Tranvía de Sóller

The Tranvía de Sóller (Catalan: Tramvia de Sóller) is a Spanish heritage tramway serving the town of Sóller and the coastal village of Port de Sóller, in the island of Majorca. It is owned by Ferrocarril de Sóller S.A. (FS), the same company operating the heritage rail line linking the town to the city of Palma.

Tranvía de Sóller
Tramcar 2 passing through the centre of Sóller
Overview
OwnerFerrocarril de Sóller S.A.
Locale Sóller (Spain)
TerminiSóller
Port de Sóller
Stations17[1]
Service
TypeTramway
Rolling stock12 trams[1]
History
Opened4 October 1913[1]
Technical
Line length4.868 km (3.025 mi)
Number of tracksSingle track
Track gauge914 mm (3 ft)[1]
Electrification600 V DC[1]overhead lines
Operating speed25 km/h (16 mph)
Route map

OpenStreetMap map of Sóller Tramway
(not all stations shown)
4+86 La Payesa
4+65 Marysol
4+30 Can Generós
4+10 S'Eden
3+90 Las Palmeras
3+80 S'Espléndido
3+70 Sa Torre
3+45 Es Control
2+75 Roca Roja
2+50 Can Ahir
2+25 Can Llimó
2+00 Monument
1+60 L'Horta
1+20 Can Reus
0+90 Can Guida
0+30 Mercat
0+00 Sóller
depôt
Source: File:StrassenbahnLinienplanSoller1997.png

The Tranvía de Sóller is one of only two first generation tramways to survive in Spain, along with the Tramvia Blau in the city of Barcelona.[2]

Overview

The Soller tramway line, which was designed and constructed by the engineer Pedro Garau, opened on 4 October 1913 shortly after the inauguration of Palma-Sóller rail line,[1][3] and started regular service on 13 October of that year. Electrified from the start of operation, the line is 4.868 km long, has a single track with passing loops and runs on 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge tracks. It is a popular tourist attraction, especially since the early 2000s, as it uses attractive heritage rolling stock. In 2010 it carried approximately 900,000 passengers.[4]

Along with other small towns[note 1] such as Gmunden (Austria: Gmunden Tramway) or Volchansk (Russia: Volchansk tram system), Sóller is one of the smallest European towns with an urban tramway system.

Route

The line has 17 stations, most of them simple stops consisting of a concrete platform, with no buildings.[1] Trams run at approximately 30 minute intervals from 07:00 to midnight, reduced to one trip per hour from 20:00.[5]

The route starts at Sóller railway station, and the southern passenger terminus is just outside the entrance to that station. Trams start inside the railway yard at the tram depot, which is linked to the main railway. On arrival from Port de Soller, trams enter the yard to shunt locomotives for the return trip, but passengers are not allowed into the depot.[6]

The track passes through the town's centre, close to the church of San Bartolomé and goes through the main square, sharing the public road with motor vehicles. The line then follows its own route, through the northern suburb of Sóller and the village of Horta, crosses the MA-11 road, and then runs parallel to that road. Finally, it enters the town of Port de Sóller at the "Sa Torre" stop, and travels along the pedestrianised seafront to the marina at the north end.

The provision of passing loops enables several vehicles to be in transit between the termini, and in high season relief trams run closely behind the scheduled trams, and both tram sets can be accommodated in a loop.

Station km Notes
Sóller
0.00
 Station on the line to Palma, tram depot
Mercat (Sóller)
0.30
 Town's centre, passing loop
Can Guida (Sóller)
0.90
Can Reus (Sóller)
1.20
L'Horta (Sóller)
1.60
Monument (Sóller)
2.00
Can Llimó
2.25
Can Ahir
2.50
Roca Roja
2.75
 passing loop
Es Control
3.45
 Car Parking
Sa Torre (Port de Sóller)
3.70
S'Espléndido (Port de Sóller)
3.80
Las Palmeras (Port de Sóller)
3.90
S'Eden (Port de Sóller)
4.10
Can Generós (Port de Sóller)
4.30
Marysol (Port de Sóller)
4.65
 northern passenger terminal, passing loop
La Payesa (Port de Sóller)
4.86
 no passenger service, shunting only

Rolling stock

The rolling stock of the Tranvía comprises:

