Ferrocarril de Langreo
Encyclopedia
Ferrocarril de Langreo or FC de Langreo was a Spanish
railway company which operated a standard gauge
line, in the Autonomous Community
of Asturias
, in northern Spain
. It was the third train line constructed in Spain and was built during the 1850s.
The private 50 km (31.1 mi) railway focused on moving coal and iron ore from the mines of Laviana
and Langreo
and the factory of La Felguera
to Gijon
. It was the only non-urban Spanish railway built to standard gauge
, which often led it to look for second-hand rolling-stock, mainly from the United States
. This included the purchase of:
In 1973, the FC de Langreo was absorbed by FEVE
, which rebuilt the Gijon-Laviana line to metre gauge
in 1983.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
railway company which operated a standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
line, in the Autonomous Community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, in northern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It was the third train line constructed in Spain and was built during the 1850s.
The private 50 km (31.1 mi) railway focused on moving coal and iron ore from the mines of Laviana
Laviana
Laviana is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, located in Spain. It is bordered on the north by Bimenes and Nava, on the south by Aller, on the east by Piloña and Sobrescobio, and on the west by San Martín del Rey Aurelio and Mieres.Situated in the basin of...
and Langreo
Langreo
Langreo, , officially Llangréu / Langreo is a municipality of northern Spain, province of The Principality of Asturias....
and the factory of La Felguera
La Felguera
La Felguera is the largest parish in the municipality of Langreo, Asturias, in the north of Spain, with 21.000 inhabitants. It is the fifth largest town in Asturias, after Gijón, Oviedo, Avilés and Mieres. It is an 18 minute drive by car to Oviedo, the capital of Asturias...
to Gijon
Gijón
Gijón , officially Gijón / Xixón, is a coastal industrial city and a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early mediaeval texts mention it as "Gigia". It was an important regional Roman city, although the area has been settled since earliest history...
. It was the only non-urban Spanish railway built to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, which often led it to look for second-hand rolling-stock, mainly from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This included the purchase of:
- Five USATC S160 ClassUSATC S160 ClassThe United States Army Transportation Corps S160 Class is a class of 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotive designed for use in Europe during World War II for heavy freight work...
steam locomotives in 1959 from the Alaska RailroadAlaska RailroadThe Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad which extends from Seward and Whittier, in the south of the state of Alaska, in the United States, to Fairbanks , and beyond to Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright in the interior of that state...
ARR 401 402 404 405 406 which kept their former numbers - Talgo passenger coach sets built for the New York, New Haven and Hartford RailroadNew York, New Haven and Hartford RailroadThe New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968 which served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts...
in 1964. - Four ALCO RS-3ALCO RS-3The ALCO RS-3 is a 1,600 hp , B-B road switcher railroad locomotive. It was manufactured by American Locomotive Company and Montreal Locomotive Works from May 1950 to August 1956, and 1,418 were produced — 1,265 for American railroads, 98 for Canadian railroads, 48 for Brazilian and 7...
diesel electric units in 1964, from the Terminal Railroad Association of St. LouisTerminal Railroad Association of St. LouisThe Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis is a terminal railroad owned by railroads in St. Louis, Missouri which handles traffic through its metropolitan area.-Components:It was founded in 1889 in a deal orchestrated by Jay Gould by:...
. A fifth unit, numbered 1604, was purchased in 1971 from the Burlington Northern RailroadBurlington Northern RailroadThe Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
, a piece of surplus Great Northern Railway stock from the 1970 merger that formed the Burlington Northern.
In 1973, the FC de Langreo was absorbed by FEVE
FEVE
FEVE is a state-owned Spanish railway company, which operates most of Spain's of metre gauge railway.-History:...
, which rebuilt the Gijon-Laviana line to metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
in 1983.
See also
- Transportation in Spain
- RENFERENFERenfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
- FEVEFEVEFEVE is a state-owned Spanish railway company, which operates most of Spain's of metre gauge railway.-History:...
- History of rail transport in SpainHistory of rail transport in SpainRail transport in Spain operates on four rail gauges and services are operated by a variety of private and public operators. The total route length in 2008 was 15,288 km :...
.