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A LIFE SPENT CHASING TRAINS

  2. Trains
  3. 2012

Vuelva a Asturias - return to Asturias 🇪🇸

When I got back home after my last visit to Spain, in September last year, I totted up all what I'd seen and what I'd missed and resolved to go back in 2012 to rectify some of the misses. They were, in no particular order

- FEVE coal trains to Soto de Ribera and/or Guardo power stations
- Aluminium trains on the Gijon-Ferrol line west of Pravia
- La Maruca Yard in Aviles
- Iron Ore on the broad gauge Arcelor-Mittal (ex-ENSIDESA) railway between Aviles and Abono
- the line through the Nalon Valley between Pravia and Trubia
- the line between Pravia and Aviles
- the former Langreo Railway between Gijon and El Berron
- the Ponferrada and Villablino (metre gauge, operated by coal mining company, Coto Minero Cantábrico)

I managed some of these, I also contrived to miss a few so it looks like another visit is on the cards :-)
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Pravia
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Pravia

At about 15:25 a train of loaded aluminium cars swept in off the FC Ferrol - Gijon, hauled by a pair of phase 2 1600s. they backed into the station and coupled on to the six loaded steel cars which the 1900s had brought in earlier. All is coming clear now. This would be the eastbound train which, when I was here last, passed Ribadesella about 20:00. Presumably the 1600s which arrived with the empties (on the right) would resume their journey to Xove later.

FEVE 1600 classfevenarrow gaugeSpainEU

  • May 9th, Pravia
  • Out of the valley of the Nalon trains climb towards Soto del Barco
  • La Maruca, Aviles
  • Nothing much was going on at La Maruca, so I headed off to take a peek at the Arcelor-Mittal operation. Within a few minutes a torpedo train appeared, instead of the modern Vossloh units this one had a pair of GEs.
  • The builders plate says they were built in Bilbao by Babcock and Wilcox. They made an awesome noise
  • The torpedos carrying the molten steel are immense, each carried on 12 axles.
  • Empties returning from Aviles, this time behind a modern Vossloh (ex-MaK) G1700
  • A few minutes later another loaded train heading west, the industrial area of Abono/El Musel is behind the hills where the smokestacks are.
  • June 10th, near Ribadesella
  • Playa San Antolin
  • Trubia
  • The westbound freight followed shortly after, descending from the Nalon to Trubia, where the engines will run round for the final leg to Pravia, where remarshalling takes place.
  • SEMAT are part of the Transfesa group, aluminium is transported from Xove in Galicia to Ariz yard in Bilbao, a distance of about 580kms.
  • In the Nalon Valley between Pravia and Trubia an Oviedo bound MU heads eastwards.
  • It crossed the freight which appeared some five minutes later, having gained a third class 1600 at Trubia.
  • And again, approaching Pravia.
  • Soto del Barco
  • The 1900 is an electro diesel design with a Caterpillar prime mover. Some of the components were retrieved from the older class 1000 built by Alsthom, Euskalduna and Babcock & Wilcox. They are quite a striking looking design.
  • The EMU arrived on time (14:48), taking to the passing loop and stopping for a couple of passengers, the 1900s carried on. I returned to Pravia to see what happened to the aluminium cars.
  • Pravia
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