Aventureros ferroviarios. Notas sobre la financiación de la red secundaria de los ferrocarriles españoles: El caso de Richard Preece Williams

Abstract

Once the radial axis of the Spanish Railways was in place, major zones of the country still remained isolated. During the final years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th, steps were taken to reduce this deficiency. Various plans were drawn up and these contemplated generous aid to facilitate the construction and to compensate for possible exploitation shortfalls. As a result of these conditions a considerable number of proposals were offered, some aimed at bringing prosperity to the less favoured areas while others were orchestrated by wily adventurers in quest of subsidies. However, neither one nor the other succeeded in providing Spain with a subsidiary railway network due to the difficulty of raising sufficient capital to set up the lines. Up to the present time, we know little of the history of the secondary Spanish Railway network and we still lack research on its financing and political relations. The case of Richard Preece Williams is paradigmatic and hence the interest in undertaking its study. To this end, we consult, as our primary source, the relevant documentation in the Railway History Archive. Furthermore, we check the railway journal Gaceta de los Caminos de Hierro, the most significant journalistic source of the period. Finally, we use the local bibliography on the Richard Preece Williams railways.