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ABSTRACT
This article sheds light on the story of one of the most important vestiges of railway heritage in Greece — the historic railway complex of the Piraeus-Athens-Peloponnese Railways Company (SPAP) — once the largest 1m gauge system in Europe, located in the Lefka district of Piraeus. Starting from its establishment in 1886, the article discusses the complex’s development and its progressive decline that led to its closure in 2005. Furthermore, it analyses the state of conservation at the time of the site’s most recent documentation in 2019 and the subsequent measures taken for its safeguarding. Lastly, it presents the current condition of the complex as well as its future perspectives.
The aim of the article is dual. Firstly, it seeks to reveal the story of a valuable relic of railway heritage in Greece, largely unknown in Greece and abroad. Secondly, through the analysis of mixed-method research followed for the study of the complex under investigation, the article attempts to contribute to a deeper understanding of a modern, more comprehensive approach to railway heritage documentation and conservation.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Greek Section TICCIH, Industrial Heritage in Greece, 1980–2015. Safeguarding-Research-Education, exhibition catalogue (Chania: Greek section, TICCIH, 2015).
2 James Douet, ed., Industrial Heritage Re-tooled. The TICCIH Guide to Industrial Heritage Conservation (Lancaster: TICCIH, 2012), ch. 6, 48–54.
3 Thanasis Chaliotis, ‘Εvolution is Moving on Our Rails’, OSE, https://www.ose.gr/images/OSE_Entipo16sel.pdf (accessed July 26, 2021).
4 Spyros Fasoulas, ‘The History of SPAP’, Friends of the Railway Association, http://sfs.gr/2018/02/16/%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B1-%CF%83%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%80/ (accessed July 26, 2021).
5 Yannis Zartaloudis, Dimitris Karatolos, Dimitrios Koutelidis, Georgios Nathenas, Spyros Fasoulas and Antonis Filippoupolitis, The Greek Railways: Their Journey from 1869 to the Present (Athens: Miletos Publications, 1997).
6 SPAP, Drawing Series ΟΣΕ/ΔΠΠ/ΥΓ, Drawing No. 812, Plan d’ Ensemble des Stations, Lignes du Pelponnese, n.d., OSE Historic Archive.
7 SPAP, Διϵύθυνσις Γραμμής και Έργων, Drawing series KE21, Drawing, Plan general de l’ Atelier Central de la Cie du Chemins de Fer PAP avec canalisation de l’ eau, n.d., OSE Historic Archive.
8 EES-SEK, Drawing series ΔΠΑ/ΥΓ, Drawing No. 683, Plan des ateliers du Piree, alimentation en eau, n.d., OSE Historic Archive.
9 SPAP, Drawing series KE21, Drawing, Κϵντρικόν Εργοστάσιον Πϵιραιώς, n.d., OSE Historic Archive.
10 SPAP, Drawing Series ‘New Piraeus Depot Roundhouse’, 1911–12, OSE Historic Archive.
11 EES-SEK, Drawing series ΔΠΑ/ΥΓ, Drawing No. 683, Plan des ateliers du Piree, alimentation en eau, n.d., OSE Historic Archive.
12 SPAP, Εκθέσϵις του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου και της Εξϵλϵγκτικής Επιτροπής προς την Γϵνική Συνέλϵυσιν των Μϵτόχων (May 31, 1929), OSE Historic Archive.
13 G. Pantazis, ‘Ελληνική Τϵχνική Κίνησις: Νέον Μηχανοστάσιον των ΣΕΚ ϵν Αγ. Ιωάννη Ρέντη’, Τϵχνικά Χρονικά (February 1, 1938), 91.
14 K. Iosadrovski, ‘Ελληνική Τϵχνική Κίνησις: Αι Αυτοκινητάμαξαι των Ελληνικών Σιδηροδρομικών Δικτύων’, Τϵχνικά Χρονικά (February 15, 1938), 148–51.
15 SPAP, Εκθέσϵις του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου και της Εξϵλϵγκτικής Επιτροπής προς την Γϵνικήν Συνέλϵυσιν των μϵτόχων (June 28, 1938), OSE Historic Archive, 6.
16 SPAP, Εκθέσϵις του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου της Εταιρίας ΣΠΑΠ ϵπί της διαχϵιρίσϵως του έτους 1937 (June 28, 1938), OSE Historic Archive.
17 SPAP, Χρήσις 1940, Έκθϵσις ϵπί των Αποτϵλϵσμάτων της Εκμϵταλλϵύσϵως του Σιδηροδρόμου ΠΑΠ μϵτά της Ετησίας Στατιστικής, 1941, OSE Historic Archive, 10.
