Picturesque image of the railway employee at the approximate height of the corner between Carrer Casanova and Carrer Aragó. In a resounding and indisputable way, he exhibits with authority the object that gives him a recognized command, if not least in terms of the strict territory of the train barrier. It was not a trivial responsibility, as it could prevent accidents. We are around 1900.
It was the consequence of a problem of the first magnitude that had arisen when it was decided that the necessary concentration of the train lines materialized along Carrer Aragó. Between the option of establishing a circulation on the surface or through an open trench, fortunately the latter was chosen thanks to the mediation well exercised by José de Echegaray, not by virtue of being a Nobel Prize winner, but an engineer of roads, canals and ports. In 1882, this railway line was inaugurated along Carrer Aragó.
At the approximate height of Carrer Casanova, that huge excavated trench ascended gently and soon after the line of tracks began to run from there on the surface in the direction of Sants, slightly diverted towards what will later be Avinguda Roma . There it is necessary to place a barrier to order and give security to the vertical passage.
Hence also the construction of the popularly known as the Mico bridge, for the exclusive use of pedestrians, which was first made of wood and was later improved with a concrete structure and comfortable access stairs. This innovation favored the connection with the Ninot neighborhood and its popular market.
For sure, when the train passed in front of the employee’s gate, she was observed with curiosity by the most observant passengers, since it was the only remarkable novelty on such a monotonous journey.
This photograph reminds me of something similar, although much funnier, that happened to the barrier guard of the Montserrat rack train, Joan Jorba, after the civil war. He came up with the idea of ??attracting the attention of the passengers by means of two small and funny street dogs who, not only wore a comical costume, but also greeted with raised front legs. The nice thought was immediately rewarded by throwing a pig.
