Ferrocarriles Vascongados facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Compañía de Ferrocarriles Vascongados, S.A.

Former type	Publicly listed
Successor	FEVE (1972) Euskotren (1982)
Founded	1 July 1906
Defunct	29 December 1995
Headquarters	Atxuri station, Bilbao, Biscay , Spain
Area served	Basque Country

Ferrocarriles Vascongados was a railway company in the Basque Country, Spain. It started in 1906 when three smaller railway companies joined together. This company ran trains on the important Bilbao-San Sebastián line. It also operated the Elorrio branch and the Deba railway.

In 1972, another company called FEVE took over its train services. Then, in 1982, these services were given to a new company called Basque Railways. Ferrocarriles Vascongados officially closed down in 1995. This was after it had not been active for more than 20 years.

History of the Railway

Ferrocarriles Vascongados was created on July 1, 1906. It was formed by combining three different railway companies:

• Biscay Central Railway Company: This company ran a line from Bilbao to Durango. This line opened in 1882. It also had a smaller branch line that went from Durango to Elorrio, which opened in 1905.
• Durango-Zumárraga Railway Company: Their main line went from Durango to Zumarraga. Parts of this line opened between 1887 and 1889. They also owned a small branch line called San Pedro de Carquízano near Elgoibar.
• Elgoibar-San Sebastián Railway Company: This line connected Elgoibar to San Sebastián. It opened in different stages between 1893 and 1901.

Even though these three companies were separate, they often worked together. They shared many owners and had similar goals. After a lot of talks, they decided to merge into one big company.

After the merger, the new company saw a big increase in both passengers and goods being transported. In 1929, the main lines were updated to use electricity. This made the trains run faster and more efficiently. The Elorrio branch was electrified later, in 1946.

With the new electric lines, the company bought its first new trains. These included electric Brown Boveri and ASEA locomotives (the engines that pull the trains). They also bought Ganz railcars (trains that can drive themselves).

During the 1920s, the company tried to buy another railway line, the Amorebieta-Pedernales railway. However, they couldn't because they often had money problems. In 1946, they thought about extending the Elorrio branch to Mondragón, but they didn't have enough money to do it.

The company was at its busiest right after the Spanish Civil War. But starting in the 1950s, roads became much better for transport. This meant fewer people and goods traveled by train, and the railway company started to decline.

As fewer people used the trains, the railway's tracks and trains became old and worn out. By the early 1970s, the company was in a very difficult situation. So, on June 25, 1972, a railway company owned by the government, FEVE, took over its operations.

The Elorrio branch and the Deba railway lines were closed in 1975. In 1979, the train services were transferred to the Basque General Council. Then, in 1982, the old Ferrocarriles Vascongados network became the main part of the new Basque Railways. This company is now called Euskotren and is owned by the Basque Government.

Even though Ferrocarriles Vascongados stopped running trains in 1972, the company itself wasn't immediately closed down. In 1976, an agreement was made with the government about transferring its property and money. This helped the company pay off its debts. Finally, on December 29, 1995, the company's owners officially dissolved it.

Train Types (Rolling Stock)

After the companies merged, Ferrocarriles Vascongados used the steam locomotives and passenger cars that its older companies already owned. In total, Ferrocarriles Vascongados and its earlier companies used 71 steam locomotives. These were built by companies like Couillet, Nasmyth & Wilson, Porter, Hanomag, and Krauss.

When the Bilbao-San Sebastián line was electrified in 1929, the company bought new electric trains. They got 14 new electric locomotives from Brown Boveri and ASEA. They also bought 14 railcars from Ganz. In the 1950s, three more ASEA locomotives were purchased, along with four used railcars. The very last trains bought were four railcars built by Ferrocarriles Vascongados itself in the 1960s. Most of these train types were later used by FEVE and then by Euskotren.