18 SPAP, Διϵύθυνσις Γραμμής και Έργων, Drawing Series ΔΠΠ/ΥΓ, Drawing No. 866, Αποτίμησις Ζημιών Μονίμων Εγκαταστάσϵων προξϵνηθϵισών ϵις τους ΣΠΑΠ υπό των Στρατϵυμάτων Κατοχής (June 9, 1945), OSE Historic Archive.
19 SPAP, Εκθέσϵις του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου της Εταιρίας ΣΠΑΠ ϵπί της διαχϵιρίσϵως του έτους 1937 (June 28, 1938), OSE Historic Archive, 9.
20 According to field research on existing SPAP rolling stock, conducted by J. Zorzos since 2011.
21 SPAP, Drawing series ‘Italian Traverser’, 1950–1, OSE Historic Archive.
22 SPAP, Διϵύθυνσις Γραμμής και Έργων, Drawing series KE38, Εστιατόριον-Κατοικίαι ϵις Κϵντρ. Εργοστάσιον Πϵιραιώς, 1951, OSE Historic Archive.
23 SPAP, Διϵύθυνσις Γραμμής και Έργων, Drawing series KE51, Επέκτασις (Μϵρική) παλαιού Αμαξοστασίου Αυτ/ξών ϵις πϵρίβολον Κϵντρ. Εργοστασίου, 1957–8; Drawing, Τϵλικόν πρόγραμμα ϵργασίας ϵπϵκτάσϵως Αμαξοστασίου Αυτοκ/ξών ϵν Πϵιραιϵί, 1957, OSE Historic Archive.
24 SPAP, Drawing series ‘Piraeus and Patras turntables’, 1958, OSE Historic Archive.
25 SPAP, Διϵύθυνσις Γραμμής και Έργων, Drawing series KE53, Drawing, Απόσπασμα Οριζοντιογραφίας ϵμπορικού σταθμού Πϵιραιώς και Κϵντρικού Εργοστασίου (February 1962), OSE Historic Archive.
26 OSE, ΕΠ, Drawing A0-11α Κάτοψις Κϵντρικού Εργοστασίου Πϵιραιώς (October 27, 1978), OSE Historic Archive.
27 Nikos Belavilas (Professor in the Faculty of Architecture NTUA) in discussion with the authors, July 2021.
28 Ibid.
29 EESSTY was sold to ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ/Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane in 2019.
30 Papastefanaki Lyda, Labor, Technology and Gender in the Greek Industry (The Case of Textile Industry in Pireaus 1870–1940) (University of Crete, 2009), 60–1; Marianthi Kotea, ‘The Industrial Zone of Piraeus (1860–1900)’ (doctoral thesis, Pantion University, Athens, 1995); Belavilas Nikos, The History of the City of Piraeus: 19th and 20th Century (Athens: Alexandria, 2021).
31 Greece’s industrialisation took place with considerable delay and at a lesser extent and intensity in comparison to the north-western European countries. It was characterised by a labour-intensive pattern, great asymmetries in its spatial sprawl, sensitivity to the fluctuations of international markets and a relatively small scale (Christina Agriantoni, ‘Rethinking Greece: Christina Agriantoni on Greece’s Industrial Development and its Future Prospects’, in Greek News Agenda, ed. I. Livaditi and N. Nenedakis (2018)). It was based to an extent on foreign capital, machinery and knowhow (Christina Agriantoni, The Beginning of Industrialisation in Greece in the 19th Century (Athens: National Bank of Greece Historical Archive, 1986), 348).
32 Fred Drinkwater Yeaton (BS University of Illinois 1907), ‘Locomotive Turntables’ (Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois, 1914), 4.
33 Ibid, 7.
34 Ibid, 8.
35 J.H.A. Wilkings, ‘The Development of the Locomotive Turntable’, in Journal of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers 27, no. 136 (1937): 259. https://doi.org/10.1243%2FJILE_PROC_1937_027_015_02
36 A detailed discussion and a complete set of documentation drawings of the physical remains of the roundhouse can be found in Giorgos Farazis, ‘The Rotunda in the Historic Piraeus Depot Complex: Documentation and Reuse’ (master’s thesis, NTUA, 2019).
37 The investigation of the alternative spaces was undertaken by a work group of OSE personnel under the direction of the OSE board. The spaces examined and assessed were the complex of Agii Argiri station, the building of the disused wheel lathe of St John Rentis, the locomotive depot in Lefka, Piraeus and a prospective new shed adjacent to the vocational training centre of OSE.
