Transport
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HT 110 Locomotive
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HT 120 Locomotive
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Reicastro Bridge
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HT 600 Passenger Car
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HT RN Passenger Car
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HT 14 Locomotive
The personnel transport was one of the auxiliary tasks carried out by the Asturian mining railways. It was a free and essential service, as the workers often lived far away from their workplaces. It was also common for their relatives to travel on the trains if they needed to, such as the women who went to the company shop to buy groceries. Trains always ran at the beginning and end of the work shifts and stopped at the railway sidings of the different mining groups.
Hulleras del Turón was among the companies that provided this type of service. It had three different linked routes that provided passenger transport throughout the valley. One of these routes was the one that ran from La Cuadriella to Fortuna along the 600-millimetre gauge line.
To provide this service, the company had a set of two-axle passenger cars, which were put into operation between the 1920s and 1940s. They were built in their own workshops using the same frames as those used for coal wagons. They had a wooden van, covered on the outside with vertical strips. They were accessible via a small side balcony and they had two longitudinal benches inside.
It was in service until 1972, when the railway was closed down by HUNOSA. However, its use was already declining due to the widespread use of cars and city buses. All the vehicles of this type were burnt down except for this one, which was placed as a shelter for the loader in the San José Mine. It was finally rescued by the Asturias Railway Museum and put back into service in its facilities.
It is a truly exceptional car, both because of its origin and design, and its historical and social significance. Fortunately, it is still in perfect running conditions and can be seen in operation by visitors of the museum in Gijón.
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