The Class 37s and 58s in Spain...
The Class 37s
Rather than just concentrate on the 58s working in España, I thought it would be good to give a full picture of what is happening in the land of San Miguel!
Originally fourteen 'heavyweight' Class 37s were hired to GIF in Spain for duties on construction work (see previous issue of 'Red Diamond' for full details), but there are currently only nine of these locos remaining in active service, being employed on the construction of the new AVE high speed line between Lleida and Tarragona / Barcelona.
From the original fourteen 37/7s, we read in RD (Vol 5, Issue 2/2005) that 37802, 37885 and 37899 were reportedly cut-up following accident damage in 2002 and 2003, leaving eleven of the fleet to continue work.
Of these eleven locomotives, a further two, namely 37702 (L30) and 37888 (L31), are more recently permanently out of service with an alternator failure and a collision with a rail machine respectively (the latter resulting in 37888 suffering from a bent nose at the Number 1 end). These two locomotives are dumped in the compound of Puigverd de Lleida depot awaiting their fate.
So, using the remaining nine active locos, construction of the line is still ongoing. It would appear that approximately three-quarters of the Lleida-Barcelona line has been completed. 37714 (L26), 37716 (L23), 37718 (L22), 37801 (L29) and 37884 (L34) were recently reported as putting the finishing touches to the line in and around the Perafort and L'Arboc areas. It is believed that any Class 37s requiring routine maintenance will be sent north to Puigverd de Lleida depot and returned south when maintenance is complete.
The remaining four locos, 37703 (L25), 37799 (L27), 37800 (L33) and 37883 (L28) are currently on the recently-constructed 'Vilafranca del Penedes' depot waiting to start work at the southern end of the new line. (The civil engineering works are still ongoing before tracks can be laid on the trace). This depot is in the final stages of commissioning before work starts in earnest, believed to be in the next few weeks/months.
Liveries: All the 37s are painted in the two-tone blue livery of GIF. The machines currently out working were looking a little work-stained, whereas those awaiting work, at Vilafranca, looked immaculate. As the GIF company is now part of Adif, the ‘GIF’ lettering has been peeled off the bodysides but can still be seen on some examples. Photography of the locomotives is best either first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon as the sun overhead obscures the black bogies!
How to get there, where to stay and what to do…
If you solely want to concentrate on the 37s, it would be advisable to fly from the UK to Barcelona. The length of time you stay is up to you. We found that you will only need two/three days maximum to get photographs of the locomotives as once you’ve found them they don’t move about much, but try and avoid weekends as construction work only takes place on weekdays.
A hire-car, which can be picked up from the airport, is a MUST for these trips as a fair bit of mileage (or kilometreage as it should be on the continent!) is covered. On the plus side, the cost of diesel is less than a euro a litre, approximately 70p, so is cheaper than you would currently pay in the UK!
Being Barcelona, there are quite literally hundreds of hotels to choose from for accommodation. Remember, you get what you pay for. From past experience, so little time is spent in the hotels that we normally opt for the cheaper options, but if your trip is a relaxing one it would be worth paying that little bit more for a bit more quality! As you will have a hire-car, you could (if you wanted) look further afield for accommodation, perhaps somewhere nearer Tarragona to limit your daily driving!
The locations…
Puigverd de Lleida depot is located south-east of Lleida itself, just off the N240 and is about 90km from Tarragona / 170km from Barcelona, so is quite a hike – about 2 and a half hours’ drive. This depot, which looks like it was once a full base, appears to be largely abandoned. The site, when open (not very often), is heavily guarded with armed guards. 37702 and 37888 can be seen from the depot entrance fence if the gates are shut (but you will need a strong telephoto lens to zoom in). Alternatively you can walk round the wire-mesh perimeter fence to get a slightly better view.
Perafort is north of Tarragona, again just off the N240. Here 37801 was ballasting around the new station area which was being constructed. With a load of just four ballast hoppers, the loco was almost always on the move (and was the only Class 37 that we saw working on our entire trip!), albeit the distance it covered was only a few hundred yards at a time! As this is a building site it is advisable to stay out of the complex, but the loco could be seen from the track-side fences and easily photographed.
At L’Arboc, approximately 70km from Barcelona, the AVE lines run parallel to the classic line from Barcelona to Tarragona. Like Perafort, this location was pretty much complete at the time of our visit with what looks like the foundations of a station being built here.
Vilafranca del Penedes depot is a new construction base, still in the process of being commissioned. The base is in the town after which it is named, which is off the AP-7/E-15 and N340 roads, approximately half way between Barcelona and Tarragona. The base takes a bit of finding, but is easily spotted from the road with its big blue shed and huge ballast stockpile!
