Sociedad of los Ferrocarriles Almansa-Valencia-Tarragona

The Sociedad of los Ferrocarriles Almansa-Valencia-Tarragona or AVT is one of the last to enter the formation of the Compañia of los Caminos de Hierros del Norte of España. It is also one of the first company Spanish, and the core of its network was with Valence

First attempts to create a network and birth of the company

July 12th, 1845, a railroad of Valence to Madrid by Albacete, Almansa, Xàtiva and Alzira is conceded with the British Wole , come to promote the idea of the railroad in Spain with some of its compatriots. A little later they create a Sociedad del Ferrocarril of Madrid has Valencia , with the capital of 240 million reales. The business does not last. After having carried out some work, a general meeting of the shareholders is convened in 1847 for the dissolution of the company. Some work completed and the rights of concession are yielded to Spanish Prospero Volney , but new convention does not relate any more but to the section of Grao of Valencia in Xàtiva (which bore at this time the name of San Felipe de Játiva ). At the beginning of 1851, Volney yields its rights to Jose Campo. It is him which was going to build the line and to set up a true network. Before the end of the year, it creates the Compañia del Ferrocarril de Játiva has El Grao of Valencia The business goes good progress. The first section of Valence to the Grao is open in 1852, and the rail reached Xàtiva in 1854, pretext with great festivities.

Chemin de iron of Xàtiva to Valence. opening to the exploitation: When Jose Campo creates her first company, no one does not know yet towards which port of the the Mediterranean the line in construction of Madrid will lead then to Aranjuez. It can logically hope for a simple connection with its line, which would make it possible to lead to Valence. But it is in competition with Jose de Salamanca which has its own ideas on the question and requires of the government, on June 21st, 1851, to prolong the line of Aranjuez until Alicante. The ministry remains undecided. Initially, it grants to Jose de Salamanca only one prolongation of Aranjuez to Almansa, which leaves the way open to all the possibilities: outlet towards the sea with Valence, Alicante, even Carthagène, a solution which with the favor of the soldiers. Jose Campo thus sees escaping to him the road from Madrid. It obtains however the concession of the section Almansa - Xàtiva by decree of August 26th, 1852.

Prolongation towards Almansa

Having obtained the concession of a first prolongation, Jose Campo is initially satisfied to complete the line of Xàtiva which is not finished yet. It should be said that retained by the government for the prolongation towards Almansa too much it does not like the preliminary draft, and that it wishes to modify it. Its new proposal for a layout is approved by a law of February 6th, 1856. The company takes then the name of Compañia del Ferrocarril de El Grao of Valencia has Almansa . Work starts at once, with rails assembled on metal cross-pieces. Almansa will be reached in 1859.

Opening to the exploitation of the railroad of Almansa to Valence:

One year earlier, on March 15th, 1858, MZA reached Alicante, allowing the first voyage of Madrid the the Mediterranean. This powerful company already thinks of extending, and lorgne openly on the company of Jose Campo with which negotiations is open in the sight of a fusion. An operation which would be all the more juicy as a law of July 5th, 1856 conceded with Jose Campo a line of Valence to Tarragone. However, Jose de Salamanca is anxious. The line of Almansa seems to be built with the light one. Several bridges are out of wood, Valence has yet only one provisional station, and it remains much to make. Before deciding for a fusion, MZA wishes to examine the line in its least details. The business trails in length. The Valencian company knows financial problems. February 15th, 1859, MZA grants to him a credit of 12 million reales, which gives him an option for fusion. A compromise seems found with Jose de Salamanca on April 20th, 1859, but Jose Campo wishes compensations. It meets on several occasions the Baron de Rothschild with Paris in 1860, but the business is not carried out. Each company will preserve its independence. In 1861, the company changes name again. There is now about the Sociedad of los Ferrocarriles de Almansa has Játiva is El Grao of Valencia

The line of Tarragone

When the concession of the line of Tarragone is granted to Jose Campo, this one counts on the financial support of the Sociedad Genaral Catalana de Credito and of the Sociedad Valenciana de Fomento. The economic crisis of 1857 causes many concern at the Catalan bank, which yields all its rights to Jose Campo. A royal decree of March 21st, 1861 regularizes this situation, not granting more the concession that to Jose Campo and the Valencian bank. March 5th, 1862, the company takes officially the name of Sociedad of los Ferrocarriles de Almansa has Valencia there Tarragona or AVT . With the 279 kilometers of this line to be built, company AVT became the third of Spain in importance after the Norte and MZA. Still remained to build the line! At the beginning, work advances quickly. Castellon is reached at the end of 1862. But the crisis which will affect the Sociedad Valenciana de Fomento as from 1864 will slow down work seriously. It should be said that those reach a zone particuièrement difficult. The main obstacle is the crossing of the Ebre close to its mouth, studied since 1859. To allow the passage of the ships to the port of Tortosa, the army requires that the apron of the bridge be with a 17 meters height. It is also necessary to take account of raw the toujors unforeseeable river. A royal decree of July 10th, 1865 creates a commission charged to find the best point of passage of the river. In 1866, the government definitively fixes this point at Tortosa. The bridge is finally inaugurated on June 21st, 1868, ensuring the continuity of the course of Valence Barcelona.

Opening to the exploitation of the line of Valence to Tarragone

Ultimate projects

The economic crisis of 1866 causes financial serious difficultieies with the company, but especially with the Sociedad Valenciana de Credito. If Jose Campo refuses to liquidate it, he sees himself constrained to let there enter an important group of Catalan bond-holders. Those will carry out a larval war against the methods employed by the entourage of Campo, going until carrying serious accusations of corruption. The concluding of an agreement with the creditors of the company, in 1872, makes it possible to consolidate the financial position of the company. Campo can then consider the expansion of its network. To the beginning of the year 1880, it will repurchase two companies having of the lines in metric gauge track. The Compañia anonima del Tram-way of Carcagente has Denia has just obtained the authorization to convert with traction vapor. Can concerned to launch out in expenses, its proprétaires, the Trenor family, yield the concession to Jose de Campo on September 23rd, 1880. It is him which equips the line for traction vapor, the first circulating train on November 28th, 1881. The line officially is transferrée with AVT on August 15th, 1883. The second line belongs to the Compañia anonima del Tram-Way of Carcagente then has Gandia , into large financial problems. Jose de Campo recovers the concession on January 19th, 1881. There too, Jose de Campo obtains the authorization to use traction vapor. This section officially will be transferrée with AVT on August 1st, 1889.

opening of the metric network to the exploitation:

Very quickly, this small network serving an agricultural rich person area will become one of the economic lungs of the company, which he supplies out of various oranges and goods. For the only year 1890, it brings to the network AVT 47301 tons of goods and 246630 travellers. Of the same time, Jose de Campo thinks of building a junction of Sagonte to Segorbe, and of launching some another, of an unspecified point of the line Xàtiva - Almansa, towards Murcie. In 1887, he asks for the concession of a line Xàtiva - Alcoy, without subsidy. The construction of this line to the layout difficult will be delayed by the bad weather. Jose Campo will never see the end of it. He dies in August 1889. Without its energy and with the accumulation of the financial problems, its work disappears with him. May 25th, 1891, a contract is signed with the Compañia of los Caminos de Hierros del Norte for the transfer of the company. It is ratified by a law of July 30th. It is Norte which will be given the responsability to complete the Xàtiva-Alcoy line.

The Material

The company AVT will begin its exploitation with only five engines, commadées as it should be in England. It is true that in the beginning, the line had only one 4 kilometers length… One of the inevitable mechanics British accompanying this delivery, Henri Fink will become chief of the workshops of the company

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