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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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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.
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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.

Arcelor Mittal D36SpainEU

  • 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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