Passing at Calaf

Bearing in mind that the Class 470 units serving the route between L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Lleida Pirineus via Manresa (and vice versa) had their days numbered, we took advantage of Calaf's microclimate to head out and take some snapshots of them in the snow. The result was spot on, and ever since that day, I’ve had my very own Christmas card photo to send out for the festive season.

In the picture, we see the two afternoon services passing each other at Calaf station. On the left, an Adif technician from the Lleida depot can be seen; shortly before this, he had been out blowtorch in hand, just in case the station points refused to throw due to the ice. During this stop —which could well be considered a operational one— the drivers swap units so each can return to their home depot. On this occasion, the technician unexpectedly joined them on that very same stop.