Did someone already take the train between Oviedo-León?

[GunnarW]

Did someone already take the train between Oviedo-León?
The train track follows +/- the N630. Except between Pajares and Campomanes. It seems that the track engineers had fun during the design/construction.
If you look at the map. After Pajares, the track curves in the mountains and has a lot of tunnels. Some of them, you can see in Google Street View. Close to Campomanes, it curves back to Puente de los Fieros. There, it goes parallel with the N630 straight to the N630.
They certainly made this because there is a certain height to conquer. But shouldn't it be easier to create tracks following the grey dots?
Only Linares has a train station. But I checked RENFE and no train stops there (no more).
Anyway, this "roller coaster" should be funny to take.

 

[angulero]

Supongo que con los medios que había en la época hicieron lo que pudieron...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hftfxr3cCgc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAuvyia3wuo

Ahora están haciendo la variante de Pajares para que pase la Alta Velocidad, pero se acabó el dinero......

 

[GunnarW]

Very interesting. It's a pitty that those films were shot during winter. It's hard to see the details.
Anyway, I counted the tunnels, and here is the track just before the old parador "Puerto de Pajares".

 

[Susannafromsweden]

Thank you for these very interesting pictures, Gunnar.
The last train pic is especially interesting, I think. As that is next to the track where we thought one could walk from the parador. But I see there are fences there. Probably to keep the cows off the track.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I have traveled two different Renfe passenger rail routes between Leon and Oviedo, unless I am more confused than usual. Both of these keep to the heights. There is also a lower-altitude line that is almost exclusively used by freight traffic.

 

[GunnarW]

Rebekah,
It seems that there is only one line between Campomanes and Busdongo. I searched on Google maps, Bing maps and the latest TopoMap España of Garmin. I looked to almost all the video's and it's like you don't feel that the train (riding from Pola de Lena till Busdongo devided in the seven video parts) is going down. That must be the reason that they made such a long and almost impossibe detour.

For those who doesn't know. There is a second railway company in Spain named FEVE that operates in the North of Spain. In Mieres, you have RENFE tracks and a station at the left side of the river. There is a FEVE station and tracks between the river and the autovia. Here is a picture I took of the FEVE station.

The camino goes over the bridge you see.

 

[amancio]

The Oviedo-León is one of the most beautiful train trips you can take, even the León side of it is quite impresive, the gorges near Pola de Gordón are quite impressive! A total of 61 tunnels were built, and it is beautifully winding, it is worth it to take the train just for the sake of the trip itself. There is only one track, so they built 4 stations along the way where trains could wait for the track to be free before entering new segments. This line was essential from bringing the Asturian steel to the rest of Spain (you will steel see massive reels of steel plate transported on open carriages) and for bringing the coal to the Avilés furnaces.

This said, it is thoroughly enjoyable to take this train. Beautiful in every way, the landscape, the views, the tunnels. Truely fascinating!

 

[GunnarW]

Thank you Amancio for the info.
I even noticed in the videos somewhere in a tunnel that there is double track to bypass.
If I knew, I would take the train back to León.

Here is a train full of steel close to Fresnedo zoomed in


Here is the same train zoomed out

 

[angulero]

Rebekath, hay una línea de FEVE que sale de León y creo que llega a Bilbao. ¿Sería ese el otro viaje que hiciste?.

Por cierto, desde este año RENFE ha absorbido a FEVE para abaratar costes, así que aunque todos lo seguimos llamando FEVE, ahora es todo RENFE.

La nueva variante que están haciendo para la Alta Velocidad, tiene uno de los túneles más largos del mundo.

 

[k1ypp]

We took the train(s) from Santiago to Santander and the scenery was absolutely fantastic. It was like the photos in this thread and breathtaking. We were flying through clouds, tunnels, mountains and valleys. I think it is one of Spain's best kept secrets.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

My bad. Well, I DID say I might be more confused than usual!
I love a good train journey, and the Leon-Oviedo is one for the record books. That, and the train that travels the Camino Frances from Sahagun (my home station) and along the Invierno from Ponferrada to Monforte de Lemos. Spectacular scenery, front to back. I never understand why people get glued to those idiotic movies they show on those shaky little screens, with such real-life wonders flying past the windows.

 

[amancio]

When in Puente los Fierros, I stopped for 20 minutes and noticed the two tracks on both sides of the gorge, then I realized that trains coming fom Oviedo were heading back in the opposite direction approximately 10 minutes later, as if they were going back to Oviedo, only maybe 10 feet higher above the level of the other track. It is q peculiar line indeed. You know better for next time! And if you have a chance, the Coal Mining museum in El Entrego is absolutely worth a visit; you will be brought down to a gallery in a "cage" (nickname for the pit elevator) and you will see the different ways of digging for coal. An amazing visit!

 

[GunnarW]

Amancio,
This must be the situation in Puente Los Fierros


Here is another loop

 

[amancio]

that is right, Gunnar, Great photos! the weirdest thing is, those 180 degree loops seemt to ACTUALLY be located inside tunnels, so you turn around in the dark and the landscape is completely different even if you are virtually in the same position. Weird!

 

[Rebekah Scott]

When I walked the Salvador last, I caught the Feve train north at Puente Fierros, it was waiting for us on the siding to the right on the aerial pic. above. We rode it to Oviedo. Later that day, we caught the RENFE south from there, back to Sahagun. We passed through Puente Fierros on the tracks on the left side of the pic., and entered a rather long series of tunnels soon after... I found it rather confusing, geography-wise, but the views were spectacular, esp. when we looked DOWN on parts of the Salvador we´d just walked.

 

[GunnarW]

There is a better movie where you can ride virtually Gijon => Oviedo => León
It labels the stations. Here is a station we all recognize.



And it seems that they are making a new line between Pola de Lena - León? [NEXT PICTURE]

 

[GunnarW]

 

[angulero]

There is a better movie where you can ride virtually Gijon => Oviedo => León
It labels the stations. Here is a station we all recognize.

View attachment 6966

And it seems that they are making a new line between Pola de Lena - León? [NEXT PICTURE]

Es la Variante del Pajares de la que ya hablé un poco más arriba. Es para traer la Alta Velocidad a Asturias, pero apenas avanza porque no hay dinero. Atravesará la cordillera prácticamente en línea recta.

 

[GunnarW]

Will it come out of the new tunnel just before Pola de Gordon? The camino goes under it.

 

[angulero]

http://www.ferropedia.es/wiki/Variante_de_Pajares

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variante_de_Pajares

http://www.adif.es/es_ES/comunicacion_y_prensa/fichas_de_actualidad/ficha_actualidad_00014.shtml