Ferrocarriles Vascongados

Ferrocarriles Vascongados
legal form	Corporation
founding	1906
resolution	1995
Reason for dissolution	Dissolution of the short company after restructuring. Tracks and vehicles ceded to FEVE in the 1970s .
Seat	Bilbao Atxuri Railway Station , Bilbao Spain
Branch	Transport / logistics

Ferrocarriles Vascongados
Route length:	157 km
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Power system :	1500  =
Maximum slope :	28  ‰
Minimum radius :	Main line: 100 m Branch lines: 60 m
Legend 0.0 Bilbao Atxuri 8.6 m 32.793 Durango 113.91 m 0.0 Kilometrage branch line 6.606 Apatamonasterio 11,556 Arrazola 10.225 Elorrio 54 Malzaga 85 m 61.738 Mecolalde 80.092 Zumárraga 59 Elgoibar Zumaia 29.794 Zarautz 55.860 Amara-Donostia

The Compañía de Ferrocarriles Vascongados , German roughly Basque Railway , was a railway company in the Basque Country in Spain , which operated a meter-gauge route network between the cities of Bilbao and San Sebastián . It was created in 1906 from the merger of the following three railway companies, which operated different routes in the provinces of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa :

• Compañía del Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya with the main line from Bilbao to Durango
• Compañía del Ferrocarril de Durango a Zumárraga with the main route Durango - Zumarraga
• Compañía del Ferrocarril de Elgoibar a San Sebastián with the route Elgoibar - San Sebastián

Due to financial problems, the railway lines of the Compañía de Ferrocarriles Vascongados were taken over by the FEVE in 1972 and the company was dissolved in 1995 after all debts had been paid.

Relief with the lettering of Ferrocarriles Vascongados on the facade of the Bilbao-Atxuri train station

history

The Compañía de los Ferrocarriles Vascongados was founded on July 1, 1906 with a share capital of 20 million pesetas , in which French donors also participated. After the merger of the three predecessor railway companies, a route network of 157 km was created.

The opening of the AP-8 motorway in the 1970s led to a heavy slump in traffic, so that the Ferrocarriles Vascongados got into financial difficulties. The operation of the lines was taken over by FEVE in 1972, the lines themselves in 1976. Various improvements to the infrastructure and were made under FEVE made on the vehicles, as well as promoted freight transport.

After the founding of the Basque Country Autonomous Community in 1979, it took over the former lines of the Ferrocarriles Vascongados from FEVE and brought them into the EuskoTren railway company , founded in 1982 and wholly owned by the Autonomous Community. Further renovations were carried out on the routes and the vehicles. Freight traffic was discontinued in favor of passenger traffic.

Predecessor companies

In 1882 the Compañía del Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya opened the Bilbao – Durango line. Five years later, the opened Compañía del Ferrocarril de Durango a Zumárraga first the route Durango- Elgoibar and the following year the connection of Málzaga by the Río Deva -Tal to Zumarraga , the capital of the Basque country which with the network of narrow-gauge railways to the of Madrid on the French border leading broad gauge line was connected to the Norte . In 1901 the Elgoibar– San Sebastián line was opened by the Compañía del Ferrocarril de Elgoibar a San Sebastián , which connected Bilbao to San Sebastián with a 108 km long meter-gauge line. The entire narrow-gauge network was 130.7 km long, with 22.7 km on the route through the Deva Valley to Zumarraga.

The three railway companies worked closely together in terms of employees, operation of the routes and in the business area. They owned mutual shareholdings and had several joint members on the executive boards. For example, the Compañía del Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya took over from the Compañía del Ferrocarril de Elgoibar a San Sebastián the construction of the Zarauz - Deva section of the Elgoibar – San Sebastián line, which was considered particularly difficult, and took over the operation of the entire route. In addition, she also ran the Durango – Zumarraga line for twelve years.

Compañía del Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya

Ferrocarril vizcaíno

In 1856 it became clear that the railway line from Madrid to the French border and thus the connection with the rest of Europe would not run through Bilbao. Because the port of the city was left out of this important connection, its future development seemed hampered. There was direct competition with the cities of Santander and Pasajes , which is why Bilbao was looking for a connection to the new route.

The first project was called Ferrocarril vizcaíno ("Bizkaia Railway"). It was supposed to connect Bilbao with Vitoria-Gasteiz , the capital of the province of Álava , and to connect there to the main Madrid-France line. The route would have led via Amorebieta to Durango and from there on to Vitoria and San Sebastián. On March 22, 1856, the Comisión del Ferrocarril Vizcaíno was founded with the generous support of the administrations of Bilbao and the province of Bizkaia .

Tudela – Bilbao railway line

Tudela – Bilbao railway line

The authorities of the Spanish regions of La Rioja and Navarra also support the project of a railway in Bizkaia, because the railway line offered an excellent opportunity to export the region's wines and products via the port of Bilbao. The MEPs from La Rioja therefore proposed the construction of a Tudela – Logroño – Haro – Bilbao line to the Commission, and they also offered to build the Tudela – Logroño – Haro section in their region on their own account with the expectation that the province of Bizkaia would do the same. For Bilbao, there was a danger that the continuation of a route from Saragossa along the Ebro from Miranda de Ebro could not lead to Bilbao but to Santander. After the Spanish government decided on the route via Burgos- Vitoria- Irun for the connection between Madrid and the French border , Bilbao had no choice but to accept the route to Tudela. In July 1856, the approval for the construction of the Norte main line as well as for the branch line Tudela – Bilbao was granted, whereby the approval did not say whether this should cross the main line in Vitoria or in Miranda de Ebro.

The planning of the Tudela – Bilbao route was entrusted to civil engineers Luis de Torres Vidosola and Enrique Alar by the Spanish administration. The railway line follows the Ebro to the intersection with the Madrid – Irún line in Miranda de Ebro and runs from there via Orduña to Bilbao. To finance the project, a drawing for a loan of 100 million real was issued on March 16, 1857 . On July 6, the route via Mirando de Ebro was set and the connection to the line Zaragoza - Alsasua 25 km from Tudela, which was later set in Castejón de Ebro . The Compañía del Ferrocarril de Bilbao á Tudela por Miranda was founded to build and operate the line . Construction began in 1857, and the individual sections of the route were put into operation between spring and summer 1863. The company was taken over by Norte in 1878 after financial difficulties.

Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya

Bilbao – Durango
Bilbao-Atxuri train station
Route length:	32.793 km
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Legend 0.000 Bilbao Atxuri 8.6 m 1,000 Miraflores tunnel 1,350 Ventas del Cuerno 1,939 Bolueta 4.851 Echevarri 4,871 Nervión Dos Caminos 5.758 Ariz 6,100 Nervión 8.506 Zuazo 13,100 Usansolo 14,450 Eroso loading point for pyrite 1 ) 15.760 Bedia 17.427 Lemona 18.060 Arratia 20.698 Andrapolea Bridge over the Ibaizabal 21.275 Astepe 21.275 Fabrica de Astepe (ironworks) Ferrocarril Amorebieta-Bermeo to Bermeo 22.310 Amorgebieta 26,590 Euba 31,074 Santa Apolonia 32.793 Durango 113.91 m after Apatamonasterio-Elorrio / Arrazola Ferrocarril Durango – Zumárraga 1 ) The pyrite came from the Yurre and Bedia mines and was brought to the loading point on a 4 km monorail .
Branch line Durango – Elorrio / –Arrazola
Route length:	15.175 km
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Legend from Bilbao 32.793 0.000 Durango 113.91 m Ferrocarril Durango – Zumárraga 3.512 Zelaieta 4,200 Andra-Mari 6.606 Apatamonasterio 11,556 Arrazola 8.733 San Agustin 10.225 Elorrio

The Bilbao – Tudela line did not fulfill the aims pursued by the economic promoters of the province of Bizkaia, so that the desire for a direct connection Bilbao – San Sebastián – France reawakened. In 1862, therefore, the provincial parliament of Bizkaia made money available for the construction of a railway line Bilbao-Durango, which was named Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya .

