There have been

narrow-gauge railways A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...

which used , and gauges. The older rail network was in Melilla–

Nador Nador ( Riffian-Berber: ⵏⴰⴷⵓⵔ) is a coastal city and provincial capital in the northeastern Rif region of Morocco with a population of about 161,726 (2014 census). Nador city is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a salt lagoon nam ...

area, only later to join with another, the

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

– Tetuan railway line and short harbour construction lines at the Larache Harbour on the Atlantic seaboard. After the

Treaty of Algeciras The Algeciras Conference of 1906 took place in Algeciras, Spain, and lasted from 16 January to 7 April. The purpose of the conference was to find a solution to the First Moroccan Crisis of 1905 between France and Germany, which arose as Germany ...

signed in April 1906, where the northern part of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

was placed under Spanish administration, the Spanish started to develop this mineral-rich area. The Spanish Line (

Compañía Transatlántica Española Compañía Transatlántica Española, S.A. (''Transatlantic Company of Spain'', abbreviated CTE), also known as the Spanish Line in English, was a passenger ocean line that has largely ceased operations although it still exists as a company. It i ...

) had been formed in Spain as early as in 1881 by Spanish businessman

Antonio López y López Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...

. The main idea was to develop the harbours in northern

to carry more Spanish–Moroccan trade via harbours of

Larache Larache ( ar, العرايش, al-'Araysh) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast, where the Loukkos River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Larache is one of the most important cities of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. Man ...

Tanger Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the ca ...

and Melilla.

Melilla area

Junta de Obras del Puerto de Melilla

At Melilla the Junta de Obras del Puerto de Melilla started at ones extensive building of harbour to carry mineral traffic overseas, mainly to Spain. With new harbour installations the company built also gauge local 4.1 km harbour line from Melilla Harbour to Sidi-Musa, later extended to the total length of 7 km as demanded by Spanish military. The Junta de Obras and the Compañía Transatlántica were merged to form a new company, the Junta de Fomento de Melilla in December 1911.

Compañía Española de Minas del Rif

The Compañía Española de Minas del Rif was founded in July 1908. It had obtained mining rights at Idem, Beni-Sidel and Mazuza areas. The company built an extensive railway network in the Melilla area. The gauge main line Melilla–

Beni Ensar Beni Ansar (Tarifit: Bni Nṣaa, ⴱⵏⵉ ⵏⵚⴰⴰ; Arabic: بني أنصار; Spanish: Beni Ensar) is a town in Nador Province, Oriental, Morocco, located 12 km (7½ miles) north of the city of Nador. It is bordered on the north by ...

– Tizi Tavessart– Atalayon–

–

Segangan Segangan (Tarifit: Azɣenɣan, ⴰⵣⵖⴻⵏⵖⴰⵏ; Arabic: أزغنغان) is a town and municipality in the province of Nador, Oriental, Morocco. It is one of the major towns of the province. According to the 2004 census, its population wa ...

– San Juan de las Minas– Minas de Jebel Uisai (Ulad Canem) 31,5 km was the first common carrier railway in Spanish Morocco between Melilla and San Juan de las Minas. In spring 1914 the Compañía Española de Minas del Rif operated three daily passenger trains to

of which two continued to San Juan de las Minas with corresponding return workings to Melilla.

Ferrocarril Nador–Tistutin

Another company, the Ferrocarril Nador–Tistutin, built a gauge 36 km

– Tinequemart–

Zeluan Selouane (Tarifit: Seřwan, ⵙⴻⵔⵡⴰⵏ; Arabic: سلوان) is a town in Nador Province, Oriental, Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It ove ...

–

Monte Arruit Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * Monte ...

– Tistutin–

El Batel EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

line. There was continuous unrest in the area and the

Rif The Rif or Riff (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. This mountainous and fertile area is bordered by Cape Spartel and Tangier to the west, by Berkane and the Moulouya River to the east, by the Mediterrane ...

Cabyle rebellionists attacked against the railways. The Spanish Army concentrated nearly 100.000 soldiers to pacify the

area and built extensions westward from: *

to Laababda and

Zoco el Had Zoco may refer to: *Ignacio Zoco (1939–2015), Spanish soccer player of the 1960s * Zoco, Tibet *A brand name of the Spanish liqueur Patxaran Patxaran () ( es, Pacharán) is a sloe-flavoured liqueur commonly drunk in Navarre, and other areas o ...

Ben Tiep Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, ...

