Iberian Railways

Steam locos operated later in Spain and Portugal than in most other Western European countries, lasting until the mid-1970s. In 1974 steam in Portugal survived on the broad gauge main line from Oporto almost to the Spanish frontier and operated up the beautiful Douro Valley, running alongside the river for most of its length. From this main line three branch lines ran into the hills, and all were very different both in terms of the landscape they inhabited and the trains that operated the services. Steam could still be found in Spain as late as 1977, on the Andorra-Escatron coal railway. With a wonderful collection of colour photography, George Woods documents the final years of steam on the railways of Portugal and Spain.