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COMPANIES RELATED TO THE GSSR

Related to the railway:
Hett, Maylor & Company Limited.Hett, Maylor & Co. Ltd. was formed in London on the 10th June 1885 with a value of £250,000 (about £35 million in today's money) for the purpose of constructing railway lines including the railway for The GSSR. This company was formed by Edmund Sykes Hett and his friend and relative by marriage John Maylor.

The first shareholders were:
David Cooper Scott, merchant
Edmund Sykes Hett, merchant
Henry Herbert Hett, merchant
Frederick John Yarrow, merchant
Thomas Alexander Yarrow, merchant
Thomas Nicoll Leighton, merchant
John Maylor, engineer
Alfred Fernández Yarrow, engineer
Robert Mercer, engineer
Jeffrey Inglis Leighton, merchant

Unfortunately, the company only survived for slightly less than three years, its bankruptcy on 11th August 1890 causing myriad problems for The GSSR. See History.

In addition, John Maylor died on the 5th November 1887 at the age of sixty, which must have complicated matters somewhat as Edmund Sykes Hett was a close friend and was related by marriage so would have been heavily involved with funeral arrangements at a time when the company was in a state of flux.

It has been discussed by Don Gaunt in his excellent book why Hett, Maylor & Co became bankrupt so quickly. Obviously, they underestimated the costs of building a railway in the geotechnically difficult area between Granada and Murcia, but they also seem to have over-extended themselves by becoming involved with the Bilbao Iron Ore Company, The Manila Railway Company and The Seville Tramway Company, using the same engineers. It must have been very difficult to maintain complex construction works as well as keeping to budget on highly technical civil engineering projects, one of which was on the other side of the World. We do not know the cause of death of John Maylor, but is tempting to speculate that the stress of running all of these projects may have contributed.
James Livesey & Son Ltd.James Livesey & Son Ltd. were civil engineers who were heavily involved with the design and construction of The GSSR, designing Serón, Zurgena and Almanzora stations (and possibly many more) as well as the first Gor Viaduct (never built - or was it?).
Livesey, Henderson & Co. Ltd.Livesey, Henderson & Co. Ltd. was one of the iterations of James Livesey's companies. He later included his son in the title as he was becoming too busy to cope with all of the work that he was getting. This company was heavily involved with the construction of El Hornillo loading pier.
John Lysaght Ltd.John Lysaght Ltd was a British iron and steel manufacturer who sold iron station supports to The GSSR. See here. The company was absorbed into GKN in 1921.
North Eastern Steel Co.The North Eastern Steel Co. supplied 60lb per yard iron rail to The GSSR. See here.
Hunslet Engineering Co.The Hunslet Engineering Co. supplied No 100 'Mercer', the first locomotive, to The GSSR (actually Hett, Maylor) in October 1888. This locomotive continued working until 1958 for a variety of lines.
Sharp, Stewart and CompanySharp, Stewart and Company provided two 0-4-0 tank engines to Hett, Maylor which were built in 1888 and delivered in 1890. The company amalgamated with others to form The North British Locomotive Company in 1903.
Neilson & CompanyNeilson & Company supplied twelve 2-6-0 locomotives to The GSSR between 1889 and 1890. Amalgamated with Sharp Stewart and Dübs to form North British.
Kitson & CompanyKitson & Company was founded in 1835 in Hunslet, Leeds. It supplied two articulated locomotives to The GSSR.
North British Locomotive CompanyThe North British Locomotive Company was formed by an amalgamation between Neilson, Sharp Stewart, Reid & Company, and Dübs in 1903. It provided six locomotives to The GSSR in 1905.
The Granada Railway Company Ltd.The Granada Railway Co Ltd was formed on 16th November 1894, as the name suggests, to build railways in the province of Granada, Spain. The company was closely involved with a number of other companies such as The Spanish Railways Trust, 'Compañia de Caminos de Hierro de Sur de España' and 'Compañia de Caminos de Hierro de Granada'. Due to the dire state of the GSSR's finances, it was decided to sell the concession for the section between Baza and Guadix to The Granada Railway Co Ltd. The Granada Railway Co. Ltd. then became responsible for the construction of a particularly difficult section of track. As part of the deal, they acquired the GSSR plans and bought a significant amount of material that was already in Spain. Due to many problems with bureaucracy and difficulties in construction (see viaduct) the line wasn't opened until 15th March 1907. It is hard to see how this section of track was ever profitable. On 11th March 1919 The Granada Railway Co. Ltd. went into liquidation and handed over all of its books to Compañia de Caminos de Hierro Granada (Baza - Guadix).

