Former mining railway Linares-La Carolina
The intense mining activity in the lead mines towards the end of the 19th century required improvements in transport, which until then had been carried out by mules. Various proposals and projects were put forward to link the mines of La Carolina by rail, but the rugged terrain meant that large investments had to be made in earthworks, which meant that some attempts were unsuccessful. From 1905 to 1909, a narrow-gauge railway was to be built between La Carolina and Linares. A mining line of some 26 km in length, which the large companies would connect with overhead wires and their own sidings.
Train service began on 20th February 1910 and was suspended in 1961, and the line was dismantled shortly afterwards.
Today its layout remains as an agricultural dirt road, along which you can still see the remains of important mining groups such as San Telmo and Las Torrecillas, as well as interesting geological formations, on a pleasant walk.
The company that started the operation was constituted in Brussels with foreign capital, although in 1927 it became mainly Spanish, under the name of Compañía del Ferrocarril de Linares a La Carolina y Prolongaciones.