On February 29, 1872, the mayor of Durango applied for a concession for a connection from his settlement to the Tudela- Bilbao route in Basauri . A month later he received the approval to carry out the necessary investigations and on December 5th of the same year a report was presented showing the advantages of a broad-gauge railway. In 1876, after the third Carlist War , the project was resumed and a second study was carried out, which mainly dealt with the profitability of the project, but also described the construction of four bridges and the four stations of Dos Caminos in Basauri, Galdácano , Amorebieta and Durango. The associated vehicle list included six locomotives, 60 passenger cars and 80 freight cars .

The government approved the project on December 15, 1877 and on December 29, granted its supporters an unrestricted concession for a privately financed railway line. Particularly noteworthy is the right of the railways to free pricing of tickets and freight tariffs. On September 14, 1878, the government approved the transfer of the concession to Francisco Nicasio Igartua y Egusquiza , who founded the Compañía del Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya with a start-up capital of 2 million pesetas for their use . The new company fell under the law of November 14, 1868 on the general basis for legislation on public works.

The planned 27.8 km long line should be implemented with 1670 mm gauge so that it could be integrated into the operation of the Bilbao – Tudela line. But after the latter was taken over by Norte, the talks about a joint management dried up. The Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya therefore decided to build the new line as a meter-gauge railway. This was approved on May 24, 1879, as was the extension of the line to Bilbao. The line should now be 34.1 km long and end in the new Bilbao-Atxuri station. There was also an Ariz – Dos Caminos connection, which connected to the Bilbao – Tudela line, and the Miraflores tunnel on the extension to Atxuri.

The project created by civil engineer Pablo de Alzola had an estimated cost of 3,441,145.95 pesetas. In less than two years, the line was completed under the direction of engineer Adolfo Ibarreta. The station buildings were designed by the architect Sabino de Goicoechea, the bridges came from the German bridge building company Johann Caspar Harkort from the Ruhr area . Of the 32 km long route, almost 18 km lay in a straight line and the remaining kilometers in 68 arcs. It climbed 100 meters in altitude between Bilbao and Durango. Operations started on July 1, 1882 - five months earlier than the administration had planned. The construction costs were below the budget, so that the company was able to start under good financial conditions.

The Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya always achieved good results, so that it could participate in other investments, such as the Durango – Zumárraga railway line. In 1902 the workshops in Durango were built. The engineer Luis Camiña was commissioned with the planning, the construction was carried out by the Talleres de Zorroza . They were in use until 2013 before they were moved to the Lebario district of Abadiño, east of Durango. The station, which was inaugurated together with the new workshops in 1904, was renovated along with the workshops.

On September 4, 1899, the Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya received the concession for the branch lines Durango-Elorrio and Apatamonasterio-Arrazola. The 14 km long route opened up the iron ore and copper mines in the vicinity of Arrazola. The line to Apatamonasterio was completed in June 1903, but could not be put into operation until September 20th due to bureaucratic problems. On February 1, 1904, the branch to Arrazola followed, and on July 16, 1905, the branch to Elorrio. In 1916 50,000 tons of iron ore were removed from the mines, after which the quantities decreased. All Durango branches ceased operations in the 1960s.

In 1902 the Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya was available to operate 18 steam locomotives , 86 passenger cars, 19 baggage cars and 546 freight cars. The locomotives came from Hanomag from Germany, Nasmyth Wilson from England and Porter from the USA.

Branch line to Elorrio and the Arrazola mines

A connection from Durango to Elorrio was built as a branch line to the main line Durango – Zumárraga, from which a branch line branched off in Apatamonasterio to the mines in Arrazola. On September 4, 1899, Francisco Nicasio de Igartua, the then President of Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya, was granted a 99-year concession to build and operate this railway. On September 18, 1900, the obligations arising from the concession for the railway company were determined by a royal decree, which were accepted by the latter on January 2, 1901. The project was entrusted to the civil engineer Rafael Lafarga, the construction to the entrepreneur José Uribasterra.

The 7 km long route from Durango to Apatamonasterio was inaugurated on September 19, 1903. Then the 5 km long branch to the iron and copper mine, which was completed on September 1, 1904, was built.

On June 21, 1904, the work for the Apatamonasterio – Elorrio section was awarded to the entrepreneur Pedro Gandiaga, who began construction on August 3, 1904 and was finished on July 15, 1905. The branch lines were subsidized by the province of Bizkaia with 7,000 pesetas per kilometer and by Elorrio with 20,000 pesetas.

The extension from Apatamonasterio to Elorrio was opened on June 16, 1905. The total length of the branches from Durango was 15.175 km.

Two tunnels had to be built along the route, one 30 m and the other 122 m long. The superstructure consisted of nine meter long rails, the meter load of which was 32 kg per meter on the Durango – Arrazóla section and 26 kg per meter on the Apatamonasterio – Elorrio section. Rails and steel girders for the bridges were supplied by the steel mill in Bilbao . The Elorrio, Apatamonasterio and Arrázola stations had a turntable ; There were water cranes in Arrazóla and Elorreo. In 1912 a locomotive shed was built in Elorreo.

In 1917 the mining operations in Arrázola were stopped, so that the iron and copper ore transports ceased. In the freight transport sector, a limited range of services was retained until the 1950s, which was used to transport the wood from the forests of the surrounding valleys, after which it was completely discontinued.

Since the construction of the line, investigations have been carried out to determine whether it should be extended over the Campazar Pass to Mondragón, which would have created a connection to the Ferrocarril Vasco – Navarro . For this reason, the terminus in Elorrio was not built as a terminus, but to the side of the tracks. In the 1940s, the construction engineer Luis del Río y Soler was given the task of developing a preliminary project for such a route.

On November 6, 1941, the project of electrification of the Durango – Elorrio section was presented, which was approved on May 29, 1942. The execution was entrusted to the Italian engineer Pontocorvo, who finished the work on January 28, 1946, so that electrical operation could officially begin on February 2.

Due to the general decline in traffic, the Apatamonasterio – Arrázola section was closed in 1960, and the rest of the line followed on March 1, 1975. After that, the tracks were dismantled.

