1958. They look alike, but it is the B & W one at the museum – I think.

These locomotives must have been quite satisfactory on those heavier lines in the North, as evidenced by the ordering of new ones in 1957 by the VA. The more lightly laid and less well maintained lines must have thought they had been truly ‘lumbered’ by the Estado central management with totally unsuitable machines. Because the Ferrol-Gijón was never completed in their lifetime, the ‘Ferrolanas’ were pretty much surplus to requirements, and what the FC de Castro-Urdiales a Traslaviña (24 km main line plus 8 km branch) did with six of them in the late fifties and early sixties goodness only knows.

The railway for which the Trubias were intended was eventually completed, amounting to 320 Km. of main line. The first section to be opened was actually ‘handed over’ to the Ferrocarril de Carreño, who used the prepared trackbed between Aboño and Gijón for their own operations from about 1953 pending future FG services. The Carreño also began to operate the line between Avilés and Pravia from September 1956. At the western end, the first 46 km. from El Ferrol to Puente Mera was opened in 1962, and at the eastern end the 59 km. from Pravia to Luarca likewise. 1964 saw another 7 km. opened from Puente Mera to Ortiguera. Two years later 33 km. from Ortiguera to Viveiro opened, and after two more years, the 68 km. from Viveiro through Ribadeo to Vegadeo was connected. By the way, there was never a physical connection, so it is understood, between the FCFG and the Villaodrid a Ribadeo mining line at Ribadeo. The final section from Vegadeo to Luarca was completed in 1972, and through services began in September of that year, after 51 long years. I have a 1981 Horario Guia which shows two through trains per day each way; an all-stations Ligero and a Rápido, taking 7 hours 27 minutes and 5 hours 13 minutes respectively. Nowadays, FEVE provide two through stopping trains (no Rápido) per day taking about six hours with a change at Pravia, because the trains run Ferrol to Oviedo and return. I haven’t ‘griced’ (horrible word) this line, but the long ride must be quite spectacular. Alternatively, one could consider the luxury Transcantabrico tourist train that runs between San Sebastian and Ferrol - at a price - with seven nights sleeping on board (interesting carriages) and many stops and side trips by coach along the way. Even if they were running this with Trubia Mikado tanks, I couldn’t justify the expense myself. According to the website, a single fare is E3,300 and a double E4,600. Perhaps they are trying to get back some of the 4,250 million pesetas that they are reputed to have spent of the Ferrol-Gijón line!

21 The Chairman’s Summer Holiday

eb and I often go to Spain, however our middle daughter, Helen, has been at D University in Cordoba over the past academic year and we have visited her several times.

As an aside Helen was at Aberystwyth for the two years prior and Deb managed two trips to see her. The past year in Cordoba has seen Deb and various family combinations go over visiting her baby seven times. I’m not quite sure what all this means but I’m sure an analyst would have a field day.

A local Cercanias waits to return to Cadiz. 22/05/07

All these trips have not been very kind from a railway point of view. Cordoba station is not exactly photogenic and since most of our time has been spent in the city pitifully few railway photographs have been possible. I had higher hopes of our trip to Andalucia this past May, that was until I noticed how few trains there are around Cadiz, Jerez and the surrounding area.

I was a bit excited on a visit to Jerez as the station is meant to be very attractive, as indeed it is apart from the hundred foot deep hole in front of it, the safety fencing all around and the general kafuffle surrounding major building works. I did manage a few pictures on the platforms and they give some idea of what seems to have been a major restoration project. When it is finally completed it is going to be worth a visit. 22 The superbly restored main building seen from platform 4. The tiles are as noteworthy as ever. 22/05/07

The interior of the new Cadiz station at about 1900. The 1930 Trenhotel to Barcelona waits for departure on platform 3.

23 The exterior of Cadiz station with the old station in the background on the left. 25.05.07

252-068-0 approaches San Fernando with the 1930 ex Cadiz to Barcelona. A stop is timetabled here but the train passed through regardless. 25.05.07 24 Cadiz looked good on paper, that is apart from the very few trains that actually complete the long trip to this southerly outpost. Apart from the approximately hourly Cadiz-Jerez locals and the roughly hourly Andalucian Express to Seville, which are both multiple unit there are only three to four trains a day and as far as I can tell no freight at all. The dock connection in the centre of the city is severed and the old station replaced by a concrete, metal and glass modern construction complete with a portakabin on the passenger area that serves as a rudimentary and surprisingly unpleasant cafeteria. The line along much of the peninsular is sub-surface as well, making photography difficult unless you have a lot of time to get to locations on the causeway.

