Date of issue : February 2001 ( 1st know date of use : 27.02.01 ) Size - Format : 47 x 27 mm. - Format type 2 Paper : Thermal self adhesive - multicoloured  Imprint : Thermal on black Imprint varieties : 6 ( Mobba and Epelsa with 4, 5 and 6 digits ) Design : FNMT Printer : FNMT. Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre Printing : 50.000.000 of labels
Click on the image to enlarge it

Clear call to the thematic collectors, following with the tendency already pointed in previous years, this first issue dedicated to the railways agrees with the commemoration of the 150 years of the inauguration of the line Madrid - Aranjuez and the celebration of the 2nd Congress of Railway History. 

The 9 of February of 2001 turned 150 years of the inauguration of the first Madrid railway, the line from Madrid to Aranjuez. The steam locomotive from this first travel illustrates this beautiful issue.
 

	The first road to the sea by railroad from Madrid had predicted as final destiny Alicante, the shortest way. The initial itinerary finally was suspended, leaving only in service the section that would unite Madrid and Aranjuez. The works began in 1846 and the official inauguration was the February 8th, 1851 in the "Embarcadero" ( railway station ) of Atocha. In the inaugural trip an special coach was reserved to Queen Isabel. On the next day the service is opened to the public.  The way, of hour and half of duration, had the intermediate stations of Getafe, Pinto, Valdemoro and Ciempozuelos, and the prices oscillated between the four and twenty Reales.
Drawing of Urrabieta in "La Ilustración". From "150 Años de Historia del Ferrocarril Madrid-Aranjuez"

Source : Models MABAR

Composition of the inauguration travel Madrid - Aranjuez (1851), with the Royal coach

Despite that the concession of this line dates from 1840, the first Spanish railway were the Barcelona to Mataro railway, inaugurated the 28 of October of 1848, with a way of 30 km. that were crossed in 35 minutes.

The technical team of the Archivo Histórico Ferroviario ( Railway Historical Archive ) and the Library of the Spanish Railways Foundation edited a very interesting page in Internet on the 150 Years of History of the Madrid Railroad - Aranjuez, that remember the gestation of the process of the line construction, offers a biographical profile of the Marques de Salamanca, impeller of the project, and shows details on the history of the stations, the rail technology and the material used in the beginnings of the operation.
 

In the occasion of the celebration of this events, the Railway Historical Archive (AHF), managed by the Spanish Railways Foundation ( FFE ) organized in Aranjuez ( Madrid ), from the February 7 to 9, 2001, the 2nd Congress of Railway History. 
The Congress was the continuation of celebrated the 1998 in Alicante.

Exhibition catalogue	From September 24 to 30 , 2001 the Philatelic Exhibition commemorating the 150 Years of the Madrid - Aranjuez railroad was celebrated in Aranjuez.  The exhibition was organized by the Asociación Española de Profesionales de Filatelia - APF ( Spanish Association of Philately Professionals ), the Corporación Filatélica Española ( Spanish Philatelic Corporation ) and Eurosofi ( European Philately Society ), with the sponsorship of the Aranjuez City council and took place in the Exhibition hall of the Cultural Centre Isabel de Farnesio.  Between the programmed acts it emphasized the September 29 with the arrival of the "Tren de la Fresa" ( Strawberry train ) to Aranjuez, a replica of the train inaugurated by Reina Isabel II in 1851.

In the occasion of the Exhibition the Spanish Posts ( Correos y Telégrafos and  F.N.M.T. ) published a collection of 4 official commemorative postal covers - postal stationary ( Price of the mint collection: 3.500 Ptas. / 21,05 € ) with allusive illustrations to the event, one of which reproduces the image of locomotive 120 "Madrileña".
Swiss hut model ( L'Ilustration. Journal Universel, 1851 )	Train departure from Atocha. February 10, 1851. Madrid
Queen Isabel II and Jose de Salamanca	Steam locomotive 1-2-0. "La Madrileña"

During the days of the Exhibition could be used a commemorative postmark. As a curiosity, the text of this postmark is erroneous, because it includes the legend "150 Años del Ferrocarril" ( 150 Years of the Railroad, already celebrated in 1998 ), instead the correct one "150 Años del Ferrocarril Madrid - Aranjuez" ( 150 Years of the Madrid - Aranjuez railroad ).

Spanish Posts installed specially a franking balance Epelsa ET-CB ( number 0026 ) in the Exhibition enclosure that issued stamps or ATMs of this model, which could be used for the preparation of postal commemorative material and souvenirs.  Unfortunately the balance did not print any allusive text and the ATMs had a quite defective printing, reason why they did not sell a whole roll ( 1.900 labels ) in all the Exhibition week.    News article and documentation: Luís F. García Martinez

We show here some examples of Card and illustrated covers with the ATM issue Railways - 1. 
 

Commemorative card - 150 Años Ferrocarril Madrid - Aranjuez Watercolour reproduction of Ángel del Campo y Francés	Postal stationary. Trains and Philately. Cover franked with the Exhibition ATM and cancelled with the commemorative postmark
Commemorative cover Steam locomotive 120, "Madrileña"	Commemorative cover franked with the Exhibition ATM and cancelled with the commemorative postmark

As for the other ATM issues in Spain, there is no First Day Covers- FDCs.

Railway and stamp have been always united from their birth in the middle of XIX Century. 
From the inauguration of the first Spanish railway line, the Spanish Posts have maintained an intimate relation with this means of transport, being during one and half century the most used vehicle for the correspondence transport. A Real Orden of 1851 arranged that the general mail of Andalusia made the way Madrid - Aranjuez in the railway that finished uniting both cities, reason why the 1 of September of 1851 is the date in which the letters travelled for the first time in train in Spain. 

Throughout the years, numerous philatelic issues in Spain have had the railway like main subject and, especially, the birth of this means of transport. Let us see some examples :
 

Edifil 1037 / Yvert 779 /  Michel 957	The 9 of October of 1948 a set is dedicated to the Centenary of the Spanish Railway and in one of stamps it appears the Marques de Salamanca, impeller of the Madrid-Aranjuez line and other railway projects.	Edifil 2173 / Yvert 1828 / Michel 2068
	In 1974 is commemorated the 125th Anniversary of the Barcelona-Mataro Railroad, and the 2nd of April appears a set dedicated to Miquel Biada Bunyol and the 1848 Mataro locomotive.

"Prueba de lujo" nº 14:  F.N.M.T. 1998	Edifil  / Yvert 3161 / Michel 3427
	In 1998 is celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the Railway in Spain. The 28 of October appears a stamp and a prueba de lujo, where they are the past and the present of this transport means.

Spanish Railways Foundation