* Laababda to

Dar Tafersit Dar or DAR may refer to: Settlements * Dar es Salaam, the largest city of Tanzania and East Africa * Dar, Azerbaijan, a village * Dar, Iran, a village People * Dar (tribe), a Kashmiri tribe in India and Pakistan * Aleem Dar, Pakistani crickete ...

The lines were operated by locotractors which could haul 200 tons with three locotractors. Later, it had been decided to be built to standard gauge field railways and the Spanish Army bought a number of surplus former German built World War I locomotives and rolling stock from Germany. The following lines were constructed: *

–

Dar Driuch Dar or DAR may refer to: Settlements * Dar es Salaam, the largest city of Tanzania and East Africa * Dar, Azerbaijan, a village * Dar, Iran, a village People * Dar (tribe), a Kashmiri tribe in India and Pakistan * Aleem Dar, Pakistani crickete ...

23.5 km *

– Ulad Candussi– Dar Quebdani 23 km *

–

Tafersit Tafersit (Tarifit: Tfaasit, ⵜⴰⴼⴻⵔⵙⵉⵜ; Arabic: تفرسيت) is a commune in Driouch Province, Oriental, Morocco. The town is situated in the Rif mountains, not far from the Mediterranean Sea. According to the 2004 census, it has a ...

12 km When the area was finally pacified in 1926 the lines were lifted and the rolling stock transferred elsewhere.

Compañía del Norte Africano and the Compañía Minera Setolazar

There were also two other companies which operated their own mining railways. The Compañía del Norte Africano and the Compañía Minera Setolazar, both of gauge. Both companies had a common locomotive shed at

. Their gauge line run parallel with Compañía Española de Minas del Rif gauge line between

and Melilla Harbour.

Compañía del Norte Africano

Compañía del Norte Africano gauge

industrial railway An industrial railway is a type of railway (usually private) that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics, or military site. In regions of the world influenced by British ra ...

served the lead mines at Monte Afra with company's Melilla–

– Monte Afra line on the north coast. This company was founded in August 1907. The length of this lead carrier was 19 km.

Ceuta area

Ferrocarril Ceuta–Benzu (Junta de Obras del Puerto de Ceuta)

Farther west the Junta de Obras del Puerto de Ceuta was founded in October 1904. It built

Harbour and later a short branch line from

to nearby

Benzú Benzú is a small settlement within the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta. It has a population of 1,987 according to the 2011 census, divided into two units with Ceuta as its municipality. Description Benzú is in the northwest of the Spanish ex ...

. The company used gauge line.

Ferrocarril Ceuta–Tetuan

The Ferrocarril Ceuta–Tetuan was founded in September 1912 to connect

to Tetuan with 41 km gauge railway. The line was opened March 1918. Ferrocarril Ceuta–Tetuan built stations at Ceuta (0.5 km), Miramar (2.9 km), Castillejos 8.0 km), Dar Riffen (11.1 km), Negro (13.8 km), Rincon del Medik (24.9 km), Malalien (38.1 km), and terminal station Tetuan (41.0 km).

Ferrocarril Tetuan–Rio Martin y prolongaciones

When Spanish General Alfau occupied Tetuan in 1913 it was decided to build an 18 km gauge railway to Rio Martin using the trackbed of the former lifted

standard-gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...

railway. The 10 km Ferrocarril Tetuan–Rio Martin y prolongaciones was opened in May 1915 for public service. The extensions south to Benkarrir and

Zina ''Zināʾ'' () or ''zinā'' ( or ) is an Islamic legal term referring to unlawful sexual intercourse. According to traditional jurisprudence, ''zina'' can include adultery, fornication, prostitution, rape, sodomy, incest, and bestiality. ' ...

18 km was opened in March 1921 and west to Laucien 8 km, when the railway bridge at

Mogote A mogote () is a generally-isolated steep-sided residual hill in the tropics composed of either limestone, marble, or dolomite. Mogotes are surrounded by nearly flat alluvial plains. The hills typically have a rounded, tower-like form. Overvi ...

was finally completed, on the same day.

Larache area

Larache harbour installations

The Austrian company Sager & Wörner had obtained from the Spanish Government the contract to build the harbour installations at

on the Atlantic coast in 1911. The harbour was built in 1911–1914 with a railway but

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

delayed the 34 km standard-gauge railway line to

to 1922.

