Operations
A total of five diesel were acquired to pull the Talgo III coaches at a record speed of over 220 km/h (140 mph). Their commission was related to the inauguration of the Talgo III RD (dual gauge) coached train from Madrid to Paris via Burgos, Vitoria, Hendaya and Bordeaux.
The trains also worked other international trains such as Barcelona to Geneva via Narbonne, Montpellier and Culoz, and the Paris to Barcelona; taking charge of the train after it passed the change of gauge to broad Iberian gauge at the stations of Irún and Portbou.
The mass electrifications in the eighties reduced the radius of action of both the Class 352 and Class 353, operating primarily in the axes Badajoz / Lisbon, Granada / Almería, Murcia / Cartagena and direct corridor from Madrid to Burgos.
The standard gauge bogies found a use unexpected at the time of the locomotives inception – in 1991 was used to tow a Talgo Pendular train on the high speed Madrid to Seville AVE line.
The class was retired on 25 September 2003. The 353-005-2 is preserved in working condition at the museum of Vilanova.
Read more about this topic: RENFE Class 353
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