Vias Verdes, Spain.
Like all European countries, Spain has suffered its share
of railway closures, but it has not embarked on a fire sale of old
railway assets which is pretty much what happened in the UK. Many
old trackbeds in Spain are now 'vias verdes' (literally 'green lanes')
open for walkers and cyclists, and, because of the country's terrain,
there is a cornucopia of engineering features on them. The club
has received reports from members of bike rides on the Vias Verdes
network which took them through over 30 tunnels in a single day.
If you like the sound of this, have a look at the
Vias Verdes website.
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Above:
We start with the Bidosoa
Greenway, which runs through the valley of the salmon-rich River
Bidasoa on its way to the nearby Bay of Biscay. This is the back
of San Miguel station, where ore from the Tres Coronas mineral line
descended via an incline and was transshipped onto the Bidasoa line.
7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield)
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Left:
One of five short tunnels just south of Endarlatza.
This one has an opening where steps lead up to an observation
platform; the bottom of the steps and a handrail can just
be seen in the left foreground. 7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield)
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Above:
A view along the trackbed near Sunbilla. The small dam
is used to generate hydro-electric power for the town. 7th July
2015. (Tim Schofield)
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Above:
The next line visited was the Urola
Greenway, based on the former line from Zumarraga to Zumaia
which passes the Basque Railway Museum in the old station and workshops
at Azpeitia. This tunnel, preceeded by a show of flowering trees,
is situated 2 miles (3 km) north of Urretxu, 10 miles (15 km) along
the line. 7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield)
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Above:
A narrow section of the Urola Valley, close to Aizpurutxo
(11 km out), where the railway is dead straight as it passes over
several bowstring bridges and through several short tunnels, whilst
the road and river snake through the valley. A sharp road bend is
clearly visible in the right of this picture. 7th July 2015. (Tim
Schofield) |
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Above:
This old and truncated railway bridge over the Rio Eder marks
the northern end of the Via Verde in Azpeitia. The station (now the
Basque Railway Museum) is 200 metres to the west. 7th July 2015. (Tim
Schofield) |
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Above:
Azpeitia station, a.k.a the Basque Railway Museum, boasts
a 5 km preserved running line and a lot of stock, some of which can
be seen here. The museum's website reveals that it contains 'an exhibition
of more than sixty trains which have been completely restored and
are now in working order: steam locomotives, urban tramways, passenger
and merchandise carriages, trolleybuses, etc.'. It is said to be one
of the most important museums of its type in Europe. 7th July 2015.
(Tim Schofield) |
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Above:
The original electrical power room of the railway which was
electrified in 1926, just two years after opening. It is not often
that one gets to explore a disused electric railway. Perhaps
it is the extra investment which usually seems to keep them open.
7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield) |