Narrow-gauge locomotives delivered to former Spanish Morocco

ALCo * 6

ALCo The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

2C-h2 17x20, built 1917, 48 Delivered to the Spanish Colonies Avonside * Avonside Ct-n2, built 1906, ex FC de Sierra Nevada, sold to Minas del Rif " MELILLA " Borsig * 1

Borsig Borsig is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * (1867–1897), German entrepreneur * August Borsig (1804–1854), German businessman * Conrad von Borsig (1873–1945), German mechanical engineer * Ernst Borsig Ernst August Pau ...

Bt-n2, built 1906 Arthur Koppel AG, Berlin f. Tanger, Marokko * 2 Borsig 1Ct-n2, built 1911, Ferrocarril Nador–Tistutin No 1 " TISTUTIN " Carels * 1 Carels Ctr-n2, built 1887, ex Baix Emporda, Tranvia del Bajo Ampurdan a Palamos No 2 -> FC Minas del Rif CUA * 2 Couillet , Bt-n2, built 1899, ex Chemins de Fer Espagne sp. Maroc, Melilla * 2 CUA (Christop & Unmack Aktiengesellschaft), B´2 Motor wagon, built 1943, f. Ferrocarril Ceuta a Tetuan Deutz * Deutz, , B type ML 116-Tr, built 1925, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif * 5 Deutz, , B type ML 128-F, built 1925–1926, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif * 4 Deutz, , B type MLH228-F, built 1927–1928, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif * 8 Deutz, , B type MLH233-F built 1928–1929, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif * 3 Deutz, , B type MLH230-F built 1930, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif * 7 Deutz, , B type MLH332-F, built 1934–1938, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif * 1 Deutz, , BB type OMD130-F, built 1934, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif No 301 * 2 Deutz, , B type GG66-B, built 1965, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif Falcon * Falcon 144 / 1887 1000 C-n2 originally Ct-n2 origin unknown 1909 to FC Nador–Tistutin No 6 " EUSKALLERIA " General Motors * 2 General Motors, , CoCo type GL22CU, built 1971, Societe d´Exploitation des Mines du Rif Henschel * 20

Henschel Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting v ...

, , Bt-n2, built 1918, ex Tigris Kriegsbahn delivered in 1921 to Spanish Morocco * 2 Henschel, , 1C1t-n2, built 1920, Minas del Rif, Melilla * 3 Henschel, , 1D1t-n2, built 1921, Minas del Rif * 3 Henschel, , Dt-n2, built 1922, Metallges. Frankfurt am Main for Spanish Morocco * 2 Henschel, , Ct-n2, built 1922, Metallges. Frankfurt am Main for Spanish Morocco, for FC Nador–Tistutin * 1 Henschel, , Ct-n2, built 1923, Minas del Rif No 11, Spanish Morocco * 1 Henschel, , 2D2t-n2, built 1924, Minas del Rif, No 203 Melilla, Spanish Morocco * 2 Henschel, , Dt-n2, built 1924–1925, Spanish Morocco * 3 Henschel, , Ct-n2, built 1925, Delegation de Romento, Spanish Morocco * 1 Henschel, , Bt-n2, built 1925, Delegation de Romento, Spanish Morocco * 2 Henschel, , Dt-n2, built 1928, Ferr. Sideguza, Madrid for Spanish Morocco * 3 Henschel, , Ct-n2, built 1928–1929, Minas del Rif, Spanish Morocco * 2 Henschel, , 2D2t-n2, built 1934, Minas del Rif, Spanish Morocco Kerr Stuart * 2

Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer in Stoke-on-Trent, England. History It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as "James Kerr & Company", and became "Kerr, Stuart & Company" from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a pa ...

, , 1C-n2, built 1911–1912, Minas del Rif Krauss-Maffei * 2

Krauss Krauss is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alison Krauss (born 1971), American bluegrass musician * Alexander Krauß (born 1975), German politician * Alexis Krauss (born 1985), musician of the noise pop duo Sleigh Bells ...

