Travelling on trains in Spain has given me a sense of what a dangerous job it was to build railways in the 19th century.
Other European countries and languages reflect the origins of railways as the Iron Road.
They’re called “chemin de fer” in French, “ferrovial” in Spanish and “eisenbahn” in German – all reflect the link to iron, chemical symbol Fe.
Outside Madrid’s Atocha station, there is a sculpture of twisted and broken rails to commemorate the broken lives of railworkers who died in the Spanish civil war.
In Aguilas, I came across a wonderful little railway museum in what was part of The Great Southern of Spain Railway Company from the end of the 19th century.
It has a tunnel entrance and along both sides of the walls of the tunnel are photos of railway workers who helped to build the line.
It’s a wonderful memorial to the pioneers who worked in difficult and dangerous conditions to lay down track and extend the Iron Road to towns and villages across southern Spain.
I’m aware of several memorials to railway staff and civilians in the UK, particularly those who fought and died during two World Wars.
The artwork at London’s St Pancras station lists the job titles of railway staff who went off to war and never come home. There are some wonderful roles such as “under-shunter” and “pointholder”.
The Railway Heritage Trust also has a list of war memorials around the country.
The debt we owe these people is enormous. We wouldn’t be travelling on so many lines and in such safe conditions had it not been for their sacrifice.