SPAIN: Steam in the North-East
1. - 8. December 2026

Spain used to be a paradise for steam locomotive enthusiasts: countless narrow-gauge railways in the northern parts of the country, big broad-gauge steam locomotives on the state railway, and steam locomotives at many industrial mining operations well into the 1980s.

Hardly anything of this glory remains. For a few years, there was still an excursion steam locomotive service on RENFE tracks, but this too came to an end about 10-12 years ago. At least one of the legendary broad-gauge Garratt locomotives is currently being rebuilt and would then be available for special tours. I'll keep quiet about the cost of a charter and RENFE's willingness to run photo charters. Maybe other people will take that risk. I don´t. 

So let's focus on steam activities outside of the state railway. There aren't many of them in Spain, but the railways in the north and northeast of the country in particular are very photogenic and hardly known outside of Spain. This trip is intended to change that.

To keep the tour from being too long or too expensive, I'll focus on the Basque Country and Catalonia. Many of the heritage railways there are "steam-free" in the summer and only start firing up their steam locomotives in the cooler season, some explicitly only in the winter.
The planning, especially the communication with the railways, is quite complicated and will certainly take several more months (as of July 2025). If you would like to stay informed about the progress of your trip planning or share travel ideas, please send me an email!