30 years ago today, Spain on 28.12.75

[Roderick Smith]

On Sun.28.12.75, my group of three left Bilbao Concordia aboard the 8.45
FEVE passenger train to Leon, with connection to La Robla. The day was
chilly, and the carriage heating was not working properly. After the
junction for Santander the fog lifted and the sun shone: superb scenery with
sun on green hills with rocky outcrops. At one point we saw the alignment
of the aborted bg line to Santander below us. The cantina at Mataporquera
was functioning (mainly alcohol, but a few simple sandwiches). We alighted
at Cillamayor, and caught a waiting minibus to Barruelo, then an emu to
Quintanilla, connecting to Aguilar. Disaster hit: we were not allowed on
the electrotren, and had to taxi 99 km to Palencia to retrieve the
itinerary. The taxi suffered from a blown tyre en route, but we did connect
to Valladolid and Medina de Campo, where we obtained dinner at 22.35 (the
first customers in the restaurant for the night; the rest came at 23.00).
We connected onto an overnight train to Guillarey to connect into Portugal.

Did we make the right choice at Cillamayor? Since then the through
passenger service to Leon has been withdrawn (but reinstated in 2004 or
2005); the connecting passenger service to La Robla has been withdrawn (but
I will cover the line in April on a UK-group charter); the passenger service
to Barruelo has been withdrawn (but there is a preserved railbus there,
running for special occasions). Conclusion: yes, we made the right choice
that day.

Regards,

Roderick B Smith

Rail News Victoria Editor

[unknown]

Post by Roderick Smith
Disaster hit: we were not allowed on
the electrotren, [...]

Overcrowded?

Regards,

Rian

[Roderick Smith]

We didn't have a reservation, and it could well have been full (these trains
were fast, but had only limited capacity). Spain at the time had slow
all-day loco-hauled trains on most routes, fast Talgos on some, TERs on some
(two-car dmus), Electrotrens on some (fast emus, four-car?) and some TAF
(fast but vintage dmus).
I have had to defer my 30th anniversary tour to May, which is why I am
sending the nostalgia now rather than being in Europe repeating the
surviving parts of the holiday under today's conditions.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Post by unknown
Overcrowded?

[Eloi [entfe001]]

Post by Roderick Smith
Electrotrens on some (fast emus, four-car?)

No. Only three cars. Some of them had been refurnished recently and
run mainly in Catalonia, quickly connecting cities at 100-150 km
away from Barcelona. There are still some trains in original aspect,
some of them running around the Zaragoza area.

[U***@web.de]

Post by Roderick Smith
We didn't have a reservation, and it could well have been full (these trains
were fast, but had only limited capacity). Spain at the time had slow
all-day loco-hauled trains on most routes, fast Talgos on some, TERs on some
(two-car dmus), Electrotrens on some (fast emus, four-car?) and some TAF
(fast but vintage dmus).

The key words were "pasar por taquilla" (go to counter).
Have there already been five types of supplement
A (Talgo), B (Electrtrén), C (TER), D, E besides
mandatory reservation for long-distance trains?

When traveling in the 80ies on Interrail, I avoided
ticket counters and trains with supplement and was
fine in the ordinary expreso trains.

Regards, ULF

[Roderick Smith]

I am providing the whole Portugal program in this post, as I am off the
computer until 2.1 (coinciding with a return to Spain in 1975),

Mon.29.12: - Guillarey - Porto São Bento - Porto Trindade - Senhora da
Hora - Circunvalação - Avenida da Franca - Porto Trindade - São Bento -
Ermesinde - Contumil - Porto Campanha - Porto Sao Bento - tram to Foz &
Avenida da Franca - train to Porto Trindade.

Tues.30.12: Porto São Bento - Regua - Chaves - Regua.

Wed.31.12: Regua - Pocinho - Carvicais - Pocinho - Porto Campanha -

Thurs.1.1.76: Lisboa Santa Apolonia; tram; Lisboa Rossio - Sintra - Lisboa
Rossio - funicular, metro & ferry; Barreiro - Pinhal Novo - Montijo - Pinhal
Novo - Barreiro - ferry - Lisboa Sta Apolonia -

We arrived in Porto around lunchtime, and rode a local train (0-4-4-0 Mallet
tank) to Senhora Da Hora, where the train turned on the triangle (which led
to a disused branch to the port). The afternoon went to waste. We
positioned for the afternoon steam-hauled bg commuter train to the port. It
was delayed with loco troubles. We waited for 2 hours, but the train was
cancelled: lost time, and line on which I have never travelled. The tram
ride was confusing: we went for a long way, and then all trams were going
into the depot, with none back to the city. Then I realised where we were,
and we returned by train.

The first Douro day was cold and foggy. Station buildings were still
covered with spray-painted revolutionary slogans (like graffiti). The train
was hauled by a Mallet (2-4-6-0?). At Chaves, I was able to buy a tape
measure (using a very restricted vocabulary). The shop which we tried
didn't sell them, but the alert assistant seated us, then went off to buy
one elsewhere, then returned to sell it to me (I was doing a lot of
carriage-interior measurements). We stayed in a pension in Regua: friendly,
with a good meal, but cold.

The second Douro day was a disaster. Because of overcrowding, the small
railmotor on the branch from Pocinho ran in two divisions. We were in the
second, and it didn't go the whole way. Then we had a long wait in
Pochinho, with no dinner available. We had a very late arrival in Porto
with no meal.

The Lisboa day was hectic but fun. Of course we rode the famous Graca
circle tram route, and we covered a lot of other things as well before
leaving on the overnight train to Badajoz.

In my many trips to Portugal since, it has risen in my estimation to be my
favourite western European country (until I abandonded the idea of having a
favourite: every country has its specialities and unique points).

Regards,

Roderick B Smith

Rail News Victoria Editor

[William JONES]

Hello,

"Roderick Smith" <***@werple.net.au> a écrit dans le message de news:
PROsf.317$***@nasal.pacific.net.au...

[...]

| The second Douro day was a disaster. Because of overcrowding, the small
| railmotor on the branch from Pocinho ran in two divisions. We were in the
| second, and it didn't go the whole way. Then we had a long wait in
| Pochinho, with no dinner available. We had a very late arrival in Porto
| with no meal.

I always have in my bag some biscuits, it helps to calm the hunger ...

[Ulf Kutzner]

Post by Roderick Smith
The Lisboa day was hectic but fun. Of course we rode the famous Graca
circle tram route, and we covered a lot of other things as well before
leaving on the overnight train to Badajoz.

IIUC, the Badajoz international service was cancelled recently...

I made it in the 80s...

Regards, ULF