Secundino Zuazo’s intermediate stations on the Caminreal–Zaragoza rail line: minor architectures for a paradigm shift

Abstract

The firm Compañía del Ferrocarril Central de Aragón built 21 stations and halts along the 120 kilometres separating Caminreal and Zaragoza. The construction of this line in the 1930s marked a turning point in Spain’s railway history as it was an example of adapting technological solutions to the circumstances of the environment. Its most important novelty, however, was that great architects provided minor architectures, which served as an experimental laboratory of design mechanisms that would end up being identified with modernity in our country. The stations designed for this line by Secundino Zuazo (1887–1971) represented an opportunity for him to reflect on a modern language combining rationalist elements with local traditional ones but without ever losing sight of the appropriateness to the surroundings. The rational use of new materials, whose qualities differ greatly from traditional ones, determined a new architecture.