Dates of the opening and cessation of operations of the sections

Section	opening	attitude
Bilbao-Atxuri- Durango	July 1, 1882
Durango – Apatamonasterio	September 19, 1903	March 1, 1975
Apatamonasterio – Arrazola	September 1, 1904	1960
Apatamonasterio-Elorrio	June 16, 1905	March 1, 1975

Compañía del Ferrocarril Durango-Zumárraga

Durango-Zumarraga
Route length:	53 km
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Legend from Bilbao 32.793 Durango 113.91 m after Apatamonasterio-Elorrio / Arrazola 39.456 Berriz 41.354 Zaldivar Santa Marina tunnel under the Areitio pass 47,604 Ermua Eibar tunnel 51.830 Eibar 54.088 Malzaga to Elgoibar – San Sebastián 57.217 Placencia de las Armas 60.136 Los Martires 61.738 Mecolalde Ferrocarril Vasco-Navarro to Vitoria-Gasteiz 64,842 Vergara 70.432 Anzuola 74,587 Amilleta Descarga tunnel (690 m) 80.092 Zumárraga Passage to Ferrocarril del Urola Norte Madrid – French border

On May 15, 1884, at the general meeting of shareholders of Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya, the proposal to extend the line from Durango to Zumárraga with a branch line to Elgoibar was presented. In Zumárraga, the connection to the Madrid – French border of the Norte would shorten the Bilbao – San Sebastían railway connection by 124 km compared to the existing one via Miranda of Ebro. The difference in length was even more pronounced on the Santander – San Sebastían connection. On the same day, the Compañía del Ferrocarril Durango-Zumárraga was founded, whose chairman was Francisco Nicasio de Igartua. A route from Durango to Elorrio and Malzaga was discussed.

On February 20, 1885, the Spanish government approved the construction and operation of the line, whereby the route via Berriz, Zaldivar, Mallavia, Ermua, Eibar , Malzaga, Placencia de las Armas, Vergara, Anzuola to Zumárraga was determined, as well as the branch line Malzaga-Elgoibar was included in the permit. The lines had to be built within five years and could then be operated for 99 years.

The route was originally 53 km long. It started in Durango at 114 m. ü. M and rose to 310 m. ü. M before she reached the valley of the Rio Ego with an apex tunnel west of Zaldibar , which she followed to Malzaga. From there the route followed the right bank of the Deba up the valley to the watershed at the Descarga pass, which it crossed under at an altitude of 430 m with a crest tunnel and then reached Zumárraga. The 4.92 km long branch line to Elgoibar begins in Malzaga and was mainly used for the steel mill in San Pedro. The route along the right bank of the Rio Ego was difficult to manage; the largest engineering structure is the 520 m long Santa Marina tunnel.

The first opened section of the line was the Durango – Zaldivar section, which went into operation on June 21, 1886, with this being led by the Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya until July 1, 1887 , before it was taken over to the Ferrocarril Durango – Zumárraga . This form of the start of operations took place in consultation with the manager of the baths in Zaldivar Manuel María de Gortázar , who was also a shareholder of the railway company. On August 1, 1887, the section from the steelworks in San Pedro to Elgoibar, which was still isolated for the time being, began operating for freight traffic. Shortly thereafter, on September 22nd, the section from Elgoibar to Zaldivar followed - a few days after the opening ceremony by Maria Christina of Austria , the then regent of Spain. The line reached Vergara on July 1, 1888 and the terminus in Zumarraga on August 26 of the same year. The province of Gipuzkoa contributed 340,805.90 pesetas and the province of Bizkaia contributed 1,220,000 pesetas to the construction costs of the railway, whereby these had to be repaid within 20 years in the latter case.

The operation of the railway line was in deficit, so that the income could neither cover the expenses nor the debt services. On November 26, 1891, a works agreement was therefore signed with Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya, which was extended on April 1, 1897 for a further six years and expired on December 31, 1902. Talks about the merger of the two railways began that year, even if it was difficult to find a common denominator. The talks led to the resignation of Julio de Igartu, the technical manager of the three railways - the Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya, the Ferrocarril Durango – Zumárraga and the Ferrocarril Elgoibar – San Sebastián, although direct trains Bilbao – San Sebastián had been introduced in 1901. The company agreement was not renewed and a period of disputes ensued between the two companies.

When the line was completed, six daily trains ran, three of which went to Zumarraga and the other three to Elgoibar. The goods traffic served the steelworks in San Pedro near Elgoibar and the royal cannon factory in Placencia de la Armas.

In February 1904 an extraordinary general assembly was held, where, among other business, the merger of the company with the other two railways to Ferrocarriles Vascongados was prepared by amendments to the statutes.

A comprehensive renovation of the track's superstructure began in 1902 and was completed in 1905. The original rails with a weight of 18 kg / m were changed to those with 32 kg / m. This made it possible to use heavier, more powerful locomotives and to dispense with pre-tensioning services. The change was made in three stages: the first was completed in May 1902, the second in December 1904, and the third in May 1905.

Operations on the Malzaga – Zumarraga section ceased in 1975. This section, known as Ferrocarril del Deba , was relegated to a branch line with the introduction of the through trains Bilbao – San Sebastián.

Dates of the opening and cessation of operations of the sections

Section	opening	attitude
Durango – Zaldivar	June 21, 1886
Elgoibar – San Pedro	August 1, 1887
Zaldivar – Malzaga – Elgoibar	September 22, 1887
Malzaga – Vergara	July 1, 1888	March 1, 1975
Vergara – Zumarraga	August 26, 1888	March 1, 1975

Compañía del Ferrocarril de Elgoibar a San Sebastián

Elgoibar – San Sebastián
A passenger train with a Brown Boveri locomotive drives over the Urola Bridge near Zumaya
Route length:	55.86 km
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Legend from Bilbao 0.000 Elgoibar Toletxegain 1.956 Altzola 4,509 Mendaro 7.476 Astigarribia 11,418 Deba Arroa 22.601 Zumaia 29.794 Zarautz 32,472 Tunnel de Zurigaray 33,479 Puente de Altxerri 34.883 Orio 39.123 Tunnel de Aguinaga 40.827 Aguinaga 43.912 Usurbil 46.213 Viaducto del Oria 49.276 Tunnel de Irubide (158 m) 50,000 Recalde 51.939 Añorga 53,900 Tunnel de Aiete (839 m) Ferrocarril de San Sebastián a la Frontera France 55.860 Amara ( San Sebastian )

A passenger train in Deba station (1981)

On October 16, 1890, the Compañía del Ferrocarril de Elgoibar a San Sebastián was founded, the purpose of which was to build and operate a railway between the two cities in Gipuzkoa. This meant a continuation of the Durango – Zumárraga line, which in turn was an extension of the Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya .

The project worked out in 1844 by the English engineer Ross was revised by Pablo de Alzola y Minondo in 1883 and implemented by Federico de Solaegui from 1890 onwards. It envisaged a railway line that follows the Deba valley from Elgoibar to its confluence with the Cantabrian Sea and then runs along the coast to San Sebastián.

On June 15, the concession for the Elgiobar – Deba section was granted to Manuel Martín. As early as May 14, 1890, he received a concession for a narrow-gauge or broad-gauge railway line from Deba along the coast to San Sebastián with the option of extending it to the French border.