There is a huge amount of infrastructure work on the line; it is being doubled in connection with a proposed huge increase in the Cercanias service to Jerez. The new line to the University is already in operation, I think it operates every 20 minutes in each direction at the moment deduced from a snatched glance at the arrival/departure boards whilst driving by on our way to our apartment. The Renfe website really does not like displaying a full timetable in the traditional format.

I did manage a few pictures and some are shown here. San Fernando station is undergoing a complete rebuild in a radical, modern and to my eyes very attractive style. It mirrors the sea looking like a set of surf waves coming in. When it’s finished it will be a striking addition.

Most of the pictures taken on the past few trips have been of buses, if anyone is interested in these then write in and let the Editor know, I’ll be happy to do a small photo spread.

The new San Fernando station takes shape. 25.05.07 25 Startrain N Scale RENFE Class 319

he name Startrain is new in the Spanish market and appears to be the result of the T Spanish model supply company Soldat’s attempt at filling a gap in the N gauge model range. Not surprisingly the models are imported from China.

Startrain Renfe Class 319.2 in Yellow/Grey livery An impressive range from Startrain is planned over the next couple of years including diesel and electric locomotives, Talgo III carriages and freight wagons. It seems that common sense has prevailed and that Startrain are not duplicating other products, planned or otherwise, except rather interestingly the class 252 electric locomotive, now relaunched by Hornby under the Arnold brand. It will be interesting to see whether the other manufacturers reciprocate. The first model to appear is of the RENFE class 319 diesel electric locomotive. This class has a very complicated history of rebuilds and sub classes in the Spanish tradition and perhaps this description has a place in a further article.

Currently there are two sub classes of the class 319 produced, 319/3 in Grandes Lineas, AVE and Infrastructure liveries and the 319/2 “Retales” in Blue / Yellow, Grey / Yellow and Estrella liveries. On a recent trip to Spain I purchased an example of each type, 319316 in Grandes Lineas livery and 319202 in Grey / Yellow livery. Both cost €99 at the shop where I purchased them. The following comments apply to both models except where stated.

The model came well packaged, in fact so well packaged that I had to be careful when removing it. There were two plastic bags with some add on parts (more later) and a comprehensive instruction and parts list in both English and Spanish. 26

First impressions were good with the high underframe and General Motors bogies well represented. The two types of locomotive have quite different body shapes and both give a good “feel” of the prototype, when they are put side by side you can easily see the differences and it is clear that Startrain have not skimped on attention to body mouldings. The sharpness of the liveries is good with the wealth of labelling and numbering legible (with a magnifying glass !). I was not sure about the light grey bogies on the 319/3 but on consulting photos and seeing other classes in this colour it was accurate.

Startrain RENFE Class 319 in Grandes Lineas liveries The dimensions are accurate using drawings in the book RENFE La Traction Diesel 319/2/3/4 as a guide. The detail is about as much as one can reasonably expect in N scale and its hard to see what, if any, changes could be made. Startrain have in effect made two different models from the underframe upwards and even small details such as horns are fitted in their correct relevant positions.

The models come with a NEM coupling at one end and a buffer beam with pipes and a dummy screw coupling at the other. Using the bags of add on one can convert one or the other end to match relatively easily. On the 319/3 the pipes and buffer heads are in the same light grey as the bogies, these need to be black but a spot of paint easily remedies this inaccuracy.

The motor is a good quality centrally mounted 5 pole type with pick up from four of the six axles. The other two axles have traction tyres. Drive is by cardan shafts and gearing. LED head and taillights which are reversible are fitted. Performance is good, particularly at the slower end. Once warned up the top speed looks about right for a scale 140 kph.

27 My layout is too small to put a challenging load behind them but they both are quite happy with two 10,000 type coaches which is how I like to remember them operating between Zaragoza and Jaca. Slow speed running is good, almost straight from the box, and the top speed seems just about right to replicate that of the real thing. The models are fitted with a socket for a DCC decoder.

If this is the standard that Startrain are going to produce in the future then their next models are worth waiting for.

I purchased both my models from El Tren de Sergio, Calle Espinosa 9 Valencia Spain (close to Angel Guimares Metro station and about 10 minutes walk from Valencia Norte) www.hobbyrapid-ets.com, Startrain products can be viewed at http://www.soldat.es/catalogo.htm.

Both Class 319s on Ian’s small Spanish railway

28 n expanded version of this article originally appeared in the July 2004 edition of A Continental Modeller.

The 12.5km metre gauge rack railway from Ribes to Nuria in the foothills of the Pyrenees is one of the most stunning railway rides in Spain. The line opened for operation on 22nd March 1931 and now forms part of the Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat de Catalunya. The railway is given the appellation ‘El Cremellera’ in Spanish (which actually means zip) because the rack section has the appearance of a row of teeth or herring bone.

