Spanish railway line operating between 1875 and 1984
Riotinto Railway
View of the route under the Gurugú Bridge in 2014
Overview
Native name
Ferrocarril de Riotinto
Locale
Huelva, Spain
Transit type
Rail transport
Operation
Began operation
28 July 1875
Ended operation
8 February 1984
Technical
System length
83.6 km (51.95 mi)
Track gauge
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
The Riotinto Railway was a Spanish narrow-gauge railway line, predominantly used for mining and industry, that operated between 1875 and 1984. During this time it became one of the main railways in the province of Huelva, gaining a large fleet of rolling stock.[1]
The railway was built between 1873 and 1875 by the British Rio Tinto Company Limited (RTC),[2] that sought to provide maritime access to the minerals extracted from ore deposits in the Riotinto-Nerva mining basin. For much of its route, the track ran parallel to the course of the Tinto River, although in its last stage it ran alongside the Iberian-gauge Seville-Huelva railway. For over a century, it was one of the most heavily-used mining railways in Spain,.[3] Likewise it had a large fleet of cars and engines, to the point of becoming the second largest in the country after the Renfe.[4] The route closed to public traffic in 1984.[5]
After several years the abandoned infrastructure was subject to looting, so in the late 1980s action was taken to recover the historic railway line and return it to service. This work would be carried out in the 1990s, around the time when the popular Tourist Mining Train was introduced.[6] In the 21st century a small 11 km (6.8 mi)-long railway section is kept operational for tourist and recreational purposes. The remaining route has been either abandoned or dismantled.[7]
The RiotintoRailway was a Spanish narrow-gauge railway line, predominantly used for mining and industry, that operated between 1875 and 1984. During...
travels along the historic RiotintoRailway, in the province of Huelva, autonomous community of Andalusia. The first railway services were started in 1994...
which was responsible of the exploitation of the Riotinto-Nerva mining basin in Minas de Riotinto between 1873 and 1954. It was founded in 1873 by British...
Safi, Morocco Costa de la Luz Tourist Mining Train Tharsis railway line RiotintoRailway Rio Tinto Company Limited Informational notes The cadaver, "Major...
In the province of Huelva, an important strike movement paralyzed the Riotinto-Nerva mining basin, and quickly spread to other parts of the province,...
Riotinto Mining Museum "Ernest Lluch" is a museum located in the Spanish municipality of Minas de Riotinto, in the province of Huelva, which is dedicated...
History of rail transport in Spain RiotintoRailway Tharsis-La Zarza mining basin Madrid, Zaragoza and Alicante railway The purchase was made in June 2008...
Column was a grouping of volunteer fighters formed on 18 July 1936 from the Riotinto mining basins of Huelva to transport dynamite to Seville. The plan was...
was added its natural outlet to the sea through the Huelva estuary. The Riotinto and Tharsis-La Zarza mining basins have been especially important. Therefore...
Compañía Española de Minas de Río Tinto Rio Tinto Company Limited RiotintoRailway Harvey 1981, p. 133. Harvey 1981, p. 132. Harvey 1981, pp. 132–133...
August 1963, Hamersley Holdings Pty., Ltd., a subsidiary owned by Conzinc-Riotinto of Australia, Ltd. (60%) and the Kaiser Steel Corp. (40%), signed a 30-year...
Retrieved 28 March 2023. "Rio Tinto completes Kemano hydropower project". riotinto.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023...
Minerals website". Rio Tinto. Retrieved 7 October 2015. "Life of a mine". www.riotinto.com. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2019. "Rio Tinto Doubles Stake...
the Rio Tinto - Zinc Corporation (RTZ), and its main subsidiary, Conzinc Riotinto of Australia (CRA), would eventually become today's Rio Tinto Group. With...
comes from the province of Huelva. Mining for precious metals at Minas de Riotinto in Huelva (see Rio Tinto Group) dates back to pre-Roman times; the mines...
1988 when Conzinc Riotinto of Australia and North Broken Hill Peko merged their lead and zinc operations. In May 1998 the Emu Bay Railway, which hauled trains...
opened in 1980 by BP that had purchased Clutha. It was sold to Conzinc Riotinto Australia in 1989, Austal Coal in 1997, Centennial Coal in 2005, Xstrata...
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