My first visit to Spain, and my first holiday outside of the UK, was a family holiday to the Costa Brava resort of Lloret de Mar, in mid-80's.

I would have been about 7 or 8 at the time, and everything was a new experience, and provided some great memories; My first ever flight, from London Heathrow to Gerona (on an Iberia DC9 I think); A journey on a Spanish red bendy bus; The lovely sandy beaches; The unusual toilets with nothing but a hole in the ground... But what I do remember most were the trains. Mostly painted in a bright (in my mind) blue and yellow livery.

This first trip has turned into a facination for the country of Spain and more recently it's railways. I have returned to Spain a few times over the past 40 years and apart from my most recent trip, I regret having not taken very many railway photographs whilst there. Having searched around on the internet, it appears that Spanish railways, apart from those found on a few specialist websites, is a little photographed subject.

Therefore, I am very grateful that my father took a number of photographs on that very first holiday to Spain, and also on subsequent trips. Most of the photos have been scanned in from the original prints at 2400dpi, cleaned up in Photoshop and then reduced to 1600px landscape width for the internet, although the most recent ones were taken on a digital SLR.

Spanish Railways RENFE - Class 252 on a Talgo train to Barcelona

RENFE 252 in 'Taxi' livery on a Barcelona bound Talgo service at Monzon-Rio Cinca station. I had just left the train, having travelled from Zaragoza.
Date: Summer 2001, Photographer: Christopher Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - Class 252 on a Talgo train at Barcelona-Sants station

RENFE 252-067 in 'Taxi' livery at Barcelona Sants on an unidentified Talgo service.
Date: Early 2000's, Photographer: Malcolm Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - Class 269 on a steel coil train in Tarragona

An unidentified RENFE Class 269 heads through the suburbs of Tarragona with a train of steel coils.
Date: Summer 2002, Photographer: Christopher Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - A pair of Class 269 locomotives in sidings at Tarragona

A pair of RENFE Class 269's, both in 'Taxi' livery at Tarragona railway station. Tarragona frequently used to feature many stabled locomotives in the sidings.
Date: Early 2000's, Photographer: Malcolm Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - Class 269 in Tarragona sidings

An unidentified RENFE Class 269 heads through the suburbs of Tarragona with a train of steel coils.
Date: Summer 2002, Photographer: Christopher Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - Class 436 units outside Barcelona Terminus

An unidentified RENFE Class 269 heads through the suburbs of Tarragona with a train of steel coils.
Date: Summer 2002, Photographer: Christopher Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - Close up view of Class 436 and 440 units at Blanes

An unidentified RENFE Class 269 heads through the suburbs of Tarragona with a train of steel coils.
Date: Summer 2002, Photographer: Christopher Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - Interior view of Barcelona Terminus with Class 269 locomotives and Class 440 units in attendance

An unidentified RENFE Class 269 heads through the suburbs of Tarragona with a train of steel coils.
Date: Summer 2002, Photographer: Christopher Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - Class 440 unit arriving at Blanes

RENFE Class 440-091-7 EMU arriving at Blanes station in the mid-1980's.
Date: Summer 1986, Photographer: Malcolm Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - Class 269 arriving at Barcelona Terminus with an intermodal freight

RENFE Class 269-275-4 pulls into Barcelona Terminus with an intermodal freight.
Date: Summer 1986, Photographer: Malcolm Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - A view of Tarragona station

A close-up view of Tarragona railway station. It can just be discerned that at least one Class 250 is stabled in the sidings, whilst there is a train of Talgo III stock at the station, possibly heading for either Madrid or Alicante.
Date: Summer 2002, Photographer: Christopher Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - Class 269's at the buffer stops in Barcelona Terminus

RENFE Class 269-329-9 in 'Estrella' livery sits at the stops alongside Class 269-273-9 in 'Mil Reyes' livery.
Date: Summer 1986, Photographer: Malcolm Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - Class 444 at Barcelona Sants station

A RENFE Class 444 in the darkness of Barcelona Sants station.
Date: Early 2000's, Photographer: Malcolm Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - JJPD bogie wagons in the sidings at Blanes station

A long train of RENFE JJPD bogie wagons stands on VIA 1 of Blanes station.
Date: Summer 1986, Photographer: Malcolm Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - A view of Barcelona Terminus with a Class 269 in Estrella livery

RENFE Class 269-308-3 in Barcelona Terminus station. Just behind the 269 can be seen part of the front end of a Class 432, also known as a 'Bishop'.
Date: Summer 1985, Photographer: Malcolm Chinery

Spanish Railways RENFE - Class 470 at Tarragona railway station
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A RENFE Class 470 in 'Cercanias' livery stands in one of the bay platforms at Tarragona station.
Date: Early 2000's, Photographer: Malcolm Chinery