This little “carrilet” was the first Spanish railway to opt for a 75cm (2ft 6in) narrow gauge. After much debate over both the gauge and the final route, the citizens of Sant Feliu eventually got their way and in 1892 the railway, nicknamed the “Feliuet”, entered into service. During its brief existence the railway did enjoy some prosperous times, especially in the post-war years when the line benefited from the scarcity of road transport and posted its best ever results in terms of passenger and goods traffic. One of the most important cargos that the railway hauled was cork sheets and stoppers from the factories at Cassà and Llagostera .
 As was so often the case, diminishing traffic forced the company into liquidation and in 1963 control of the railway reverted to the state. The new management did their best to develop the line by modernizing the rolling stock and widening the gauge to one metre in order to link up with the Olot narrow gauge line, but in spite of their efforts this charming “carrilet” was finally and definitively closed in 1969.
“El Feliuet” was the nickname that the locals gave to “their” train. This little narrow gauge railway was closely linked to the history of the area and is the subject of many curious anecdotes, recalling the hardships of the post-war years, the trips made by the people of Girona to “take the waters” at Font Picant or take a dip at the Sant Pol beach; the precautions taken by the engine drivers in the hot summer months to avoid setting fire to the dense woodlands between Llagostera and Font Picant with a stray spark from their locomotive. The railway’s last day of operation, a day that all the railway workers had fought so hard to prevent, was a sad day for the people of the district of Girona, who lined the platforms to bid their final farewell to the last train. |