Media Number Qty. Built in Manufacturer Acquired in Retired in Acquired from
1-3
3
 1913 Cardé y Escoriaza 1913 (in service) (acquired new)
The original motor cars of the tramway, built in Zaragoza[1][2]
4
1
 1932[7] Cardé y Escoriaza (Brill)[7] 1958 May[7] 2000[7] Bilbao
Motorcar built from decommissioned Bilbao material: U-52’s box on a Brill 21-E truck from a “Burceña” car. Back in service in Bilbao after restoration.[7][8]
5-6
2
 1913 Cardé y Escoriaza 1913 (in service) (acquired new)
The original trailer cars of the tramway, built in Zaragoza[1][2]
7
1
 1932[7] Cardé y Escoriaza[7] 1958 May[7] 2000[7] Bilbao
Trailer built from decommissioned Bilbao U-55’s box; restored to its original condition in 2003, it is in the Azpeitia museum.[2]
8-11
4
 1890 Cardé y Escoriaza 1954 (in service) Palma de Mallorca
Open trailer cars.[1][2]
20-24
5
 1937 Carris (Maley & Taunton; Metrovick) 1997-2001[9][10] (in service) Lisbon
Motor cars built in 1936-1940 by Lisbon’s Carris on Maley & Taunton trucks with Metrovick equipment. Adapted in 1997-1998 to 914 mm (3 ft) gauge from their original 900 mm (2 ft 11 7⁄16 in) gauge.[1][2][11] In late 2012 FS No. 22 rebodied to match series 1-3, as was FS No. 21 a few years later; the rest expected to follow.[12]
1-7
7
 2001-2002* Ferrocarriles de Sóller 2001-2002* (in service) (own construction)
Open trailer cars, built by the tramway itself;[2] removable windows and sides can be added for the colder season. (* Trailer FS No. 7, built to the same specs, added later.)
  • Tram 23 along the seafront
  • Tram 21 near Sóller Mercat stop, passing close to the church of San Bartolomé
  • Old tram 2 at Marysol station (Port de Sóller)
  • Marysol station building
  • Old tram 1 along the coast
  • Tram 4 with two open jardineras (trailers) in 1979
  • The Sóller tram depot
  • Tram 4 on a bridge

See also

Notes
  1. This refers to a town with a population of less than 20,000 inhabitants.

References
  1. "Tranvía de Sóller: itinerary". trendesoller.com (in Spanish). Ferrocarril de Sóller S.A. 2013-07-03. Archived from the original on 2013-07-03.
  2. Bent, Mike (January 2014). "Sóller tramway centenary". Today's Railways. Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 71.
  3. "History of Sóller Rail and Tramway". trendesoller.com (in Spanish). Ferrocarril de Sóller S.A. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02.
  4. Arrom Munar, Joana Maria; Picornell Cladera, Mateu (2008): Estudio de la evolución en el número de pasajeros del tren de Sóller y del tranvía hasta el port de Sóller (1912-2004) (Google Books). University of Castile-La Mancha, pp. 139-141. ISBN 978-84-8427-626-5 (in Spanish)
  5. "Tranvía de Sóller: timetable and prices". trendesoller.com. Ferrocarril de Sóller S.A. Archived from the original on 2017-02-20.
  6. Sóller Tramway and FS station map
  7. Juanjo Elaizola Elordi: Bilboko Tranbiak / Los Tramvías de Bilbao (pp. 168-171). EuskoTren: Bilbao, 2002. ISBN 84-920629-8-3 (in Basque)
  8. Óscar Dalmau (1998): El tren de Sóller: viaje al valle de oro, page 52. Reserva Anticipada, 1998. ISBN 8492262133 (in Spanish)
  9. Chema Martínez “Noticias Maquetren” Maquetren 40 (1995): 77 (in Spanish)
  10. “Noticias” Carril 57 (Dec. 2001): p.62. Publ. Associació d’Amics del Ferrocarril-Barcelona, Barcelona ISSN 1136-2499 (in Catalan)
  11. "El tranvía : Recorrido y estaciones". trendesoller.com (in Spanish). Ferrocarril de Sóller S.A. Archived from the original on 2010-01-24.
  12. J. Mora (2013-12-31). "Un tren ´solleric´ con aire portugués" [A ´solleric´ train with Portuguese air]. Diario de Mallorca (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2019-08-13.

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