14 - "Caldas" locomotive. The tender

The “Caldas” is another of the Museum’s gems; it is the oldest existing locomotive that was made in Spain. It and its sister train (232) were the first non-imported wide-gauge locomotives, built in 1888 by La Maquinista Terrestre y Marítima, one of the leading factories in Catalonia’s industrial revolution and the region’s main metallic-transformation company for the Barcelona to Sarriá Railway. When the Catalonian Railway Company electrified the line and changed its gauge, the two locomotives were sold to the Mollet Railway Company in Caldes de Montbui, where they were given the numbers 5 and 6. A third locomotive (number 7) was added later.

The three locomotives were used by Renfe as manoeuvring engines. The “Caldas” ended its service in Barcelona’s Poble Nou depot in the 1960s.

Since they were designed for short journeys, many of those early locomotives featured a tank for storing water and coal that was integrated into the engine’s structure. Another, separate vehicle, the tender, was soon added to transport the water and coal, which increased the number of kilometres that could be travelled without refilling. In the Museum’s collection of locomotives, we can see how tenders were added to all the engines from the late 19th century onwards.