120-2112 Martorell: the oldest surviving Spanish locomotive

120/2112 MZA-168 “Martorell”

120-2112 Martorell is a steam locomotive built in 1854 in Manchester by Sharp & Steward. It is the oldest Spanish locomotive that has survived to this day and is located in the Catalan Railway Museum. This unique piece was donated to the museum in 1981 by Renfe.

During its history, the locomotive has had many owners: Camino de Hierro del Centro (1854-1861), Ferrocarriles de Tarragona a Martorell y Barcelona (1861-1875), Compañía de los Ferrocarriles de Barcelona a Tarragona y Francia (1875-1898), MZA (1898-1941) and Renfe.

History

The Martorell is the oldest surviving locomotive in Spain. It was built as an improvement on older, more limited locomotives for hauling passenger trains on the Barcelona-Molins de Rei and Martorell line. This line was later absorbed by Tarragona—Barcelona y Francia (TBF) in 1875 and Madrid—Zaragoza y Alicante (MZA) in 1891.

In 1913, the locomotive was rebuilt and adapted for shunting work. Two water tanks were installed on the sides of the boiler, turning it into a tank-type locomotive. This locomotive was used only in Catalonia, and also took part in the MZA stand at the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition.

Characteristics

Manufacturer: Sharp & Steward

Assembly: Manchester (United Kingdom)

Year of production: 1854

Track gauge: 1668 mm

Power: 630 HP

Max speed: 60 km/h

Railway Museum of Catalonia (Vilanova, Catalonia, Spain)