A narrow-gauge train that was born to carry cement
Today the Tren del Ciment, the Cement Train, is a tourist ride between La Pobla de Lillet and the Clot del Moro. For much of the twentieth century it was something else: the way out to the world for the cement made high up in the mountains.
The track is narrow, only 60 centimetres wide, and today's train runs along a restored stretch of the old line that linked the Asland cement works at the Clot del Moro with Guardiola de Berguedà. It leaves from the old La Pobla station, on the edge of the village, stops in the centre and at the Jardins Artigas, and ends beside the Museu del Ciment.
This page is about the train: the departure station and its museum of locomotives, where to leave the car, how to fit it in with the other visits in the valley, and the history of the line. The old cement works, which is a separate visit, has its own page: the Asland Cement Museum at the Clot del Moro.
Travelled and photographed by Josep Heras Gomis, who has a house at the masia del Pati in Borredà and explores the Vall de Lillet and the Catllaràs range every season. The station is the first point on his route La Pobla de Lillet - Fonts del Llobregat - Serra de Catllaràs, published on Wikiloc and included in his 2018 book. The historical data on the line come from Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya and from the tourist offices of the Berguedà and La Pobla de Lillet (links at the end of the page). Last revised: September 2026.
Before you board: the locomotive hall
The first thing you find when you reach the station is not the train but a long, bright hall, a single open space full of restored railway stock. This is the station museum, devoted to narrow-gauge, industrial and tourist railways, and it is worth going in before you board or while you wait for the departure.
The locomotives and carriages are lined up on short sections of track, each with its own information panel. The pieces that stand out most are the locomotive that worked in the Catllaràs coal mines, a carriage from the Montserrat rack railway, a tram from Mataró and a couple of steam locomotives from the Llobregat line.
The one from the mines is of particular interest in this valley. The coal dug out of the range, a few kilometres from here, was what fed the kilns of the cement works that this train served. We explain it on the page about the Catllaràs coal mines.
The station and the stops on the line
| Point | What it is | On the ride | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tren del Ciment station and museum | Train departure point and railway museum | Departure station | 42.241366, 1.964446 |
| Jardins Artigas | Garden designed by Antoni Gaudí | Intermediate stop | 42.253352, 1.975907 |
| Museu del Ciment | Former Asland cement works, now a museum | End of the line | 42.260416, 1.977999 |
The train also stops at La Pobla Centre, a short walk from the old town. The departure station is in the municipality of La Pobla de Lillet; the Museu del Ciment, in that of Castellar de n'Hug.
Tren del Ciment station and museum
This is the starting point of our route through La Pobla, the Fonts del Llobregat and the Catllaràs, and the natural place to begin the day. The station stands on the edge of the village, beside the road, with parking next to it.
Here you have a choice to make. One option is to see the museum and carry on by car to the village centre and the rest of the route. The other is to leave the car parked and do the return trip by train, which takes you to the Jardins Artigas and the Museu del Ciment. The ticket can be bought on its own or as a package that includes entry to the gardens and the museum; for timetables, fares and operating days, check the official FGC website.
A word about time: if you want to do the whole route in a day, the train with its two visits is what takes up the most hours. If you are short of time, it is the first thing to leave for another day, together with the visit to the cement works.
Getting there: the station is at the entrance to La Pobla de Lillet, beside the B-402 road. On the right of the road there is a car park where you leave the car. To go on to the centre afterwards, follow the same B-402 as far as the Town Hall, where there is a free car park from which you walk into the old town.
Coordinates: 42.241366, 1.964446 · 830 m above sea level · open in map
Wooden carriages and steam locomotives
Among the museum's pieces there is a passenger carriage from the Montserrat rack railway, in varnished wood, with white curtains at its open windows and the company's lettering still visible on the side. Right in front of it stands a steam locomotive painted green with yellow lining, and further on another steam engine painted black with red wheels.
They are machines from other Catalan lines, not from the Tren del Ciment, but together they explain what narrow-gauge railways were: small engines, designed for short and difficult routes, carrying goods and passengers where the conventional railway could not reach.