With the intention of creating a direct connection between the two provincial capitals Bilbao and San Sebastián, a meeting was called on June 21, 1890 with those responsible for the three parties involved in the connection. These were the Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya , the Ferrocarril Durango-Zumárraga and Manuel Martín, who had the concession for the missing section from Elgoiar to San Sebastián. On September 13th of the same year, a cooperation agreement was signed and a committee was appointed with the task of drafting the statutes of the new company and preparing for its establishment, which was carried out on October 16, 1890. The company has received support from the local provincial and municipal authorities. The city of San Sebastián provided land in the Amara district for the construction of the terminus.

Start of work

Work began under the leadership of engineer Luis Torres Vidosola. The first building material was ordered in 1891. The Dowlais Ironworks in Wales ordered 3,800 tons of rails weighing 26 kg per meter in eight-meter pieces. In the foundry Nasmyth & Wilson in Greater Manchester six locomotives were ordered, some on the Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya were transported to their place of work.

On August 3, 1893, the first 13.5 km of the line between Deba and Eigobar was inaugurated, so that direct trains could run from Deva to Bilbao and Zumárraga - four pairs of trains ran to Deva and two to Zumárraga. In the same year the 564 m long Meagas tunnel near Zarauz was penetrated.

The railway construction ran into financial difficulties that were so great that the work had to be slowed down and the Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya , its shareholders and their members of the management had to inject money.

Amara train station in San Sebastián

On April 9, 1895, the 26 km long Zarauz – San Sebastián section was inaugurated. The route was served by 18 pairs of trains. The Amara train station at the end of the line in San Sebastián was built on the site that was left by the city on the condition that a train station would be built within 15 years that would be architecturally integrated into the existing development. The first facilities at the station were only provisionally built so that operations could begin. The station building was therefore only intended to be a one-story wooden building. The plans for this building were approved by the city council in 1917 and the station stood until April 28, 1983, the day demolition began to make way for a definitive building.

Section Deva – Zarauz

On May 24, 1895, a bond was taken out to cover the costs of building the still missing Deba – Zarauz section. This section was particularly difficult to build because of the terrain and geology. After the construction of seven kilometers, including several tunnels, work came to a standstill in July 1895. The Chairman of the Board of Directors Eduardo Aznar resigned and was replaced by Plácido Allende. He tried to prevent the insolvency of the company by raising further funds and obtained an extension of the building permit for the route by three years, which was approved by the government on March 14, 1897. A new agreement was negotiated between Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya and Ferrocarril Elgoibar – San Sebastián , in which it was stipulated that Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya will complete the section and take over operations on the other two sections. The board now included two representatives from Ferrocarril Elgoibar-San Sebastián and three representatives from Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya.

On June 22, 1898, the construction lot Deba-Zumaia was awarded to the contractor Pedro Gandaga, who undertook to complete the work within two months. The Zumaia – Zarauz construction lot was awarded to José Ignacio Ostolaza, who awarded all the steel bridges on February 3, 1899 to Talleres Miravalles. This included the 100-meter-long bridge at Zumaia, which leads over the Urola and is supported in the middle by a masonry pillar. On April 3, the contract for the supply of sleepers was signed with José Uribasterra, the rails were supplied by La Vizcaya and the masonry work was carried out by Amadeo Amador. The Deba – Zarauz section was inaugurated on January 1, 1901, connecting the provincial capitals Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa with a direct railway line.

The operation of the line proved to be economically complex. With the procurement of heavier vehicles, the steel bridges had to be reinforced. The bridge over the Urola was reinforced with two new trusses from the company Chávarri, Petrement y Cía from Bilbao.

On February 1, 1901, the personnel departments of the three railways were merged and the merger of the three companies was prepared. The death of Francisco de Igartua and his successor José María Solaún created a climate of mistrust among non- Central de Vizcaya shareholders, so that the good relations between the boards of the three companies were spoiled. At the meeting of July 18, 1901, it was decided that the President of the Central de Vizcaya cannot be the President of the other two societies, thus completely destroying the harmony until Francisco de Igartua's death. On February 6, 1902, activities for a merger were resumed.

The poor economic results of the route led to the declaration of bankruptcy on September 12, 1903. The creditors, namely the Banco de Bilbao , the Banco de Vizcaya and the Banco de España , advocate a merger of the three companies. They forced the adoption of arbitration proceedings , the commission of which presented a draft agreement on July 27, 1904, which was accepted by Plácido Allende. He was president of both Ferrocarril Durango a Zumarraga and Ferrocarril Elgoibar a San Sebastián . The draft was rejected by the President of Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya because he intended the bankruptcy of Ferrocarril Elgoibar a San Sebastián . The commission resigned on October 2, 1905.

On March 6, 1906, a new forced arbitration commission was formed. The decision of this third arbitration tribunal had to be adhered to and saw a fine of 500,000 pesetas for those who should not obey it. On November 5, 1906, the commission issued a public deed in which the debt repayment of Ferrocarril Elgoibar a San Sebastián and the conditions for the merger to Ferrocarriles Vascongados were set. The Central de Vizcaya was forced to merge because of the economic burden of the unprofitable operation of the Elgoibar – San Sebastián line and the competition on the main line from the Tranvía eléctrico de Bilbao a Durango y Arratia .

Dates of the opening of the sections

opening	Section
August 3, 1893	Elgoibar – Deba
April 9, 1895	Zarautz – San Sebastian
January 1, 1901	Deba-Zarautz

The Ferrocarril de Elgoibar a San Sebastián also had the concession for the line from San Sebastián to the French border. This was transferred to the S ociedad Constructora de Obras Públicas y Fomento Industrial , which founded a joint-stock company and committed itself to completing the route in three years.

vehicles

In 1902 the Ferrocarril de Elgoibar a San Sebastián had 11 steam locomotives, 37 passenger cars, 15 baggage cars and 127 freight cars. The locomotives had names and came from the manufacturers Nasmyth & Wilson from England, HK Porter from the USA and Krauss from Germany.

Locomotives

number	Surname	FV number	Wheel alignment	Manufacturer	Serial number	Construction year	comment
	Igartua			Nasmyth & Wilson		1892
	Ibaizabal			Nasmyth & Wilson		1892
1	Zarautz	102	1'Ct	Nasmyth & Wilson	440	1892	At 1904 Central de Vizcaya submitted
	Tavira			Nasmyth & Wilson		1892
4th	Durango		Ct	Hanomag	1459	1881	taken over by Central de Vizcaya
2	Deva	101	1'Ct	Nasmyth & Wilson	445	1892	At 1904 Central de Vizcaya submitted
3	San Sebastian	103	1'Ct	Nasmyth & Wilson	456	1894	At 1904 Central de Vizcaya submitted
	Vizcaya			Nasmyth & Wilson		1898
14th	Aurrera	104	1'Ct	Nasmyth & Wilson	551	1898	preserved in the Basque Railway Museum
241	Urola	241	1'C	HK Porter	2538	1902
242	Santa Catalina	242	1'C	HK Porter	2539	1902
243	Santa Marina	243	1'C	HK Porter	2540	1902	Taken over in 1904 by FC Durango-Zumarraga
244	MMGortazar	244	1'C	HK Porter	2541	1902	Taken over in 1904 by FC Durango-Zumarraga
263	Placido Allende	263	1'C1't	Krauss	4762	1902	taken over by Central de Vizcaya
261	Sagarbide	261	1'C1't	Krauss	4763	1902
262	Iziar	262	1'C1't	Krauss	4764	1902
201	Easo	201	1'C2't	Krauss	5053	1904	Engerth locomotive
202	Donostia	202	1'C2't	Krauss	5054	1904	Engerth locomotive
203	Elgoibar	203	1'C2't	Krauss	4762	1906	Engerth locomotive
221	Zumaya	221	2'Bt	Nasmyth & Wilson	582	1900
222	Amara	222	2'Bt	Nasmyth & Wilson	583	1900
223	Udala	223	2'Bt	Nasmyth & Wilson	624	1901	1905 Sold to Ferrocarril Astillero-Ontaneda sold

Ferrocarriles Vascongados

On July 1, 1906, the Compañía de Ferrocarriles Vascongados emerged from the merger of the three narrow-gauge railways. The route network was 157.232 km long and served both freight and passenger traffic. It connected the most important places in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa with each other and made connections to other important railway lines.

