Last December, the transfer of several historic locomotives from Lleida to the Railway Museum in Móra la Nova was completed. These locomotives, including two Garratt steam locomotives, have been loaned by the Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles to the museum in Móra la Nova. The operation has the support of the National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia and the Provincial Council of Tarragona.
The Garrafeta 282F-0421 is a Double Mikado Garratt and is part of the last series of ten steam locomotives commissioned by RENFE (Red Nacional de los FerrocarrilesEspañoles). In her last years of service, she provided the traction of the Tren dels Llacs from the start of its operation until 2011. The second Garratt is the CA 101, a Double Pacific. The Garratt system consists of one boiler and two sets of driving wheels, increasing the power in a single locomotive. The 101 is part of the 6 locomotives of this type built by Euskalduna and went into service in 1931 on express and mail services between Valencia and Zaragoza. The locomotives were withdrawn in the 1960s.
These locomotives have been moved conventionally, hauled by a locomotive from the Medway company. They were stored in the Pla de Vilanoveta depot in Lleida. They were owned by ADIF (Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias), in the custody of the Association for the Reconstruction of Railway Material (ARMF). Since they occupied a space required for other purposes, it has been necessary to find a new location for them. By mutual agreement between ARMF and the museum in Móra la Nova, FFE (Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles)
authorized a change of entity in charge of custody. They had to move to Móra la Nova as that is the only railway museum in Catalonia that has the necessary space to host the locomotives. Although with these additions it will be at the limit of its capacity. In 2023, the construction of a new workshop is planned for the museum to continue to grow.
Móra la Nova
Photo: The locomotives on their way to Móra la Nova. Josep Blasi Soberà
