Majorca Page 1: Palma-Soller Railway


This is one of a series of pages devoted to postcards and photographs of Majorca railways and tramways. This page covers the Palma-Sóller Railway (Ferrocarril Palma-Sóller, later Ferrocarril de Sóller).

The town of Sóller has always been isolated from the rest of the island of Majorca due to the Alfabia mountains. Work on a railway through the mountains began in June 1907, the largest piece of engineering work being a 2857 metre summit tunnel completed in 1910. The distance between Palma and Sóller was 27.3 km, but revised government rules required that lines be over 30 km in length to obtain various grants. An extension to the Port of Sóller was therefore incorporated into the plan. The extension was always planned to be electrified, whereas power for the main section was initially steam. The railway was opened in 1912, the tramway following the year after. Motive power was initially three steam locos, No.1 Sóller, No.2 Palma and No.3 Bunola. Electrification was approved in 1926 and completed in 1929. Four wooden-bodied electric motor coaches were provided with Brill trucks and Siemens-Schuckert electrical equipment. A 500 hp diesel numbered D1 was added later.

A road tunnel was cut through the mountains in the 1990s, making the road route to Sóller much quicker than the railway, which now exists almost totally for use by tourists. It carries over one million passengers each year. Scheduled services are fairly sparse, with a long gap in Sóller-Palma services between 14.00 and 19.00 each day, making a day trip quite difficult when visiting by cruise ship. However, an additional frequent shuttle service operates over the central section from Son Sardina (a bus park in the middle of nowhere on the outskirts of Palma) to a similar bus stop before the final descent into Sóller. Son Sardina is also where the first Palma Metro line (currently under construction) crosses the Sóller Railway, and an interchange will be built. Quite how the working museum, which the Sóller Railway has become, will fit into the modern public transport network being created on Majorca, remains to be seen. In the eleven years between my two visits, nothing appears to have changed.


Contact:- www.trendesoller.com

Sections on this Page:-
Electric Locos 1-4
Renault Railcar
Diesel Loco No.D1
Railway Postcards
Stations and Sheds

Associated Pages:-
Majorca Railways - Page 1 - Palma-Sóller Railway - this page!
Majorca Railways - Page 2 - Sóller Tramway
Majorca Railways - Page 3 - Other Railways
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Simplon Postcards Home Page

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References:-
Today's Railways: Issue Nos.63, 64 & 122 plus other news articles
The Railways and Tramways of Majorca by Giles Barnabe: Plateway Press 1993
Prodigioso Tren de Sóller by Manuel Maristany & Josep Miquele: Reserva Anticipada 1997
Ferrocarriles de Sóller y Mallorca by Jose Maria Valero & Eustaquio de la Cruz: ALDABA Ediciones 1997
www.trendesoller.com - Company website Ferrocarril de Sóller Palma-Sóller Railway All images link to larger copies Electric Locos 1-4 1995 Images Loco No.1 at Palma Photo: © Ian Boyle, 1st August 1995 Loco No.1 at Sóller Photo: © Ian Boyle, 1st August 1995 Loco No.1 at Sóller, with tram No.20 Photo: © Ian Boyle, 1st August 1995 2006 Images Loco No.1 at Sóller Photo: ©2006 Copyright Ian Boyle, 16th August 2006 Loco No.1 on the Sóller Railway Photo: ©2006 Copyright Ian Boyle, 16th August 2006 2009 Images Loco No.1 at Palma on the first train of the day Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th August 2009 Loco No.2 at Palma on the second train of the day Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th August 2009 Renault Railcar Tren de Sóller - Renault Tractor Photo: © Ian Boyle, 1st August 1995 Postcards Triangle Postals card 4307 of loco No.2 Photo: © Jaime Serrat Postales el Mar card 633 of loco No.2 (top left) Postales el Mar card 633 of loco No.2 (top left) Postcards of the Tren de Sóller Diesel Loco No.D1 Diesel Loco No.D1 Photo: © Ian Boyle, 1st August 1995 to be added Stations and Sheds Palma Station Photo: © Ian Boyle, 1st August 1995 Sóller station and shed Photo: © Ian Boyle, 1st August 1995 Tren de Sóller - Sóller Railway Photo: © Ian Boyle, 1st August 1995 Majorca Railways - Page 1 - Majorca Railways - Page 2 - Majorca Railways - Page 3
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