The individual railway companies contributed to the route network as follows:

• Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya :
  • Main line: 34.107 km route and 17 stations
  • Branch line from Durango to Elorrio and Arrazola: 15.223 km route with 5 stations
• Ferrocarril de Durango a Zumárraga with the branch line to Elgoibar: 52.044 km route and 12 stations
• Ferrocarril de Elgoibar a San Sebastián : 52.858 km route with 18 stations.

In 1901 Plácido Allende and Julio de Igartua began to prepare the merger of the three railway companies. Plácido Allende was the chairman of the board of directors of the two railways Ferrocarril de Durango a Zumárraga and Ferrocarril de Elgoibar a San Sebastián and Julio de Igartua was the managing director of both railways. The negotiations fizzled out and no agreement could be reached.

In November 1905 an agreement was reached on the estimate of the financial value of each railway company, in particular that of the ailing Ferrocarril de Elgoibar a San Sebastián . The total capital of the new company was set at 33,862,011.16 pesetas.

On May 11, 1906, the following people met in Bilbao:

• José de Acillona Garay (Marquis of Acillona), representative of the Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya
• Plácido Allende Plágaro, representative of the Ferrocarril de Durango a Zumarraga
• Recaredo Uhagon Vedia, representative of Ferrocarril del Elgoibar a San Sebastián
• Tomás Balas Ageo, principal holder of mortgage-backed bonds from Ferrocarril del Elgoibar a San Sebastián

They appointed the following people as Amigables Componedores (German roughly "honest brokers") who were tasked with looking for a way to reach an agreement on a merger:

• Domingo Villamil Fernández del Cueto, Director of the Bank of Spain in Bilbao
• José Luis de Villabaso Gorrita, Director of the Bank of Bilbao
• Enrique Ocharán Rodríguez, General Manager of the Bank of Vizcaya
• que there buscar una formula de arreglo para la fusión.

The Amigables Componedores Committee had the task of analyzing the debt of Ferrocarril del Elgoibar a San Sebastián, drawing up the statutes of the new company resulting from the merger, and determining its managing director and its first supervisory board. A period of one year was available for the task with the possibility of an extension of 180 days. After the elaboration of several reports with the participation of important legal advisers, the articles of association were signed on November 6th, 1906, which founded a new company with a share capital of 20 million Pesetas and 15.5 million in the form of bonds.

The merger of the companies brought an enormous improvement in the management of the railway network managed by the new company. Sales increased and operating expenses decreased, so that more cash was available in all areas after the merger.

In December 1906, a landslide between Deba and Arrona interrupted the route, which led to the attempt to relocate the route away from the coast. Steps have also been taken to curb competition from Tranvía Eléctrico de Bilbao a Durango y Arratia .

A contract for the transport of the products of Cementos de Rezola in Añorga was signed and a collaboration was agreed with the San Sebastián tram, which transported the goods to the port of the city and to the port of Pasai .

Some important investments in infrastructure were made in 1907. The rails with a meter weight of 26 kg were exchanged for those with 32.2 kg per meter. Furthermore, a new train station in Durango ensured that the direct trains from Bilbao to Zumarraga no longer had to worry there, and a new repair shop was built in Durango. Between Deba and Arrona, construction began on the new route further away from the sea, and in Bilbao the branch from Azbarren to the Basurto district was put into operation, connecting the Ferrocarriles Vascongados and Ferrocarril Santander-Bilbao networks. Operations were also streamlined so that fewer vehicles were required. 40 cars were sold to the Ministerio de Fomento (Ministry of Public Works). The proceeds from the sale were 94,361 pesetas, which the railway company only claimed after eleven years. The Royal Decree of August 28, 1908 approved the merger and transferred the agreed tariff regulations and the special conditions of the concessions of the predecessor railways to the Ferrocarriles Vascongados .

In 1911 the railway bought the Tranvía Eléctrico de Bilbao a Durango y Arratia . The meter-gauge electric tram operated 49.21 km. It connected Bilbao with Durango and stood on this route in direct competition with the Ferrocarriles Vascongados , which ran the route over large parts parallel to the Ferrocarriles Vascongados . In addition, they operated a branch through the Arratia Valley to Zeanuri . The tram fleet at the time of purchase comprised 26 motor vehicles , 7 goods motor vehicles and 49 trailer vehicles of various types.

The Ferrocarriles Vascongados moved their headquarters in Bilbao-Atxuri station, which was previously the headquarters of Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya . The station was built in 1882 by the architect Sabino Goicoechea and expanded in 1895. On November 29, 1911, the board of directors approved the management's proposal to build a new train station in Bilbao. Manuel María Smith's project was selected in an architectural competition. The company Domingo Hormaechea y Cía was commissioned to carry out the work and built the station on newly acquired land in 1913. The inauguration took place on February 23, 1914.

An agreement between the railway companies Ferrocarriles del Cantábrico , Ferrocarril Santander-Bilbao , Ferrocarriles Económicos de Asturias and Ferrocarriles Vascongados ran a direct train from Oviedo in Asturias to the French border from 1912 . The 473 km long route was covered in 12 hours. The costs for the seven luxury 1st class bogie wagons and four 3rd class wagons with luggage compartments, which were procured especially for this train, were shared by the four railways, with each company paying proportionally to the kilometers traveled on its route network.

On April 9, 1913, extensive construction projects in the Ferrocarriles Vascongados route network were approved. At Lasarte , the route between Aguinaga and Irubide was shortened by 3.817 km and a difficult section of the route removed. The most important structures were the 612 m long San Esteban tunnel and the viaduct over the Oria . The new section was inaugurated on December 14, 1914. In addition, a new ore loading facility on the right bank of the Nervión at Achuri train station went into operation and the connection to Ferrocarril Pamplona-San Sebastián , also known as Ferrocarril del Plazaola, was improved.

The rise in the price of coal during the First World War prompted the Ferrocarriles Vascongados to found the Hulleras Vascongadas, SA (German "Basque Coal Company "), which mined the Asturian coal deposits near Pola de Lena . They were brought to the port of San Juan de Nieva on the Aviléz river by meter-gauge railroad in trains of 10 wagons weighing 20 tons , and from there they were transported by ship to Bilbao and from there by train to Durango, where the briquettes for the locomotives were made.

