Majorca in Winter 2007
I've just got back from a few days in Majorca during which I took some photos of the resurfacing work being carried out at Puerto de Sóller and then went to the Sóller station where I saw loco no.3 which has obviously been given a very serious overhaul. Look at the pictures and see if they remind you of that old joke about the man with the old broom which had had only three new handles and two new heads but was still as good as new after umpteen years. The next day the Sóller Railway re-commenced service after a winter break to permit a lot of permanent way improvement and I was on the verandah at the back of the 9:10 Sóller Train as it travelled to Palma in fairly glum weather. The train actually started late but once started it really flew - I don't recall it ever travelling so fast before and it took only 56 minutes from start to stop. At Palma I met Nick (Old Poblero) Robey and we wandered around, having drinks and snacks and looking at a few railway-related things until it was time for me to catch the train back to Sóller. By this time the weather had improved a lot and some of the photos I took then are almost the same as those I had taken in the morning. At Puerto de Sóller a lot of work had been done, asphalting the areas around the tram tracks and I have photos of that as well.
You may remember that in my Autumn 2006 newsletter I bemoaned the destruction of the old Navy building at Puerto de Sóller, with its "Todo Por La Patria" slogan and I informed you that the only place where that slogan could then be found was on an outbuilding (khazi ?) of the Restaurante Mar Y Sol, which was the original terminus building for the tramway. Well, even that has now been swept away in the name of progress.
Unfortunately I'm running out of webspace again (as well as time and patience) so this newsletter is unfinished and the photos are fairly small. As soon as I can I will add descriptions and when the opportunity presents itself I'll provide larger pictures.
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Watch this site for further developments which will take place whenever new information or pictures come to hand. Any submissions or contributions of information, photos old or new, postcards, books etc., will be very gratefully and enthusiastically received and if used on the site will be suitably acknowledged (as above). The photos, pictures and diagrams used on this site are presented for your information and viewing pleasure only. If any of them should be in copyright violation and the copyright holder would care to notify me I will either remove them or acknowledge the copyright accordingly.
© Barry Emmott - 5th February 2007