Basque Railway Museum to Celebrate Museum Day with Special Historic Train Rides

The Basque Railway Museum in Azpeitia will host special historic train circulations and exhibitions on May 17 to mark International Museum Day.

Interior of the Basque Railway Museum, showcasing the historic steam locomotive 'Euzkadi'.
IA

Interior of the Basque Railway Museum, showcasing the historic steam locomotive 'Euzkadi'.

The Basque Railway Museum, located in Azpeitia, will celebrate International Museum Day on Sunday, May 17, with a festive day featuring special historic train circulations and various exhibitions, offering a unique experience to the public.

On this celebratory day, May 17, historic trains will take center stage. Special circulations are scheduled for 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 1:00 PM between the museum (Azpeitia) and Lasao station. The first journey will be made with the Alsthom 1004 diesel locomotive, built in Tarbes in 1965.
At 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM, historic steam trains will depart. Among them, the Euzkadi locomotive, built by Krauss (Munich, 1920) for Ferrocarriles Vascongados, and the Zugastieta locomotive, manufactured by Sharp Stewart (Glasgow, 1888) for the Amorebieta to Gernika railway, will be featured.
Additionally, the Grafton steam crane (1920) will be put into operation. This crane provided commercial service for Babcock & Wilcox until 1997, making it the last steam-powered vehicle in commercial service in Spain. The Espinal steam locomotive (Robert Stephenson, 1887) from the Orconera mining railway will also be on display.
The museum houses one of Europe's finest railway collections, including steam, diesel, and electric locomotives, railcars, and various types of wagons. It also boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of machine tools in Euskadi, showcased through the old mechanical workshop of the Urola Railway, and features exhibitions of railway uniforms from the late 19th century, alongside one of the world's best collections of railway timepieces.