And apparently the FEVE narrow gauge is still ambling across the north of Spain. I have such fond memories of those trips. I actually did ride it to Avilés in 1977 (see photo).
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It's not just the narrow gauge that is missing off RENFE's maps but also many of the local and commuter lines. Their website is also a pain to use in this regard as you have to go onto a separate page to get information on these services and piece your journey together by yourself.
I'm a great fan of the Spanish narrow gauge.
Besides the FEVE and Euskotren systems in the North, there are various other narrow gauge systems and individual lines across most of Spain. For the most part these were part of the FEVE empire in the past, but many have been spun off to local governments over the years. In some cases this has led to massive investments and improvements. Back in the day FEVE were always chronically underfunded and had a bit of a reputation for their make do and mend attitude which helped many lines survive that would otherwise have been lost, but prevented them from thriving to their full potential. This is why many regional governments were keen on taking over the lines on their territory.
The formerly disconnected lines around Valencia have been joined up by a series of tunnels and developed into a very neat metro system. At least one broad gauge line has also been converted to meter gauge, and new lines are still being added. Despite the modernization of the central part, some of the outlying sections, such as Vilanueva de Castellon still emanate a lot of old time Spanish narrow gauge atmosphere and are well worth a visit.
The very scenic coastal line in Alicante line is also now a busy commuter route using streetcar-style lightweight trains. It has been extended into the middle of Alicante city by building a tunnel and various branches have been added for commuter service. In the longer term they want to extend the system to the airport. Quite a contrast to the sporadic beat up diesel railcar that crawled along rickety tracks when FEVE was in charge. Even if the old system was more romantic.
The Barcelona area also has some narrow gauge routes (which were never part of FEVE as far as I know) that mostly start from the Espanya terminus near Montjuic. The system includes various passenger / commuter routes but also some freight-only lines serving potash mines and the SEAT factory. Some parts of the system are highly scenic and one section has a steam train that is run for tourists on certain days. The system also includes the cog line to Montserrat which was rebuilt some time ago after several decades of abandonment.
Further north in the Pyrinees there is another cog railway serving Nuria, operated by FGC, the same people who run the Barcelona lines. This line has also been thoroughly modernized over the last 30 years or so.
Cartagena also has an interesting little narrow gauge line which is still officially FEVE as far as I know but is operated more or less autonomously from the rest of the former FEVE system. It's well worth visiting if you like industrial archaeology as it serves the ancient mining town of La Union and you can see several abandoned mines and remains of abandoned railroads from the train. I understand some of these are protected monuments and will not be dismantled. I believe there are longer-term plans to modernize and electrify the line as a commuter service and extend it. But right now it still has a lot of rickety old time narrow-gauge flair about it.
There is also a line serving Cotos in the Madrid area. I haven't visited this one yet.
. Especially in our sleepy little Essex hometown. The days when transatlantic travel was 12 hours or more in a prop plane and even international phone calls were $12 for 3 minutes, equivalent to about $100 today.
