The Government has declared thirty emblematic elements of Catalan railway heritage a Cultural Asset of National Interest (BCIN). This distinction is included in the project for the protection of the most unique examples of road transport in the country, born in 2015 by Jordi Sasplugas.
In 2018 the project was resumed with the incorporation of two industrial engineers and in 2020 the list of 41 movable assets that needed to be protected was presented. Within the framework of this recognition, the Government has already declared BCIN to four railway elements registered within the Catà leg del Patrimoni Cultural of movable property of Catalonia.
Among the selected protected elements there is a steam locomotive, which belongs to the Blanes City Council, and which is characteristic for being the only one in the state that does not have a bunker with water to supply the boiler and generate steam to power it. Also on the list is car 2 of the Montgat-Tiana tram, which is one of the few representatives of the rolling stock of rural trams that existed in Catalonia during the 20th century and the only one in the Barcelona metropolitan area.
The steam locomotive, the A-2 second class passenger car and the turntable, owned by the Salou City Council, are also among the protected elements. The steam locomotive was built in 1887 to serve the carrilet that made the route between the city of Reus and Salou. The passenger carriage, from 1886, is an example of a second-class passenger carriage and the turntable is a fixed installation located at the end of the main track that will be used to maneuver freight carriages and place them at the loading docks.
Another of the selected items is the MM4 cogwheel steam locomotive, owned by the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC) and built in 1882, and later acquired by the Montserrat cogwheel. In addition, the Capdella train, owned by Endesa, is of singular use because it started as an animal-drawn construction train.
Twelve railway elements that are the property of the Barcelona Metropolitan Transport Foundation (TMB) have also been protected, such as the TB2 horse tram, the TB 867 electric tram, the Tibidabo electric tram number 2-5-6-7-8-10 -129, the electric motor train GMB M1-M6-M8, the electric motor FMT 126 and the electric tram 1 Mataró-Argentona. Also the FCC 18 electric locomotive, the 030T CGFC 31 steam locomotive and the CGFC 304 electric locomotive, all three items owned by the Barcelona Railway Friends Association (AAFCB).
Eight railway elements owned by Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), which belongs to the company’s historical heritage fund, have also been selected. Among them is the FCC 409-809-507 electric locomotive, popularly known as the Frog Train, the FCC crane 1 electric railcar, the CGFC C-36 passenger car, the FCC 1 construction wagon, the MM A- passenger car 1, the RN E.3 electric rack railway locomotive, the RN A51 passenger car and the CGFC U-269 border wagon. Ferrocarrils keeps these vehicles preserved in the Space of the VÃa Métrica de Martorell, in La Cotxera de RubÃ, in La Nau of the historic train of Vallès (in the Rubà Operations Center) and in the exhibitions of the rack railway in Núria and La Pobla de Lillet. These elements coincide with the FGC Heritage Strategy that the company has deployed with the aim of preserving historical heritage.
