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Engineering
The dilemma: “the older the stock, the more expensive the maintenance”
One of the pillars on which the current attraction of the Sóller railway is based for its innumerable admirers is its authenticity and antiquity. The Sóller railway consists of a train and tram dating back to the early 20th century, and it evokes a genuine trip to the past in its passengers. This attraction has gained prominence exponentially over recent decades: The older the railway is, the greater its attraction.
Without failing this antique character and the railway’s authenticity, the Ferrocarril de Sóller company is also exponentially forced to make increasingly large investments in the maintenance and repairs of the train and tram in order to guarantee a transport service with increasing demands on capacity and frequency.
A jewel amongst railways
The railway is characterized, amongst other things, by the fact that it is narrow gauge, the track width being 914 mm (an English yard), which is infrequent nowadays; moreover its rolling stock is extremely varied and meticulously finished, and maintained using traditional methods.
The Sóller railway also stands out for the special, attractive route it runs along, overcoming the natural barrier of the Sierra de Alfàbia mountain range which is 2.8 km wide and 496 metres high. To do so, in just seven kilometres, the railway rises up 199 metres with an inclination of 23 millimetres, runs through thirteen longitudinal tunnels ranging in length from 33 to 2,876 metres, crosses over several bridges, the “cinc-ponts” viaduct which has five arches with spans 8 metres high and a great many bends, some with radii below 190 metres.