This monograph is a reprint of Prehistoria del ferrocarril (Prehistory of the railway), which was published serialized in the Vía Libre journal between 1983 and 1986 by the engineer Jesús Moreno Fernández. Over thirty years later, the Network Services and Editorial Production Area of Spanish Railways Foundation has reprinted this book, a true classic that nowadays can be considered a reference work, which summarises a vast amount of written documentation with a very complete graphic support.

For this reprint a review of the documents has been carried out in order to improve their presentation and correct possible misprints, accurately respecting their original style and without altering the texts under any circumstances. As far as the layout is concerned, it is completely new and has been specifically made for Prehistoria del ferrocarril, adapting its format to the characteristics of the Collection “Monografías del Ferrocarril”. Thanks to this reprint, the collectable book is now an open access publication for teachers, researchers, professionals and technicians in the rail sector, and can serve as a means to disseminate the origins and background of today’s railway among the general public.