[Photoplug] RENFE steam in Spain, 1972

Here are 23 Les Tindall photos of Spanish main line steam in its final days. (It finished in 1975.)
By this time the ancient 0-6-0s which had once characterised Spanish railways had gone. Almost all the locos seen are modern and eight-coupled - 2-8-2s, 4-8-0s, 4-8-2s and the mighty 4-8-4s. Although the 4-8-4 type was the ultimate development in the USA of the steam locomotive for passenger and fast freight trains, very few were built in Europe. The Germans built two streamliners in 1939 of class 06, but they were apparently not sucessful and were withdrawn in 1951. In 1946 the French built one, 242.A1, which was successful but SNCF was determined to electrify and it was withdrawn in 1960. The Spanish built ten of these mighty machines in 1955-56. They were oil-fired, and two are seen here.

Despite their modernity, almost all the locos seen in these photos were out of use.

http://andrewstransport.smugmug.com...1972/38603700_LR3R9K#!i=3191086385&k=gPrMnZ9b

Cheers

Andrew N