The first company directors in 1894 were:

The Spanish Railways Trust and Investment Company Limited was by far the major shareholder with 7,918 of 8,025 shares.
Colonel Hanbury Barclay. Tingrith Manor, Woburn, Beds. (1 share)
Henry Goodwyn Stephenson, Solicitor, 31 Lombard St., London, E.C. (1 share)
Frederick Joseph Irwin, Merchant, High Mead, St Julian's Farm Road, West Norwood, Surrey. (26 shares)
Colonel Bernard Y Bosanquet. Fairholm, Teddington, Sy. (26 shares)
John Hubert William Baly, Gentleman, Skipton Lodge, Walton on Thames, Surrey. (1 share)
John Henry Knight, Clerk, Church Hill, Loughton, Essex. (1 share)
Henry Walton Burnside, Accountant, 168, Finborough Road, South Kensington, S.W. (1 share)

By 1902, the directors had completely changed, with Ivo Bosch as the managing director. By 1913 he owned 7,893 shares in the company.
August Lecoq et CieSorry, image missingAugust Lecoq et Cie was the manufacturer of most, if not all, of the bridges used by The GSSR. The company was based in Halle, Belgium. Very little remains of the company except a catalogue.
Sociedad de Ferrocarril de Alcantarilla a LorcaThe Sociedad de Ferrocarril de Alcantarilla a Lorca company was formed on 10th June 1900 by Banco Hispano Colonial as a means of running the 55.4Km line. This would link up to The Madrid Zaragoza Alicante Railway (M.Z.A.) which had a line to Alcantarilla. This section as well as the section to Águilas had been discussed previously, from as far back as 1858. This section was included in the Concession for The GSSR to build and run a railway from Murcia to Granada, so there was much confusion as to who was actually going to build the line. See History. The project had previously had many false starts with a number of Royal Orders to different organizations such as Crédito General de Ferrocarriles who finally built the line, work on which started on the 29th April 1884 with a loan of 3,513,364 pesetas from Banco Hispano Colonial, and which opened on the 28th March 1885. Along with all of the lines in Spain, the Alcantarilla - Lorca became part of Renfe in 1941.
The Spanish Railways Trust and Investment Company LimitedThis company was formed in 1888 with the purpose of investing in Spanish railway companies. Directors were:
Charles C. Scott
Edward Griggs.

The SRT became involved with the sale of the section between Baza and Granada to The Granada Railway Company Ltd in October of 1894 as it had heavily invested in The GSSR and feared losing much or all of it.

It went into voluntary liquidation on the 5th September 1900.
La Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro del Sur de España (The South of Spain Company)

'La Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro del Sur de España', also known as 'La Compañía del Sur de España' was constituted on the 28th June 1889 to build the railway between Almería and Linares, which was completed on the 14th March 1899. The project was funded by Ivo Bosch Puig, a rich banker from Catalonia.

In the period leading up to 1898, as stated in History, the GSSR was in deep financial difficulties and couldn't finish the line between Baza and Granada. La Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro del Sur de España bought the concession for the Moreda Junction to Granada section, which was completed in 1904. La Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro del Sur de España also found itself in great financial difficulties, and so in 1916 it rented out the operation of the line to Compañía de los Ferrocarriles Andaluces, finally being absorbed in it in 1929.

Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro de Granada (Baza-Guadix)Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro de Granada (Baza-Guadix) took over the section Baza - Guadix from The Granada Railway Company in 1917 but spent the next eighteen years renting the line; to The South of Spain Railway between 1907 and 1916 and to The Andalusian Railway Company between 1917 and 1925. Between 1925 and 1941 (when Renfe took over) the Escoriaza family, the main shareholders, ran the line themselves.
Compañía de los Ferrocarriles Andaluces (The Andalusian Railway Company)This was a relatively large company that was responsible for much of the railway consruction in Andalusia. It was formed on the 30th May 1877 by a group of financiers of whom Jorge Loring y Oyarzabal was one of the main organizers. This is the same Loring who caused so much trouble for The GSSR. Much of the finance came from France. This Malagan company built the Malaga - Cordova, Seville - Jerez - Cadiz, Utrera-Morón-Osuna, Osuna-La Roda, Jerez-Sanlúcar-Bonanza, Marchena-Écija, Campillos-Granada y Cordova-Belmez railways. This company was responsible for the section between Guadix and Baza between 1917 and 1925, finally absorbing The Granada Railway Company Ltd on the 11th March 1919.
The Madrid-Zaragoza-Alicante RailwayCompañía de los Ferrocarriles de Madrid a Zaragoza y Alicante was formed on the 31st December 1856 with a capital of 456 million reales, divided into 240,000 shares, by a group of investors including the Rothschilds, the president being Alejandro Mon and vice-president José de Salamanca. The MZA is of interest as they had a concession for the Murcia - Alcantarilla section thus relieving The GSSR of the task of building that section of line. In addition Roberto Robert had a concession for, and built, the section between Alcantarilla and Lorca.
W & T AverySorry, image missing.W & T Avery were weighing machine manufacturers. They supplied The GSSR with a weighbridge for Serón station, Mina Ignacio and probably many more.
Henry Pooley & Son.Sorry, image missing.Henry Pooley & Son were the largest manufacturer of weighing machines in its time. They supplied the weighbridge for (at least) Tíjola station, which was manufactured in 1903, suggesting that it was an afterthought as the line was completed in 1894.
The Anderston Foundry Company.The Anderston Foundry of Glasgow supplied points levers and fishplates to The GSSR. The company started trading in 1850.
Richard C. Gibbins and Co.Richard C. Gibbins and Co. were crane makers based in Birmingham, UK. They supplied at least one mobile crane to The GSSR.
The National Provincial Bank.The National Provincial Bank was the first British bank to be used by The GSSR until 1887 when they changed to Union Bank of Spain and England (Limited).
London Joint Stock Bank LimitedThe London Stock Bank were The GSSR's bankers from 1887 right up until the end of the company, having changed name to 'The Midland Bank'. By coincidence, the Chairman was one William Reierson Arbuthnot Junior.
The Ocean Coal Company LimitedThe Ocean Coal Company Ltd was a Welsh colliery in Blaengawr, Bridgend, producing steam coal, and coal exporter. Its co-directors were David Davies and Edmund Sykes Hett. It is almost certain that this company supplied coal to The GSSR, at least when permitted to do so by the Spanish government (see History). The manager of the colliery at the time was Rowland Rowlands. The coal was exported via the company's pier in Barry, 35km (22 miles) away. The company was audited (along with many others) by Deloitte.
Miguel Zapata Sáez (La Unión)Sorry, image missingMiguel Zapata Sáez, (1841 - 1918) also known as 'El Tío Lobo' due to the fact that he fought some wolves in his youth that had been attacking his family. He started from nothing but during his life he developed the mines of La Unión and also became the owner of two of the three foundries in existence. It was these foundries that supplied some of the ironworks for The GSSR such as iron supports.
Cowans, Sheldon & CoSorry, image missing Cowans, Sheldon & Co were manufacturers of cranes as well as other ironware. They supplied items for The GSSR including water pumps for Lorca Sutullena, Jaravía and Almendricos stations and turntables for Baza and Zurgena stations.
Tómas Aznar y Hermanos.Sorry, image missingTómas Aznar y Hermanos were an ironworks in Alcoy, Alicante. They supplied the swan neck water pump for Fines-Olula station. This appears to be a copy of the swan neck manufactured by Cowans, Sheldon.