In 1921, the end station in Durango was converted into a through station. The project was created by engineer Manuel Alonso Zavala. The route between Durango and Lebario was also to be shortened by 775.90 m and two level crossings were to be removed. The project was presented in January 1922 and approved by a ministerial decree on December 4, 1922. Construction work began on February 15, 1923.

The electrification of the route network was envisaged in 1920 and the first steps were taken to raise the financial resources for this project. Together with the electrification, a shortened route was to be realized in which various winding sections were to be straightened by engineering structures and thus the distance between Bilbao and San Sebastian was to be shortened to 29 km. The route should be shortened in the following sections:

• Section Etxebarri – Zuazo – Lemona near Bilbao, cut by 7 km
• Apex tunnel near Zaldibar
• Section Éibar – Elgoibar, shortened by building a 2.5 km long tunnel at Acitaín
• Tunnel at Sasiola south of the entrance to Deba, reduction of 6.5 km
• Straightening of the route at Aginaga through a tunnel
• Straightening of the route at Usurbil through a tunnel and a new bridge over the Orio
• New route for the entrance to San Sebastian

At the Extraordinary General Meeting on August 13, 1925, the Board of Directors decided, among other things, to downsize from 12 to 7 members and to extend his terms of office from three to five years.

At the 10,471 kilometer line between Zaldibar and Eibar, a crossing point was put into operation in 1927, which was converted into Mallavía station on July 1, 1928. In the same year the construction of an access to the port of Pasai was examined. The route would have started from the Ferrocarril de San Sebastián a la frontera francesa . Another approach was investigated in Bilbao, where a track was to be built on the quay on the Nervión near la Naja - an approach on the other side of the Nervión near Uribitarte was expected since 1925.

Electrification meant a large investment for the railway, but also promised great advantages, such as shortening travel times and increasing trailer loads. Overall, savings of around 45% were expected.

In 1935, the 2nd class was canceled due to a lack of demand. In 1930 65% of the revenue came from freight transport and 32.5% from passenger transport. Various problems, such as the insolvency of the Purísima Concepción steelworks in Astete, which owed 96,000 pesetas in 1933, worsened the financial situation of the railway, which was drawing up a rehabilitation plan. The following was agreed:

• Adjustment of electrical energy consumption and payments to suppliers
• Adjustments to personnel expenses
• Conversion of train stations into stops
• Investments in signal boxes and lifting of level crossings so that gatekeepers and brakemen could be saved
• New timetables from February 22, 1932, which allowed to save 630 km of train journeys per day
• Definitive abolition of steam operation.

The plan reduced spending by 10.6% between 1931 and 1935, but revenue from transport decreased by 19.7%, making the company's financial position very difficult. In 1936, Ramón de la Sota Aburto was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors, who was close to the Nationalist Party of the Basque Country ( PNV ) and had a good track record in corporate management.

The Spanish Civil War

Ramón de la Sota proposed several measures, including a creditors 'settlement, which he proposed to the shareholders' meeting on June 30, 1936. Shortly afterwards, the coup against the government of the Second Spanish Republic failed and the Spanish Civil War began. The railway company was socialized and a workers' supervisory committee was formed, which took on the role of the board of directors.

The advance of the rebel troops was stopped in Malzaga, so that the San Sebastián – Eibar line was operated by the railway regiment with electric locomotives, while the line from Eibar to Bilbao was in the hands of the government of the republic and administered by the Basque government, which had enough vehicles.

As a result of the fighting, the bridges at Orio, Malzaga, Astepe, Andrapolea and Arratia, as well as the footbridge at Bedia, were blown up. Durango station was destroyed in the bombardment of the city and major damage was caused to the entire railway infrastructure.

Between the beginning of the war and December 31, 1940, more than 700,000 pesetas were spent on repairs. In the spring of 1937 the combat troops gained complete control of the Basque Country and all of the railway company's lines. In 1938 the following vehicles were reported as defective:

• 5 luggage carts
• 21 boxcars
• 59 high side gondolas
• 31 flat cars
• 44 tipping cars for transporting ore

Then came 1939

• 6 Porter locomotives
• 8 two-axle passenger cars
• 9 passenger cars with bogies
• 1 mail car with bogies

the post war period

After the war, all of the blown bridges, as well as the train station and workshops in Durango, had to be rebuilt and the vehicles repaired. The shortage of fuel made road transport difficult, so that the railway was able to record a significant increase in passenger and freight traffic. In 1940 the transport tariffs were raised by 15%, which increased the revenues by 18.15%. The shareholders' meeting resolved on September 25, 1941 to increase the share capital to 20 million pesetas, which allowed the contract of October 8, 1940 to be repaid.

A serious accident occurred on February 15, 1941. A storm with wind peaks of over 180 km / h led to a derailment on the Urola Bridge near Zumaia because a tree fell on the rails. Three passenger cars fell into the river, four fell down the embankment, two overturned on the tracks and the baggage car got stuck in the air, only the locomotive remained standing on the tracks. 22 people died in the accident, 54 were injured. It was the worst accident in the history of the Ferrocarriles Vascongados.

In 1946 the share capital was increased again, this time from 40 million to 80 million pesetas. The company was in a sustained growth and achieved the highest transport figures in its existence - 652,000 tons in freight traffic in 1946 and almost 8 million passengers in 1954. That year, due to a lack of electricity, it had to return to steam operation.

Work began on the 1443 m long Marcaute tunnel, which was awarded to Arregui Construcciones SA . In 1954 the rails with a weight of 26 kg per meter were exchanged for those with a weight of 35 kg per meter.

Traffic decline and closure

The increase in road traffic caused both freight traffic and passenger traffic to decline by rail. In 1971, 21,500 t of goods and 5.28 million people were transported. When Ferrocarril del Plazaola ceased operations in 1959, the branch line to Lasarte was also discontinued, only the first kilometers to the village were retained.

The 1970s started with a cost / income ratio of 97.1%. In 1970 there was still a black zero, the following year there was a deficit of 20 million pesetas. It was the first loss in the history of the railway. In the following years the deficit grew steadily.

On January 2, 1970 the connection between Ariz and Dos Caminos and on June 30, 1971 the pullman suits were discontinued. On June 24, 1972, the operation was completely stopped after this step had already been announced on June 10, 1972 at the Ministerio de Obras Publicas (German "Ministry of Public Works").

On June 21, 1972, the Ministerio de Obras Publicas issued a decree mandating the FEVE to operate the Ferrocarriles Vascongados route network. The Ferrocarriles Vascongados cessation file was signed by the presidents of the two railway companies: Mariano Pascual and Rafael Corona signed for FEVE and Rafael Guzman, President of the Board of Directors , for Ferrocarriles Vascongados .

On February 17, 1976, an agreement was reached between the administration and the Ferrocarriles Vascongados in which the state paid 280 million pesetas for all the company's routes. The unlimited concession of Ferrocarril de Bilbao a Durango , which was granted at the beginning of its existence, was of decisive importance in the contract. The agreed sum was transferred in two payments in 1982. This enabled all mortgages of Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya , Ferrocarril Durango a Zumarraga and Ferrocarril del Elgoibar a San Sebastián to be paid off.

