Catalonia Railway Museum


The Museum of Railways in Catalonia is a museum in Vilanova i la Geltrú. 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.

History

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. 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 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 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

RefYearObjectNicknameManufacturerDescriptionImage
—1948Replica 2-2-2 locomotiveMataróMaquinista Terrestre y MarítimaReplica of First locomotive in the Iberian Peninsula to serve the first line.
Madrid, Zaragoza y Alicante 1681854Steam locomotive 120/2112MartorellSharp, Stewart & Co. ManchesterOldest original locomotive in Spain. Shown in the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition.
MZA 2461857Steam locomotive 030/2013MamutE. B. Wilson and CompanySecond oldest original locomotive in Spain, used for general purposes.
Andaluces 41871Steam locomotive
020-04		AndalucesSA John CockerillSmaller locomotive used in urban areas and for serving factories.
MZA 5711879Steam locomotive
040-2019		VilanovaSharp, Stewart & Co.In Vilanova i la Geltrú since 1949.
Norte 16531881Steam locomotive
030-2110		PerrucaAndre Koechlin & CieServed the North East lines of Spain.
Oeste 91881Steam locomotive
220-2005		Richard HartmannFor Passenger trains.
Oeste 771884Steam locomotive
120-2131		Maschinenfabrik EsslingenFor Passenger trains.
Alcantarilla–Lorca 41884Steam locomotive
030-2369		Bicicleta Sharp, Stewart & Co.For passenger trains.
Alcañiz - La Puebla de Híjar, 41885Steam locomotive
020-210		Teresita/ClotSA John CockerillManoeuvring locomotive.
Mollet - Caldes, 61887Steam locomotive
030-0233		CaldesMaquinaria Terrestre y MarítimaInitially used for passenger trains, then for manoeuvring.
Andaluces, 6Steam locomotive
220-2023		BobadillaBeyer, Peacock and CompanyFor passenger trains.
MZA 6511901Steam locomotive
230-4001		CompoundHanomagFormer express locomotive.
Ferrocarril Central de Aragón, 11902Steam locomotive
030-2471		FCA 1Marcinelle et CouilletFor Passenger trains.
Ferrocarril Central de Aragón, 531906Steam locomotive
060-4013		Mallet-CompoundSwiss Locomotive and Machine Works Used for hauling heavy materials.
Norte 31011909Steam locomotive
230-2085		HanomagFor Passenger trains.
MZA 11551913Steam locomotive
240-2135		MastodonteHenschel & SohnGeneral-purpose locomotive.
Ferrocarril Central de Aragón, 741927Steam locomotive
240-2074		MastodonteTubizeGeneral-purpose locomotive. 115 km/h maximum speed.
FCA 101Steam locomotive
462F-0401		Beyer-GarrattEuskalduna, BilbaoTemporarily transferred to a depot near the town of Lleida.
MZA 18081939Steam locomotive
241F-2108		Linda TapadaMaquinista Terrestre y Marítima General purpose locomotive.
RENFE 151.50011942Steam locomotive
151F-3101		Santa FeMaquinista Terrestre y MarítimaHeavy and powerful locomotive.
RenfeSteam locomotive Renfe
240F-2591		Euskalduna
Renfe1953Locomotores de Vapor 141F-2101/2348MikadoNorth British Locomotive CompanyA Mikado locomotive in this museum was the last steam locomotive in service in Spain.
Norte & Renfe 70011928Electric locomotive
270-001		ChataElectric locomotive.
Norte & Renfe 72061928Electric locomotive
272-006		CrocodileElectric locomotive.
Estado i Renfe 10041929Electric locomotive
280-004		CAF SECHERON Used on narrow-gauge lines in the Pyrenees.
Renfe 78071954Electric locomotive
278-007		PanchorgaUSAElectric locomotive initially in passenger service, then as a freight locomotive.
Renfe 7652Electric locomotive Alstom
276-052		For express train haulage.
Norte & Renfe 91651935Automotor
590-165		EUALight autonomous for short distances.
Ou 1940Dresina de via i obresTransport for service personnel.
3T1950Locomotive
350-003		Talgo IITalgo trainsFor Hauling Talgo expresses.
18011958Diesel locomotive
318-001		MarilynAmerican Locomotive Company Servicing Galicia lines.
Talgo1983Diesel locomotive Talgo
354-001		Virgen de CovadongaKrauss Maffei For haulage of Talgo expresses.
2005 T1964Cabin of the Talgo III locomotiveVirgen del CarmenFor hauling Talgo Expresses.
RENFE 281
1927Electric locomotiveRipollCAFThis locomotive was built to serve the Ripoll-Puigcerdà line.ND

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