See history of the company (Spanish).Sorry, image missing
Yarrow & Co.Yarrow & Co, now part of BAE Systems was set up in 1865 by Alfred Fernandez Yarrow and sold some steel products to The GSSR around 1914, specifically rail.
Denain et AnzinDenain et Anzin were a French company making rail for the Nord railway company and seem to have supplied The GSSR with rail as well.
The Bilbao Iron Ore Company LimitedSorry, image missing The Bilbao Iron Ore Company Limited was the first project in Spain of Edmund Sykes Hett's which he started late in 1871. The company was created to build a 22km railway from the mines of the Somorrostro and Galdames districts and a loading pier at Portualgete. The first Engineer in Chief was Edward Woods M.Inst.C.E. who contracted George Higgin M.Inst.C.E. as Consulting Engineer in Spain, and Frederick Cadogan Barron M.Inst.C.E. (23rd March 1843 - 4th August 1904) as Resident Engineer.
Work started in earnest in 1892 but within three months the Carlist War started, which held up construction somewhat.
In spite of all of the chaos, construction continued so that on the 15th February 1875 the first train left Galdames, but The Carlists ordered the stoppage of activity which lasted until the end of the war in the March of 1876.

By about 1910 they had eleven locomotives respectively named SIR JOHN BROWN, FOWLER, ASHBURY, JAMESON, LOCKHART, THORBURN, THAMES, BRABY, FIRTH, BROOMHEAD and PETERSON WARD, the first seven being manufactured by Kitson & Co., the rest by Manning, Wardle & Co., Boyne Engine Works, Leeds.

The company was renamed 'The Bilbao River and Cantabrian Railway Company Ltd.' in 1883 which was liquidated on the 6th May 1937, being finally taken over in 1939 (see Spanish Civil War which also saw to the death of The GSSR). It was finally renamed 'Ferrocarril de Sestao a Galdames'.
Altos Hornos de Vizcaya. Originally called 'Sociedad de Altos Hornos' it went on to be called 'Altos Hornos de Vizcaya'. Based in Vizcaya it was the largest company in Spain, producing iron and steel products including rails, some of which were used by The GSSR. It is possible that they were customers of Edmund Sykes Hett as his company The Bilbao Iron Ore Company Ltd operated mines and a railway very close to the AHV factory.
Wilson, Scott & HettThis, along with Scott, Hett & Co., Wilson, Scott & Co., and Scott, Wilson & Co. was the first company with which Edmund Sykes Hett was involved. It was based in Bahia, Brazil and was a trading company involved with import and export. It was probably this and the other companies that allowed him to amass a sufficient fortune to be able to put a deposit with the Spanish Government for the construction of The GSSR.

The other directors of these companies were Edward Pellew Wilson (Elder and Younger), David Cooper Scott, Alexander Pellew Wilson and Joseph Lane.
Related to the mines:
The Bacares Iron Ore Mines LimitedKnown as 'The English', this company had concessions for Los Castillones, Cortijuelo and Las Grajas mines in the Bacares area. This British company had many mining interests in the area and worked hand-in-glove with The GSSR to the extent that Gustave Gillman was the Station Manager at Águilas AND the Bacares company manager in Spain.
The company was inscribed on 24th May 1899 in Glasgow as a result of the purchase of Compagnie des Mines et Chemins de Fer Bacarès - Alméria. The original directors were:
John Charles Cuninghame (Chairman), ironmaster, resident of Glasgow
Sir J.E. Johnson-Ferguson, Bart.
R. Russell.

It started exporting ore in 1903. The company closed in 1941 but there was mining activity up until 1965.
The Hornillo Company LimitedThe Hornillo Company was set up on 21st of July 1899 with capital of 20,000€ in shares and 120,000€ of debentures. It was always an adjunct to The GSSR, sharing offices and staff, and its only purpose was the construction and use of the Loading pier at El Hornillo Bay. Gustave Gillman oversaw the project which opened on 4th May 1902, iron ore being transported and loaded onto ships from The Bacares Iron Ore Mines Limited. The company was amalgamated with The GSSR in 1913.
Compagnie des Mines et Chemins de Fer Bacarès - Alméria

Known as 'Casa de Menas', this Belgian company with concessions for Las Menas, Cuevas Negras and Nímar Mines intended to build a railway line from Las Menas to the Guadix - Almería line (hence 'Chemin de Fer') but this was never built. A cableway was built from Cuevas Negras Mines between Bacares and Bayarque to the loader at Km95 near Tíjola. Mining continued in Cuevas Negras until 1909. The old cable was sold in 1910 to 'The Grasset Hermanos Company' who moved the top of the cable so that it ran between Gran Coloso and Km95.

The company ceased trading in 1918 and transferred its concessions to 'Cabarga San Miguel'.