The stops: Jardins Artigas and Museu del Ciment
The first stop with a visit is the Jardins Artigas. By train, it drops you right there. By car, from the village follow the road without crossing the last bridge towards the Ripoll road, and carry straight on northwards until the signs for the gardens. They were designed by Antoni Gaudí for the Artigas family, who put him up during his stay in the valley; we tell the story in detail on the page about the Jardins Artigas.
The train ends at the Clot del Moro, beside the old Asland cement works, now a museum. It is a different and longer visit, with its own route through the ruins of the works and the kilns, and you will find it on the page about the Asland Cement Museum.
With a return ticket, the train leaves you at the gardens and at the museum so you can make both visits along the way. It is worth checking the timetable on the official website beforehand to plan your stops.
Coordinates: Jardins Artigas 42.253352, 1.975907 · 888 m · map — Museu del Ciment 42.260416, 1.977999 · 950 m · map
History of the line
The railway was built by the Companyia General d'Asfalts i Portland, known as Asland, the company founded by Eusebi Güell, to carry the cement from its works at the Clot del Moro down to Guardiola de Berguedà, where it connected with the Catalan rail network. At first it was used only by the factory; from 1 August 1914 it also ran a public passenger service.
Its track gauge was 60 centimetres, which made it one of the smallest public railways in Spain. According to the La Pobla de Lillet tourist office, it had five stations: Guardiola, Riutort-Gabarrós, La Pobla-Apartador, La Pobla de Lillet and Clot del Moro. The last journey was made in 1963.
In July 2005 a stretch of the old line was restored as a tourist railway, with the official name Ferrocarril Turístic de l'Alt Llobregat, although everyone calls it the Tren del Ciment. It is run by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) and hauled by a diesel locomotive.
The train is only one part of the valley's industrial history. The works that gave it a purpose, the coal from the range that fed it and the Xalet that Gaudí designed for the mine engineers form a single whole, spread between the Clot del Moro and the Catllaràs mines.
Sources: FGC Turistren, Turisme del Berguedà, Turisme La Pobla de Lillet and castellardenhug.net.
How to organise it and where to stay
The station is a good start to the day: you park, see the museum and, depending on how much time you have, either board the train or carry on by car to the old town, the Jardins Artigas, the Museu del Ciment and the Fonts del Llobregat, which lie a little further up the same road.
If you are staying overnight in the village, you can leave the train for the following morning and spend the first day on the centre and the gardens, without rushing.
Our three places to stay in La Pobla de Lillet are let whole and take pets at no extra cost:
- Cadí Triplex: 150 m² over three floors, with 5 bedrooms, a fireplace and a wood-burning range.
- Catllaràs Apartment: for 4 people, with 2 bedrooms.
- Adapted apartment: designed for people with reduced mobility.
Frequently asked questions about the Tren del Ciment
What is the Tren del Ciment?
It is a narrow-gauge tourist train that runs along a restored stretch of the old line of the Asland cement works. It leaves from La Pobla de Lillet station, stops in the village centre and at the Jardins Artigas, and ends at the Museu del Ciment, at the Clot del Moro.
Who runs the train and where can I check timetables and fares?
It is run by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC). Timetables, fares and operating days are published on its official tourist-train website, which is the one to check before you go.
Where do I park to catch the train?
At the departure station, at the entrance to La Pobla de Lillet beside the B-402 road, there is a car park on the right of the road. From there you make the return trip and pick up the car when you get back.
What is in the station museum?
A hall with restored old locomotives and carriages. The highlights are the locomotive from the Catllaràs coal mines, a carriage from the Montserrat rack railway, a tram from Mataró and two steam locomotives from the Llobregat line.
Since when has it run as a tourist train?
The original line, opened to public passenger service in 1914, made its last journey in 1963. In July 2005 a stretch was restored as the Ferrocarril Turístic de l'Alt Llobregat, the official name of the Tren del Ciment.
Are the Tren del Ciment and the Museu del Ciment the same thing?
No. The train is the ride that leaves from La Pobla de Lillet; the Museu del Ciment is the old Asland cement works at the Clot del Moro, in the municipality of Castellar de n'Hug, where the ride ends. They can be combined, but they are two different visits.