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RAILWAYS - TALGO IIID92910066

RAILWAYS - TALGO II

€16.94  

€14.00   (Taxes not incl.)

74  In Stock


As the current year of 2021 is the European Year of Rail and also marks the 80th anniversary of Renfe, we wish to dedicate the collection to the history of the railway so as to draw our customers closer to the evolution of one of mankind’s most important modes of transport.

The collection consists of 20 coins: 15 issued in 2021 and the other five, in 2022.

On the obverse, an image in colour of a drawing of a Talgo II diesel-electric locomotive. On top of the central image, the legend TALGO II. Outside the image, devices reminiscent of different rails.

On the reverse of all the coins, inside a central circle, the legend HISTORIA DEL FERROCARRIL (HISTORY OF THE RAILWAY). Underneath, the value of the coin: €1.5 EURO. Outside the central circle, an image of a railway track.

Information about the Coin
Series History of the Railway  
Year 2021  
Colour Yes  
Diameter (mm) 33  
Face Value (Euro) 1.5
Metal Cupronickel  
Weight (g) 15  
Maximum Mintage (units) 7,000  

Talgo II

Year of production: 1949

Country: Spain

Traction: Diesel

Transport: Passengers

Adhesive weight:

Total length:

Maximum load per axle:

Top speed:

Engine power: 140 hp

 The Talgo originated from the partnership contract signed by Alejandro Goicoechea Omar and José Luis Oriol Urigüen on June 25 1942 to operate Patent 151.396, which had been registered by the former on January 8 1941. In so doing, Goicoechea proposed to build a new, light, articulated train whose first prototype was trialled in 1942. Later named the Talgo I, it was made up of a small tractor (a wagon and a Ganz engine) and seven self-supporting, steel-clad cars.

After the successful trials, Oriol Urigüen sent the Talgo I to the Babcock & Wilcox plant in Galindo for improvements. However, in the end, the enterprise Patentes Talgo entered into a contract with the American Car and Foundry Company on December 8 1945 for the production of two trains and three locomotives. Thus was born the Talgo II, whose main feature lay in its novel system of wheels guided on the rail, completely different from the classic wheels guided by the rail.  When it entered commercial service on July 14, it was an unqualified success.

With a B’B’ wheel arrangement, each of the three locomotives had two Hercules DNX-V8DS diesel engines (405 hp at 1,800 rpm), with electric transmission. Top speed was 140 km/h.

In its first year of service, the new train made 308 journeys on the Madrid-Hendaye-Madrid route, transporting 39,171 passengers, or 89.6% of its total commercial capacity. But there was a lot more to come: in its first 10 years of service,   the Talgo II made 4,187 journeys, carrying 517,017 passengers with an average capacity for 136. As the percentage of passengers making the full journey rose to 82.1%, the total usage rate worked out at 60.4%. Patentes Talgo stood out for its determined approach to innovation, reflected in the fact that, between 1950 and 1958.