Declared ‘Cultural Asset of National Interest’ thirty elements of railway heritage in Catalonia

2023-05-26 00:00:00

Declared ‘Cultural Asset of National Interest’ thirty elements of railway heritage in Catalonia

(25/05/2023)

The starting point of the project is the document Inventory of railway assets of historical interest, drawn up in 2015 at the request of the National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia. In 2018, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, together with the Commission of the Historical Railway Heritage of Catalonia, recovered the initiative with the incorporation of two industrial engineers with great experience, experience and reference within the College of Engineers in railway issues and heritage. The Commission was entrusted with carrying out the definitive cataloging of the movable assets that were going to be protected.

The next step was taken in 2020, the date on which the final list of 41 selected elements was presented to obtain a significant representation of the different technologies and uses of the numerous historic railway vehicles that have operated in Catalonia, including locomotives, passenger cars, wagons and trams.

protected elements

• The SAFA steam locomotive, from 1926 and owned by the Blanes City Council, is the only one of its type that is preserved in Spain and one of the largest capacity of these characteristics in Europe.
• Coach 2 of the Montgat Tiana tram, owned by the Tiana City Council, is one of the few remaining of those that operated on rural routes and that existed in Catalonia during the 20th century and the only one in the Barcelona metropolitan area.
• The steam locomotive, the A2 second class passenger car and the turntable, owned by the Salou City Council, are also among the protected elements. The steam locomotive was built in 1887 to serve the railway that made the route between Reus and Salou. The passenger coach, from 1886, is a second class example and the turntable is a fixed installation located at the end of the main track that was used to maneuver freight cars and place them in the loading docks.
• The MM4 rack railway steam locomotive, owned by the Real Automvil Club de Catalunya and built in 1892, was acquired by the Montserrat rack railway.
• The Capdella train, owned by Endesa, which began as an animal-drawn train and ended with diesel traction for maintenance work on the first electricity production facility from water power that began in 1911 with the construction of a the first hydraulic plant in Catalonia, the Capdella plant.
• Twelve railway elements owned by the Barcelona Metropolitan Transport Foundation: the TB2 horse-drawn tram, the TB 867 electric tram, the Tibidabo electric tram no. 25-6-7-8-10-129, the GMB M1-M6-M8 electric railcar, the FMT 126 electric railcar and the 1 Matar-Argentona electric tram.
• The FCC 18 electric railcar, the 030T CGFC 31 steam locomotive and the CGFC 304 electric locomotive, all three owned by the Association of Friends of the Barcelona Railway (AAFCB).
• Eight elements owned by FGC, which form part of the company’s historical heritage fund. These are the FCC 409809-507 electric railcar, popularly known as the Frog Train, the FCC gra 1 electric railcar, the CGFC C-36 car, the FCC 1 construction wagon, the MM A-1 passenger car, the electric locomotive of rack RN E.3, the coach RN A51 and the wagon CGFC U-269.