Railway Museum of Catalonia

The Railway Museum of Catalonia (Catalan: Museu del Ferrocarril de Catalunya; Spanish: Museo del Ferrocarril de Cataluña) is a museum in Vilanova i la Geltrú (Catalonia, Spain). The museum has a large collection of historic railway locomotives and other rolling stock in a former station and roundhouse. It is located close to the railway station in Vilanova i la Geltrú, 40 km south of Barcelona.[1]

Railway Museum of Catalonia
Museu del Ferrocarril de Catalunya
Museo del Ferrocarril de Cataluña
The Vilanova i la Geltrú Railway Museum, with its roundhouse bays and turntable, as seen from above.
Map
Established5 August 1990 (1990-08-05)
LocationVilanova i la Geltrú
Coordinates41°13′13″N 1°43′50″E / 41.22028°N 1.73056°E / 41.22028; 1.73056
Websitewww.museudelferrocarril.org/index_en.asp

History

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Original bond for the company "Companyia del Ferrocarrils de Tarragona Barcelona i França", similar to the one kept in the Museum

The museum opened in 1990 and is located in a former engine shed, built at the end of the 19th century. About 900 workers repaired and maintained locomotives there until 1967, when these activities ceased.

The main building, attached to the museum, contains a library and a collection of railway items such as caps, miniatures, and machinery. The museum also has an auditorium where a film about the history of the railway in Catalonia is shown daily. The reception where visitors enter is the original ticket office from a railway station in the village of La Granada.

In 1972, MOROP, an association that federates national associations of railroad and model railroad enthusiasts, held their nineteenth congress in Barcelona.[2] The antique locomotives displayed at the congress were stored in the facilities that would later house the museum. In 1981, the centenary of the commercial rail line between Barcelona and Vilanova, the creation of a Railway Museum in the old engine shed was proposed. The national Spanish railway operator (RENFE) and the autonomous government of Catalonia initially led the project. Later the town council of Vilanova joined.

The museum opened on August 5, 1990. In 1993 RENFE the National Spanish Railways made the Vilanova museum a subsidiary of the main museum in Madrid, the Museo del Ferrocarril de Madrid, and the Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles [es][3] In 2010 the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya established a master's program on Railway systems and Electrical Traction in the museum's facilities in Vilanova.

The museum's collection comprises more than sixty vehicles from all periods of history, diverse countries of origin and different technologies, including 28 steam locomotives from the late 19th century and a copy of the first steam locomotive used in the Iberian Peninsula, still used in demonstrations on the first Sunday of the month. The collection also includes diesel and electric locomotives, coaches, a Bogie type Harlan, a signal bridge, and an original interlocking lever frame table used in the Barcelona central railway station.

The museum's library contains more than 6,100 volumes in its catalog, including works on trains and vehicles, rail traffic documentation, history and legislation, statistics, and infrastructure. The library also houses 400 video recordings and 10,000 photographs.