Exploradora de MinasA Spanish subsidiary of the Dutch company 'W.H. Müller' based in Córdoba, which had the concession for Gran Coloso. Exploradora was taken over by 'Cabarga San Miguel'.
Sociedad Cabarga San Miguel

A subsidiary company of 'W.H. Müller' of The Hague which had the concession for the San Miguel mine. In 1918 the company took over 'Compagnie des Mines et Chemins de Fer Bacarès - Alméria' and possibly 'The Bacares Iron Ore Mines Limited' in the 1940s. The company had a network of aerial cables, 500mm and 600mm narrow gauge railways using Deutz diesel engines.

In 1918, W.H. Müller took over 'Exploradora de Minas', they built a cable between San Miguel, Dulce María and Las Menas and the Los Canos loader which remained open until the 1960s.

There were very few small companies left after about 1948 thus leaving Sociedad Cabarga San Miguel as the only player in the area. In the 1950s, the company spent a considerable sum of money constructing facilities in Las Menas. The company ceased trading in 1968 due to the unprofitability of the mines.

The Bacares - Serón Ropeway Company LimitedThis company was set up in 1918 to purchase the existing cables from The Bacares Iron Ore Mines Limited for £32,000, whereby 19,993 shares were transferred to it. This was for the company to be able to rent cable time to other companies which were setting up in the area. On 25th April 1932 the company was voluntarily wound up and shareholders were paid 9s 11d (49.5p) in the pound.

The company offices were at 32, Victoria St., London. The managers in Spain were Sir Faber Edward Johnson-Ferguson (possibly Jabez) and Louis Gardiner Pearson. Other shareholders were based in Newmains, Scotland (where the steel foundry was situated and to where the iron ore from Bacares and Las Menas was sent).

Unfortunately, the company accumulated many debts to the extent that in August 1929, the British High Court of Justice authorised a reduction in the capital from £135,500 to £108,000. There was another reduction in January 1930. Creditors were:

The Spanish Public Treasury Office (11,272 pesetas)
GSSR (£3,949)
Social Security Dept. of Granada (3,411 pesetas)
Unpaid salaries (3,547 pesetas)
Cabarga San Miguel (1,054 pesetas)
Sociedad Minera San Alejandro (3,000 pesetas)
Sundry others.
Hernán CortésHernán Cortés started mining in El Tesorero mine from 1909 to 1915 when it was sold to a company called 'The Dutch-Spanish Society'. The mine closed in 1923.
The Reyna Mining CompanyThis was the first British company to start mining in Cuesta de Gos, with offices in Águilas. It was inscribed in November 1880 with the registred address 2 Queen Square Place, London, and was set up by Percival Fowler Broadbent. The board of directors were:
John Fowler. (President)
Edward Woods.
Charles Wetherell Wardle.
Richard Peacock.
John Fraser
Henry Nelson.

This company is only of interest in that it was in competition with the mining companies of Los Filabres, that Edward Woods went on to become a director of The GSSR, and more importantly, Gustave Gillman worked for the company from 1883 to 1888 when he started working for The GSSR.
The Coltness Iron WorksThe Coltness Iron Works was established in 1837 by industrialist Henry Houldsworth. It was the main customer for the iron ore that was transported from the Bacares mines by The GSSR to El Hornillo. The iron works in Newmains continued to buy ore from 1903 until closure of the mines in the 1940s.
Ropeways.Sorry, image missingRopeways were one of the suppliers of cables to the mining companies in the Serón area. They supplied the cable for The Bacares Iron Ore Mines which included the 15km cable from Bacares to Serón.
Adolf Bleichert & Co.Sorry, image missing.Adolfo Bleichert & Co were cable suppliers to many of the mining companies in the area, including the Tesorero cable.
Lilleshall CompanyLilleshall was a steelmakers which started in 1764. Sorry, image missing. As can be seen from the photograph, it apparently supplied the pylons for the Bacares Iron Ore Mines Ltd as this is a remnant on the cable from Bacares to Las Menas. See also here.
Related to other businesses:
Nuestra Señora de las MercedesThis sugar factory in Caniles opened in 1910 but effectively closed down after three years. It had a regeneration in 1917 but finally closed in the 1960s. The GSSR supplied coal for the burners and then carried the 250 tons of sugar per day and molasses to Águilas Port.


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