Class 37 Summary (pool WZKS):
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The Class 58s
As we already know, the Class 58s are employed on construction of a new line between Cordoba and Malaga in the southern part of the country. All eight are based at Bobadilla depot, near the town of Antequerra in the province of Andalucia.
In early July it was noted that four of the eight locomotives - 58020 (L43), 58025 (L41), 58030 (L46) and 58041 (L36) - were being used for structure testing on the viaduct at Bobadilla. Each loco was either hauling or propelling a loaded ballast wagon over the structure and the oscillations of the bridges were being recorded electronically to ensure the structure would be completely safe for the passage of trains without incident.
Of the remaining four, two; 58031 (L45) and 58043 (L37) were stabled on the depot whilst the final two, 58024 (L42) and 58029 (L44), were working at Almodovar, the junction where the Cordoba-Malaga AVE section branches off from the Madrid-Seville AVE line. On the 6th of July 58024 and 58029 returned to Bobadilla for routine maintenance and in their place 58031 & 58043 were sent 'up north' to continue where they left off.
Construction of the Cordoba-Malaga AVE, which is designed for a top speed of 350km/h was divided into 22 sections of which sections 12 and 13, the Abdalajis Tunnels sections (two separate bores running parallel to each other - one for each direction), was one of the biggest sub-projects of the entire line.
Work on the tunnel started in November 2003 and has taken over 26 months to complete. Along the new line tunnels account for 19km of the route, with the Abdalajis tunnels accounting for just under half of this in length, at 7270 metres long. The finishing touches to the tunnels are being put in place at the present time and by mid-July it had been reported that four of the Class 58s were to be transported (by road) to the southern extremity of the line, near Malaga, by road to start construction work there, presumably heading north towards Bobadilla.
Liveries: Like the 37s all the 58s are painted in the two-tone blue livery of GIF. As all eight locomotives are in service they are looking dirty, just how locos should look! Again, the ‘GIF’ lettering has been peeled off the bodysides and fronts but the remnants can just be seen. The two locos prepared by Old Oak Common (58020 and 58024) are instantly recognisable with their half-yellow front ends, unlike the full yellow front ends as applied to the other six by Eastleigh depot. 58025 and 58030 also differ from the others as they have black window beading (see summary grid below for full details).
How to get there, where to stay and what to do…
This really does depend on where the 58s are working at any specific time. Again, a hire-car is a must for this trip because although Bobadilla is only 70km north of Malaga it is approximately an hour’s drive from Malaga airport, which has direct flights from many of the UK’s airports.
Bobadilla depot is located on the northern outskirts of the town after which it is named and like Vilafranca del Penedes can be seen from a distance with its typical blue shed. Access to the depot is via a security gate at the entrance and you MUST get permission from the depot supervisor before you can take photographs as there are regular security patrols as well. A good location for photography, if any locos are out working, is on the viaduct just to the south of the depot. This viaduct has opportunities for morning and evening photography as the sun moves round throughout the day.
There are no hotels in the little town of Bobadilla itself. The nearest location is the historic town of Antequerra, just a few kilometres to the east of Bobadilla. There are plenty of hotels to choose from in this town and there are lots of nice restaurants to eat in. Antequerra is a very popular tourist location and this is reflected in the slightly higher room prices.
Class 58 Summary (EWS Pool WZFS)
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OVERALL SUMMARY
It helps if one of your party members can speak a bit of Spanish! These trips take you into ‘proper’ Spain where very few people speak or understand English. You should also be prepared to be stopped by the Spanish Civil Guard, or the local police, and questioned about your activities!
Following on from the dreadful train bombing in Madrid a few years ago, as well as the recent Metro crash in Valencia, security on the Spanish railways is a top priority at the moment. All train stations in Spain have at least one armed guard on patrol, so if you want to do station photography, please ask for permission first.
Any photos around the depot areas must only be taken with permission from the Chief at the depot, otherwise the police may be onto you quickly and confiscate your camera equipment, so please make sure you ask for permission first. The depot supervisor may take your passport numbers down for security reference and please make sure you abide by what he says.
It is also of paramount importance that you apply for, and receive (before you go), a RENFE photographic permit.
Photography on the lineside shouldn’t cause too much fuss with the locals, but again, be aware that a passing police car may stop and ask what you’re up to, but upon production of the photo permit they should go away happy! Above all, despite all these warnings, remember, it’s good fun and you can get some cracking results if you play it right!
Copyright noticeAll text on this page and any other page of the C58LG website is copyrighted to the Class 58 Locomotive Group, except where shown otherwise. Likewise, photographs are the property of the photographer or of the C58LG if no name is stated. If you wish to use any of the text on this website we would appreciate being informed of which text you are using and where it will be reproduced. All we ask for in return is an acknowledgement. High resolution photographs can be supplied upon request. Please e-mail our webmaster for more details if required. Thank you.
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