Locomotives

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Ref Year Object Nickname Manufacturer Description Image
1948 Replica 2-2-2 locomotive Mataró Maquinista Terrestre y Marítima Replica of First locomotive in the Iberian Peninsula to serve the first line (Barcelona-Mataró).  
Madrid, Zaragoza y Alicante 168 1854 Steam locomotive 120/2112 Martorell Sharp, Stewart & Co. Manchester Oldest original locomotive in Spain. Shown in the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition.  
MZA 246 1857 Steam locomotive 030/2013 Mamut E. B. Wilson and Company Second oldest original locomotive in Spain, used for general purposes.  
Andaluces 4 1871 Steam locomotive
020-04
Andaluces SA John Cockerill Smaller locomotive used in urban areas and for serving factories.  
MZA 571 1879 Steam locomotive
040-2019
Vilanova Sharp, Stewart & Co. In Vilanova i la Geltrú since 1949.  
Norte 1653 1881 Steam locomotive
030-2110
Perruca Andre Koechlin & Cie Served the North East lines of Spain.  
Oeste 9 1881 Steam locomotive
220-2005
Richard Hartmann For Passenger trains.  
Oeste 77 1884 Steam locomotive
120-2131
Maschinenfabrik Esslingen For Passenger trains.  
Alcantarilla–Lorca 4 1884 Steam locomotive
030-2369
Bicicleta (bicycle) Sharp, Stewart & Co. For passenger trains.  
Alcañiz - La Puebla de Híjar, 4 1885 Steam locomotive
020-210
Teresita/Clot SA John Cockerill Manoeuvring locomotive.  
Mollet - Caldes, 6 1887 Steam locomotive
030-0233
Caldes Maquinaria Terrestre y Marítima Initially used for passenger trains, then for manoeuvring.  
Andaluces, 6 Steam locomotive
220-2023
Bobadilla Beyer, Peacock and Company For passenger trains.  
MZA 651 1901 Steam locomotive
230-4001
Compound Hanomag Former express locomotive.  
Ferrocarril Central de Aragón, 1 1902 Steam locomotive
030-2471
FCA 1 Marcinelle et Couillet For Passenger trains.  
Ferrocarril Central de Aragón, 53 1906 Steam locomotive
060-4013
Mallet-Compound Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works (subcontracted to Esslingen) Used for hauling heavy materials.  
Norte 3101 1909 Steam locomotive
230-2085
Hanomag For Passenger trains.  
MZA 1155 1913 Steam locomotive
240-2135
Mastodonte Henschel & Sohn General-purpose locomotive.  
Ferrocarril Central de Aragón, 74 1927 Steam locomotive
240-2074
Mastodonte Tubize General-purpose locomotive. 115 km/h maximum speed.  
FCA 101 Steam locomotive
462F-0401
Beyer-Garratt Euskalduna, Bilbao Temporarily transferred to a depot near the town of Lleida.  
MZA 1808 1939 Steam locomotive
241F-2108
Linda Tapada Maquinista Terrestre y Marítima (Barcelona) General purpose locomotive.  
RENFE 151.5001 1942 Steam locomotive
151F-3101
Santa Fe Maquinista Terrestre y Marítima Heavy and powerful locomotive.  
Renfe Steam locomotive Renfe
240F-2591
Euskalduna (Bilbao)  
Renfe 1953 Locomotores de Vapor 141F-2101/2348 Mikado North British Locomotive Company A Mikado locomotive in this museum was the last steam locomotive in service in Spain.  
Norte & Renfe 7001 1928 Electric locomotive
270-001
Chata Electric locomotive.  
Norte & Renfe 7206 1928 Electric locomotive
272-006
Crocodile Electric locomotive.  
Estado i Renfe 1004 1929 Electric locomotive
280-004
CAF SECHERON (Gipuzkoa) Used on narrow-gauge lines in the Pyrenees.  
Renfe 7807 1954 Electric locomotive
278-007
Panchorga USA Electric locomotive initially in passenger service, then as a freight locomotive.  
Renfe 7652 Electric locomotive Alstom
276-052
For express train haulage.  
Norte & Renfe 9165 1935 Automotor
590-165
EUA Light autonomous for short distances.  
Ou (Catalan for "Egg") 1940 Dresina de via i obres Transport for service personnel (12 seats).  
3T 1950 Locomotive
350-003
Talgo II Talgo trains For Hauling Talgo expresses.  
1801 1958 Diesel locomotive
318-001
Marilyn American Locomotive Company (ALCO) Servicing Galicia (North-West) lines.  
Talgo 1983 Diesel locomotive Talgo
354-001
Virgen de Covadonga Krauss Maffei (Alemanya) For haulage of Talgo expresses.  
2005 T 1964 Cabin of the Talgo III locomotive Virgen del Carmen For hauling Talgo Expresses.  
RENFE 281
(previously 1000)
1927 Electric locomotive Ripoll CAF This locomotive was built to serve the Ripoll-Puigcerdà line. ND
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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "A museum showing off 160 years of railway history". Museu del Ferrocarril de Catalunya. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  2. ^ Associació d'Amics del Ferrocarril de Barcelona
  3. ^ Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles
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