The last payment claims were settled in 1987 by the Spanish Supreme Court in favor of the Ferrocarriles Vascongados . On December 29, 1995, the last shareholders' meeting of Ferrocarriles Vascongados took place , where it was decided to dissolve the company.

After the closure

After the operation was taken over by the FEVE, which was owned by the Ministerio de Obras Publicas, in 1972, this set up a plan for the comprehensive modernization and economic renovation of the railway. The branch from Ariz to Dos Caminos was definitively closed, as was that from Durango to Elorrio and to the mines of Arrazola. Operations on the Malzaga – Zumárraga line were also discontinued. Freight traffic should be promoted, for which the necessary vehicles should be overhauled. The passenger trains with luxury cars were maintained until September 4, 1977.

From June 1, 1979, all routes running entirely in the Basque Country were overwritten by the Basque government, which until May 24, 1982 took care of their operation. After that, the state-owned company EuskoTren , founded by decree 105/1982, took over the operation. The improvements in the infrastructure let the traffic increase again. In 1999 7.7 million travelers and 150,000 tons of goods were transported.

The direct trains between Bilbao and San Sebastian were retained with a few intermediate stops. In 1995 these trains were extended to the French border under the name Bidexpress , and from 1998 the Pullman trains operated again under the name Euskopullman from Hendaye .

The electrification

Since the end of the First World War, the coal prices rose because of the economic crisis, so that the Ferrocarriles Vascongados planned to electrify their routes. In December 1920, bonds were issued to fund the project. The funds were deposited with the Banco de Crédito de la Unión Minera, which went bankrupt in 1925. This led to financial problems that delayed the project. With electrification, the transport performance in passenger and freight traffic should be increased and travel times shortened.

On May 15, 1923, the government asked for permission to replace the steam plant with the electric plant. On August 5th, the board of directors of Ferrocarriles Vascongados awarded the electrification project to the Italian engineer Lello Pontocorvo and the Swiss engineer Carlos Isler. Lello Pontocorvo worked out the final project, which was approved by the Ministerio de Fomento (Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport) on June 1, 1927.

By December 31, 1930, a total of 11,369,278.01 pesetas had been spent on electrification, which was divided as follows:

object	Amount in pesetas
Substations	688,606.87
Electrical equipment of the substations	1,115,215.99
Total substations	1,803,822.86
10 electric locomotives from BBC	1,833,565.08
9 large motor vehicles from Ganz	1,732,722.59
5 small motor vehicles from Ganz	740,138.80
Electrical equipment for heating Ganz's wagons	182,630.68
spare Parts	23,734.35
Total vehicles	4,512,791.50
Catenary	4,241,294.42
Cerranuza – Durango high voltage line	120,570.91
High voltage line San Antolín – Deba	125,263.88
Leizaran – Lasarte high voltage line	132,833.95
Control post	188,232.49
Relocation of the telephone and telegraph lines	152,348.80
Installation and workshop	54,439.29
Trials and miscellaneous	37,643.91

power supply

On March 8, 1927, a contract was signed with Hidroeléctrica Española for the supply of electrical energy to supply the catenary. The energy was supplied with 30 kV three-phase alternating current , which was converted into 1500 V direct current in five substations to supply the lines. Depending on the substation, one or two converters from Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon (MFO) were installed, an offer from Brown, Boveri & Cie. (BBC) to equip the substations with mercury vapor rectifiers was not considered. The buildings of the substations were designed by the architect Luis de Elejabeitia. The substations were set up at the following locations:

• Lasarte (two converters)
• Deba (a converter)
• Vergara (two converters)
• Durango (a converter)
• Ariz (two converters)

Catenary

The following material was procured for the project:

• 4,320 catenary masts from La Basconia de Basauri (Bizkaia)
• 426 km of copper contact wire from Electromecánica from Córdoba .
• Insulators from the German manufacturer Rosenthal , the Manufacturas Cerámicas in Barcelona were made
• other overhead line parts from the Unión Cerrajera de Mondragón (Gipuzkoa).

The construction of the overhead line was awarded to Carlos Isler on January 27, 1927, who erected a crooked overhead line that did not require any additional tensioning. Work began on December 1, 1926 and was completed in early 1929.

vehicles

The following vehicles were initially procured for electrical operation:

• 10 Brown-Boveri locomotives ( FEVE Class 4000 )
• 9 large motor vehicles from Ganz
• 5 small motor vehicles from Ganz

More than a hundred passenger coaches had to be converted from steam heating to electric heating, with the electrical equipment also coming from Ganz.

Later three additional locomotives were bought from Asea and three trailers from Ganz were converted into motor vehicles.

business

The first electrically operated section was the Vergara – Zumárraga line. It was powered by electricity from the Ferrocarril del Urola . Travel times have been reduced significantly so that 52 minutes could be saved between Bilbao and San Sebastián. Between Durango and Amorebieta experiments were made using the power supply from the Tranvía de Bilbao a Durango y Arratia , which, however, only had a voltage of 600 V instead of 1500 V. On April 24, 1929, the entire route network was electrified, with the exception of the branch line to Elorrio. On August 23, the ceremonial opening trip from Bilbao to San Sebastián took place, which took 2 hours and 17 minutes for the route. On November 20, 1929, the timetables were adapted to the new shorter travel times and the larger trailer loads. The main line could be driven at 80 km / h. In 1945 the branch line from Durango to Elorrio and to the mines in Arrazola was electrified.

Electrification was very profitable for the railway company. A study carried out by JA Guerricabeitia in 1953 showed savings of 44.27% compared to steam operation.

Continuous trains between Asturias and the French border

In 1912 the railroad companies that operated meter-gauge railways in Asturias , Cantabria and the Basque Country came to an agreement to offer an express train from Oviedo , the capital of Asturias, to Hendaye on the French border. These were the following companies:

• Compañía del Ferrocarril Cantábrico
• Compañía de los Ferrocarriles Económicos de Asturias
• Compañía de los Ferrocarriles de Santander a Bilbao
• Compañía de los Ferrocarriles Vascongados

The route was 473 km long and the travel time was 13 hours and 44 minutes. The train ran from Oviedo on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and from Hendaye on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The train stopped in Llanes on the way there and Bilbao-Concordia on the way back for lunch.

On May 17, 1920 the uneconomical operation was stopped and the cars were sold to the Ferrocarril del Cantábrico and the Ferrocarril Económicos de Asturias .

Operations resumed on August 13, 1927. It lasted until February 21, 1932. The train ran in the same direction every other day and had a travel time of 7 hours and 32 minutes. Lunch was taken during the 45 minute stop in Bilbao. The offer was supported by the provincial governments in Oviedo and Gipuzkoa out of tourist interests. After the civil war, the offer was resumed and the travel time was shortened to 6 hours and 16 minutes. In 1983, the offer returned along the Cantabrian coast in the form of a FEVE tourist train.

Luxury trains of the Ferrocarriles Vascongados

The Ferrocarriles Vascongados operated some trains with luxury cars on the main line Bilbao – San Sebastián. Such trains were rare on the meter-gauge railways in Europe, they were the only ones in Spain.

