Reicastro Bridge

In order to transport its production, it was necessary to build a broad-gauge railway of about three kilometres long from the joint with the León-Gijón line in the Reicastro railway siding to the coal washing plant in La Cuadriella.

In spite of its length, its route included many masonry works, especially retaining walls and bridges. The most important of them, which had a 60-metre span, was the one used to cross the Caudal River near Reicastro.

It was built as a single track and consists of a Linville lattice beam that rests on ashlar abutments. Its deck located at approximately half the height of the roof framings is noteworthy, because decks are usually placed at the lower or upper part of them. It was built in 1893 by Fábrica de Mieres and its design belongs to the engineer Jerónimo Ibrán.

It operated for almost a century, until the line was definitively closed in 1990. A few years earlier, during the construction of the new national road, its gradient had to be modified to gain height, so its structure was reinforced with vertical beams placed on the abutments.

No longer in service, it has been used as a pedestrian crossing, which required a complete restoration and it was painted in the light grey colour it still keeps nowadays. A footbridge on the south side of the bridge was removed as part of the restoration work.

It has several heritage values. On the one hand, it is one of the most distinctive elements of the Hulleras del Turón railway network, and it is visible as it is located at a very frequented location. On the other hand, it has a very original structure, a great example of the local engineering that began to be developed at the end of the 19th century. At that time, Fábrica de Mieres was one of the most notable bridge builders in Spain.

Guillermo Bas Ordóñez