Illustrative route map of of the Nuria Cremallera on a notice board at Ribes

The line starts at Ribes-Enllaç (905m), the Cremellera’s own dedicated station adjacent to the RENFE broad gauge station at Ribes de Freser. Ribes-Enllaç is 114 km from Barcelona on the line to the border station at La Tour de Carol in France. On purchasing a ticket, prospective passengers are given a colour guide featuring the railway timetable, walking routes and accommodation details. A lot of information can also be obtained from a highly detailed information board by the buffer stops. This has a 29 topographical map of the area with the gradient profile shown underneath.

In the course of the 45 minute journey, the Cremellera will climb 1,059m towards the French border on a maximum gradient of 15%. The line is electrified at 1500v dc overhead.

Nuria El Cremallera in snowshed - note stark rugged scenery 13.10.03

The first section is worked purely by adhesion and is more or less level but does incorporate a curving six arch viaduct above the main road to Puigcerda in Ribes.

Ribes-Vila is the next station and is the official headquarters of the Vall de Núria’s operations. Here there is a crossing loop as well as the running sheds and maintenance workshops accessed via a huge traverser.

There then follows a pleasant run through the green river valley of the Riu Freser and at 5.5km the rack section commences. At this point there is a very noticeable change both to the scenery which becomes more rugged and the gradient profile which becomes more severe. Vegetation starts thinning out, and the atmosphere becomes increasingly rarefied.

There is another crossing loop at Queralbs, a popular starting point for walkers and hikers. This is the limit for road access up the valley. Beyond Queralbs is unquestionably the most spectacular section.

30 There are numerous tunnels blasted through sheer rock (several are unlined) and before long the line is clinging to very edge of the precipice into the valley below. There is a remote crossing loop at Font Alba squeezed seemingly impossibly between two further tunnels and after around 40 minutes running the train approaches Núria.

The best is probably saved until last. A long three section snow shed precedes the final steep climb. The train enters the last tunnel and after passing under the saddleback ridge that defines the southern edge of the circular bowl emerges once more into the daylight alongside a lake. The Vall de Núria is a gigantic south-facing glacial hollow, the centrepiece of which is the sanctuary, now converted into a restaurant, hotel and ski centre.

A short run along a grassy ledge brings the Cremellera to its final resting point high up in the shadow of the Pyrenees, 1,964m above sea level, the highest station anywhere in Spain.

The attraction of a ride on this amazing line is the ability to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Whilst Núria welcomes tourists, it does not allow cars. Apart from emergencies, the only way in and out is by train. Even supplies for the hotel and one of the bi-products (rubbish) go in and out by train!

The line is operated by the following six units:

A5 Puigmal 2-car unit A6 Torrenueles 2-car unit A7 Taga 2-car unit A8 Balandrau 2-car unit A9 unnamed 3-car unit A10 Noufants 3-car unit

Twin units leaving Nuria 13.10.03 31 500 Numeros de Via Libre 2 DVD set in pdf format £22 (www.vialibre.org)

Via Libre has been the mainstay of Spanish railway journalism since January 1964. This 2 DVD set contains the 500 issues up to September 2006 in Acrobat (PDF) format. It has a basic search engine, but that only allows searches of article titles in Castillian. So looking up ‘Talgo’, for instance, only brings up those articles which specifically mention ‘Talgo’ in the title.

The real attraction of this resource is that it is a window into the past. It is an archive of Spanish culture, and comparing the modern magazine with those of the mid ‘60s is fascinating. The early Via Libre was a more general interest magazine (much like those provided on Virgin, SNCF or RENFE intercity services), with articles on Miss Ferrocarril 1966, or recipes from famous restaurants. The subject matter was far more mainstream and conservative (reflecting the government of the time) so the small news items about local railway associations do not report of any unions, merely meetings of members (usually just an excuse for a photo in their Sunday best and a slap-up meal!). There is a definite change in editorial slant after the death in Franco in 1975. It is not strident, but comes across like a tentative sigh of relief, and reflects well the general change in social attitudes of the time. The modern magazine is more railway mainstream, competing as it is with other railway titles. Recommended to students of Spanish railway history (and with decent reading Castillian) Michael Guerra

For Sale: RENFE 0-6-0 Tender Loco Kit type Nu-Cast 030-2223/2230 £200 or best offer. Alan Miller, Oberer Gallezenweg 4, 4302 Augst, Switzerland

“Can anyone help? I am trying to find out as much as possible on the now abandoned Girona-St Feliu narrow-gauge railway (now a mountain bike trail). It closed in the late ‘60s. I often visit this area and would love to have some photos of this wonderful scenic line and its interesting engines” Alan Miller.