, , Ctr-n2, built 1887, ex Tram Bajo Amburdan–sold Minas del Rif * 4 Krauss, , Bt-n2, built 1911–1912, Sager & Wörner, Munchen f. Hafenbau Larache, Spanisch Marokko MAN * 2 MAN SE, MAN, , B´2 Motor wagon, built 1955, for Ferrocarril Ceuta a Tetuan No 1 Manning Wardle * 2 Manning Wardle, , Ct-n2, built 1915, Minas del Rif MTM * 2 2-8-2#Spain, MTM, , 1C-n2, built 1913, Ferrocarril Nador (MTM = La Maqiunista Terreatre y Maritima SA, Barcelona) La Meuse * 5 List of locomotive builders#Belgium, La Meuse, , 1D-n2, built 1929, S.A. Minera Setolazar, Maroc Espagne * 2 La Meuse, , Dt-n2, built 1941, built for Krauss–Maffei for Spanish Morocco * 1 La Meuse, , B, built 1957, Compania Minera Setolazar, Beni Enzar, Melilla Orenstein & Koppel * 2 Orenstein & Koppel, , Bt-n2, built 1907, Obras del Puerto Melilla * 2 Orenstein & Koppel, , Dt-n2+2T, built 1912, Mining exploration Massenet KLA Compania del Norte Africano * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , Bt-n2, built 1909, Messenet Marokko * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1909, Minas del Rif, Melilla, Spanish Morocco * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1911, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1911, Compania Transatlantice, Melilla, Spanish Morocco * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1911, Junta del Torento de Melilla, Spanish Morocco * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1912, Empresa Constructora del Puerto de Ceuta, Marokko " CEUTA 1 " * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1912, Spanische Regierung (Spanish Morocco) * 2 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1912, F.C. de Nador et Tistutin * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1913, Empresa Constructora del Puerto de Ceuta, Morocco " CEUTA 2 " * 3 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1913, Spanisches Kriegsministerium Madrid, for Spanish Morocco * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1914, Auststellung Lyon, sp. FC Nador a Tistutin No 5 " NADOR " * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , Ct-n2, built 1913, Ministerio de la Guerra, Spanish Morocco * 2 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1913, durch Schneider & Co, nach Marokko * 2 Orenstein & Koppel, , Dt-n2, built 1916, Compania del Norte Africano No 11 " YOUKSEN I " * 3 Orenstein & Koppel, , Bt-n2, built 1919, Transatlantic GmbH, Melilla, Spanisch Marokko * 4 Orenstein & Koppel, , Dt-n2+2T, built 1922, Kriegsministerium Madrid, f. Spanisch Marokko * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , Ct-n2, built 1922, Kolonialministerium Madrid, f. Spanisch Marokko * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , Ct-n2, built 1923, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif, Span. Marokko * 3 Orenstein & Koppel, , Bt-n2, built 1925, Empresa Constructora Puerto de Ceuta * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , Bt-n2, built 1929, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif, Marokko * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , Ct-n2, built 1931, Ste Nationale d´Travaux Publics, Ceuta, Morocco * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , built 1938, S.A. Minera Setolazar, Bilbao f. Spanish Morocco * 1 Orenstein & Koppel, , MVO B, built 1955, Compania Espanola de Minas del Rif

Literature

* Jose Manuel Vidal Perez & Joan Alberich Gonzales: Los Ferrocarriles en Protectoradas y Colonias Espanolas en Africa * E.D.Brant: Railways in North Africa * A.E.Durrant, A.A.Jorgensen, C.P.Lewis: Steam in Africa * Klaus Fricks, Roland Bude, Martin Murray: O&K Steam Locomotives Works List 1892–1945 * Bernhard Schmeiser: Krauss-Lokomotiven * Unpublished locomotive builder lists (mostly originally compiled by Dr. Ing. Bernhard Schmeiser and added with later obtained supplementary information) * American Locomotive Company (ALCo) Works List (Harward Business School copy 1948) * Anjubault / Corpet Louvet Works List * Baldwin Works List (copy 1833–1956 compiled from original Baldwin order list) * Batignolles Châtillon, Nantes, St. Joseph Works List * Borsig Works List * A.Cail Works List * Carels Works List * Chrzanów Works List * Couillet Works List * Decauville Works List * Elsässische Maschinenbau Gesellschaft / Societe Alsacienne de Construction Mecaniques Belfort, Graffenstaden, Mulhouse Works List * Esslingen Works List * Falcon Works List * Fives Lille Works List * Gouin / Batignolles Works List * Henschel Works List * Jung Works List * Kerr Stuart & Co, LD Works List by Frank Jux 1991 * J.A.Maffei Works List * La Meuse Works List * Etablissement A. Pinguely Works List * Schneider & Cie, Le Creusot Works List * Schwartzkopff (BMAG) Works List * Tubize Works List * Weidknecht et Compagnie Works List

References

{{reflist History of rail transport in Morocco 600 mm gauge railways in Morocco Metre gauge railways in Morocco 750 mm gauge railways in Morocco