38 OSE, Report of the work group on the investigation of available spaces for the housing of the railway museum, 2018.
39 NTUA team: N. Belavilas (PI), Theodora Chatzi Rodopoulou (Coordinator), A. Kyrkos, M. Xenikakis, V. Pougkakioti, P. Prentou, G. Farazis.
40 Spyros Voutsaras, Kostas Koutchias and Fotis Perrakis, ‘The Factory-Train Depot of OSE in Lefka of Piraeus’ and Eleni Kouthouri and Eleni Tigani, ‘The Old Equipment of the OSE Factory’, in Historic Industrial Equipment in Greece, ed. Christina Agriantoni and Nikos Belavilas (Athens: Academic Publications NTUA-Odisseas, 1998), 147–9.
41 Urban Environment Laboratory, Piraeus Railway Complex. Reuse Scenarios for the Housing of the National Museum of Railways, Cultural, Educational and Commercial Uses: From Theory to Practice (Athens: NTUA, 2019).
42 Giorgos Farazis, ‘The Rotunda in the Historic Piraeus Depot Complex: Documentation and Reuse’ (master’s thesis, NTUA, 2019).
43 Full measurements were conducted by the topographic engineer Lena Diamanti and the Drone was driven by the Videographer Christos Kodellas.
44 Alessandro Conti, ‘HBIM for the Preservation of a Historic Infrastructure: The Carlo III Bridge of the Carolino Aqueduct’, Applied Geomatics (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12518-020-00335-2
45 Eurocode 1: Actions on structures — Part 1-1: General actions — Densities, self-weight, imposed loads for buildings [Authority: The European Union Per Regulation 305/2011, Directive 98/34/EC, Directive 2004/18/EC].
46 Section 4 presents the condition of the complex by September 2019.
47 Archive collection team: T. Chatzi Rodopoulou (coordination), G. Farazis, M. Xenikakis, V. Pougakioti, R. Antoniadis, G. Veloudios, N. Koukoula. G. Zartaloudis, G. Chandrinos, V. Korovesis. Advisors: N. Belavilas, M. Balodimou, E. Kyramargiou.
48 OSE Historic Archive team: F. Anastasiou (coordinator), J. Zorzos.
49 Since November 2020 a number of selected pieces of heritage rolling stock and other railway equipment has been transported and stored in the complex for future restoration and exhibition. That was carried out in such a way that any future work on the buildings would be affected as little as possible, while small-scale maintenance of the recently acquired rolling stock allows them to be easily moved around if necessary; P. Rallis and F. Likomitros, ‘SFSA: The Year of the Railways Has Begun — What Will Happen with the Railway Museum of OSE That was “Opened” in 2019?’ in Newsnow.gr.com. https://www.newsnowgr.com/article/1379425/sfsa-to-etos-ton-sidirodromon-arxise---ti-tha-ginei-me-to-sidirodromiko-mouseio-tou-ose-pou-egkaineiastike-to-2019.html (accessed August 12, 2021).
50 Theodora Chatzi Rodopoulou, ‘Control Shift. European Industrial Heritage Reuse in Review’ (PhD diss., TU Delft, Architecture and the Built Environment, 2020).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Theodora Chatzi Rodopoulou
Theodora Chatzi Rodopoulou is an architect-engineer and post-doctoral researcher in the University of the Aegean, holding a PhD in the field of Heritage Conservation and Reuse from TUDelft. Her research interests lie in the fields of conservation, adaptation and management of industrial heritage and the field of heritage-led urban regeneration. Correspondence to: 24 Karaoli Dimitriou Street, Agia Paraskevi, 153-43, Athens, Greece. Email: [email protected]
Giorgos Farazis
Giorgos Farazis is an architect-engineer and holds a master’s degree in the field of Conservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings and Sites from the National Technical University of Athens. He also holds a master’s degree from the Digital Arts Master’s Programme of the Athens School of Fine Arts. His research has focused primarily on the interpretation of industrial heritage and prehistoric sites inland and underwater. Correspondence to: Patr. Gregoriou E & 27 Neapoleos Street, 153–41 Agia Paraskevi, Greece. Email: [email protected]
Jason Zorzos
Jason Zorzos is a mechanical engineer with working experience at EESSTI-TRAINOSE, OSE and GAIAOSE companies, related to railway rolling stock maintenance, documentation and management. Since 2011 he has been conducting archival and field research on technical railway history in Greece, especially for rolling stock and related equipment, and is now working for the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) railway heritage department, museum and historic archive team. Correspondence to: 6–8 Mykalis Street, Marousi, 151-26, Attika, Greece. Email: [email protected]