In 1929, electrical operations began and with it, luxury trains with few stops, known as pullman trains , were introduced. In addition to first, second and third class cars, there was also a saloon and buffet car.

prehistory

The Compañía del Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya , one of the three predecessor companies of the Ferrocarril Vascongados , had already built a special car in 1885 that could be rented to wealthy passengers. The car was called the Saloncito Break .

After the Durango – Zumárraga line opened in 1887, a private operator used two buffet cars on this line. In February 1901, a saloon car and another dining car, built by Murphy & Allison in Philadelphia , were added. They were used as a luxury train between Bilbao and San Sebastián.

On June 26, 1902, a contract for the operation of these wagons was concluded with the Compañía Internacional de Wagons Lits (CIWL). The service was discontinued on February 14, 1904 due to differences of opinion between the three predecessor companies of Ferrocarril Vascongados , who were involved in the operation of the train.

After the Ferrocarriles Vascongados was founded, the operation of the luxury trains was resumed in February 1907. There was a daily express train from Bilbao to San Sebastian and back. Compared to conventional trains, the travel time was shortened from four to three hours. The train consisted of the locomotive, a baggage car and the saloon car with 20 seats. Between Bilbao and Durango, the train was also given a 2nd class and a 3rd class car. The train stopped in Amorebieta, Durango, Málzaga, Deba and Zarauz. On February 10, 1911 operations were stopped again due to a lack of locomotives, but the saloon car could still be rented.

Pullman suits

The electrification of the route made it possible to reintroduce the operation of the luxury trains. Five Pullman cars were bought from the English company Leeds Forge , which were operated by the CIWL. Cutlery with the company's emblem supplied by the British company Elkington & Co. was used.

The train ran twice a day between Bilbao and San Sebastian, with the desire to extend it to the French border. It consisted of a Ganz railcar with 3rd class seats, a baggage car, a 1st class car and a saloon car with a bar service. If necessary, another saloon car without a bar was attached. The train stopped at the subway stations Amorebieta, Durango, Eibar, Málzaga, Deba, Zumaia and Zarauz.

The operation of the luxury trains was stopped because of the Great Depression in October 1930. A Pullman car was only added to the last train between Bilbao and San Sebastián, which was later abandoned. After the civil war, operations were resumed in July 1939 and maintained until the transfer to FEVE in 1977. In June 1971 the bar was closed and on September 4th 1977 the FEVE completely stopped the operation of the Pullman cars.

EuskoTren

Under EuskoTren, the Bidexpress express train went into operation on December 26, 1988 . It stopped at the same train stations as the old pullman suit and had a video entertainment system for travelers. The trains also had a luggage compartment for express parcels. Until 1995 they ran once a day in each direction.

On May 13, 1998, a new luxury train called EuskoPullman was introduced, offering a cafeteria and free newspapers. This train stopped in Atxuri, Bolueta, Durango, Eibar and Zarauz. From July 3rd of the same year he operated to Hendaye. In April 1999, operations were limited to the weekends of the summer season.

Talgo trains

After Talgo trains were used on the broad gauge lines of the RENFE, the Ferrocarriles Vascongados investigated the possibility of using such trains on the meter- gauge network as a replacement for the Pullman trains. Talgo planned a train with 101 seats that would have weighed only 14 tons and would have been much lighter than the existing trains. The negotiations between Talgo and Ferrocarriles Vascongados were unsuccessful, so that the project could not be implemented.

Electric traction vehicles

Brown Boveri electric locomotive from 1928. It had four engines that together produced 1,000 hp. (see FEVE series 4000 )

The Compañía de Ferrocarriles Vascongados had the following electric locomotives:

• 10 electric locomotives from BBC , which were built in 1928 specifically for the Vascongados. the locomotives with stems resembled crocodile locomotives . → Main article: FEVE Series 4000
• 11 electric locomotives from ASEA in Boxcab style , of which procured in the years 1931 and 1932 8, the other three the 1950s.
• 9 electric railcars of whole with 44 seats and luggage compartments, six of which with the designations MCD 1 to 6 were obtained in 1928, three more with the designations MCD 7 to 9 followed 1930th
• 5 short version of Ganz electric multiple units, with the designations MACD 1 to 5, which were procured in 1928 and operated on the Ferrocarril del Deba. They were used as shunting tractors on the Bilbao – San Sebastián route from 1951 .
• 4 Alsthom electric multiple units with the designations MACD 10 to 13, which were purchased in 1930 and replace the MACD 1 to 5 on the Ferrocarril del Deba.
• 4 electric multiple units, which were built in the company's own workshops in Durango in the 1960s and were named MCD 14 to MCD 17.

literature

• María Olga Macías Muñoz: La Compañía de los Ferrocarriles Vascongados . In: Tst . No. 27 , 2014, ISSN  1578-5777 , p. 17-25; 38-63 ( PDF ).
• Los Ferrocarriles Vascongados alcanzan los cien años de existencia . In: Via Libre . ( PDF ).

Web links

Commons : Ferrocarriles Vascongados  - Collection of Images

• Juan Peris Torner: Ferrocarriles Vascongados. In: Ferrocarriles de España. (Spanish). 
• Juan Peris Torner: Ferrocarriles Vascongados Material Móvil. In: Ferrocarriles de España. (Spanish, vehicles of the Ferrocarriles Vascongados). 

Individual evidence

1. ^ Compañía de los Ferrocarriles Vascongados. In: Ferropedia. Retrieved April 23, 2017 (Spanish). 
2. ↑ Ferrocarril de Durango á Zumárraga y Ramal de Malzaga (San Pedro de Carquizano) á Elgoibar. (No longer available online.) In: Ferrocarriles de España. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017 ; Retrieved April 23, 2017 (Spanish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Tudela á Bilbao. (No longer available online.) In: Ferrocarriles de España. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018 ; Retrieved April 24, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Ferrocarril Central de Vizcaya, Bilbao - Durango. (No longer available online.) Ferrocarriles Espãna, archived from the original on June 9, 2017 ; accessed on April 30, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ^ Ferrocarril de Durango á Arrazola y Elorrio. (No longer available online.) Ferrocarriles de España, archived from the original on June 9, 2017 ; Retrieved June 5, 2017 (Spanish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ↑ Ferrocarril de Durango á Zumárraga y Ramal de Malzaga (San Pedro de Carquizano) á Elgoibar. (No longer available online.) Spanish Railway, archived from the original on May 16, 2017 ; accessed on May 7, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ↑ Javier Sada: La estación de Amara. In: Diario Vasco. April 26, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2017 (Spanish). 
8. ↑ Revista Minera, Volume 51, pp. 195-298.
9. ^ Revista Ingeniería y Construcción, March 1923, page 143
10. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Ferrocarriles Vascongados. (No longer available online.) Spanish Railway, archived from the original on June 24, 2017 ; Retrieved July 9, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
11. ^ Murphy & Allison. In: Builders of Wooden Railway Cars. Mid-Continent Railway Museum, accessed September 23, 2018 . 
12. ↑ Juanjo Olaizola: Los trenes de lujo del ferrocarril de vía métrica de Bilbao a San Sebastián. In: Mundo Ferrobiario. May 15, 2014, accessed September 23, 2018 . 
13. ↑ Juan Peris Torner