Steam Locomotives

Class	Image	Operator	In service	Number	Notes
1-5 (Hanomag)		Biscay Central	1882-1904	5	These were the first locomotives for the Bilbao-Durango railway. They were not very powerful, so they were sold to other companies before Ferrocarriles Vascongados was formed.
6-7 (Hanomag)		Biscay Central	1884-1914	2	These were bought to help out the first five Hanomag locomotives.
21-26 (Couillet)		Durango-Zumárraga	1882-1904	7	These were the first locomotives for the Durango-Zumárraga railway. One was sold to the Bilbao-Las Arenas railway soon after it arrived. The rest were sold to other companies after Ferrocarriles Vascongados was founded.
27-28 (Couillet)		Durango-Zumárraga	1889-1915	2	These were two Mallet locomotives. They were more powerful than the older Couillet locomotives.
130T		Biscay Central Elgoibar-San Sebastián	1892-1964	10	This was a group of ten 2-6-0 locomotives. They were built by Nasmyth & Wilson. The Biscay Central railway bought six, and the Elgoibar-San Sebastián railway bought four.
220T		Biscay Central Elgoibar-San Sebastián	1900-1955	7	This was a group of seven 4-4-0 locomotives. They were built by Nasmyth & Wilson. The Biscay Central railway bought four, and the Elgoibar-San Sebastián railway bought three.
Porter		Biscay Central Durango-Zumárraga Elgoibar-San Sebastián	1901-1955	8	This was a group of eight locomotives built by Porter. The three companies that later merged bought them together: Biscay Central got four, Elgoibar-San Sebastián got two, and Durango-Zumárraga got two.
020T "Elgoibar"		Durango-Zumárraga	1886-1891	1	This was a single 0-4-0 locomotive built by Krauss. It was not very strong, so it was sold to the Elgoibar-San Sebastián railway. They used it while building their line. Later, it was sold again to a mine railway in Cantabria.
131T		Durango-Zumárraga Elgoibar-San Sebastián	1902-1974	4	These were four 2-6-2 locomotives built by Krauss. The Durango-Zumárraga and Elgoibar-San Sebastián railways each bought two.
040T		Durango-Zumárraga	1903-1974	6	This was originally a group of three 0-8-0 locomotives built by Krauss. The Durango-Zumárraga railway bought them to replace older trains. Three more were bought after the companies merged.
Easo class		Elgoibar-San Sebastián	1904-1941	5	These were five Engerth locomotives built by Krauss. Two of them arrived after the merger.
Euzkadi class		Ferrocarriles Vascongados	1914-1958	14	These were fourteen Engerth locomotives bought after the merger. They were built by Krauss. Most were sold to other companies after the railway became electric.

Electric and Gasoline-Electric Trains

Class	Image	Type	In service	Number	Notes
1-10 (Brown Boveri)		Electric locomotive	1928-1999	10	This was a group of ten electric locomotives. They were built when the railway was electrified. Later, FEVE and Euskotren used them.
11-14 (ASEA)		Electric locomotive	1931-2016	4	These were four electric locomotives bought to help the Brown Boveri locomotives.
15-17 (ASEA)		Electric locomotive	1950-2010	3	These three electric locomotives were built in 1950. They worked similarly to the older ASEA locomotives but looked more modern.
MACD 1-5 (Ganz)		Railcar	1928-1980	5	These were built especially for the Deba railway because it had very tight curves. After 1951, they were mostly used for other, less important services.
MACD 10-13 (Alsthom)		Railcar	1949-1974	4	Seven railcars were built in 1930 by Alsthom for another railway that closed in 1939. Ferrocarriles Vascongados bought four of them.
MCD 1-9 (Ganz)		Railcar	1928-1981	9	This was a group of nine railcars built by a Hungarian company called Ganz. They were used regularly until the mid-1970s. One train was even used on the San Sebastián-Hendaye line until 1981.
MCD 14-17		Railcar	1962-1997	4	These were built by Ferrocarriles Vascongados itself in the 1960s. After FEVE took over, they were renamed the 3150 series.
TACM 1-2		Railcar	1913-1917	2	These were two gasoline-electric railcars built in 1912. They were used for services between San Sebastián and Zarautz from May 12, 1913, to May 30, 1917.

See also

In Spanish: Ferrocarriles Vascongados para niños