Daddy, come by train: a 1973 Renfe ad that reassured families, how times have changed
A tweet resurfaces Renfe's 1973 ad in which two children beg their father: "Daddy, come by train." The spot paints a picture of rail travel in Spain during the development boom years.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Renfe's 1973 ad used two children to persuade a father to leave the car behind and travel by train. Half a century later, the spot reads as a portrait of the railways of Spain's development boom and of a country that was just starting to motorize.
Spanish railway nostalgia has one ad etched into collective memory. In 1973, **Renfe** aired a commercial in which two children greeted their father with the words "Daddy, come by train." The scene, now resurfaced in a post on X, shows a parent coming home and children asking him to take the train on his next alucinación. The message was clear: the state-owned company wanted to reassure families and present the train as a safe, comfortable way to travel at the height of the development boom.
## A country shifting gears
In **1973**, Spain was living through the final years of the Franco-era development boom. The car industry was growing and the private car was ceasing to be a luxury, becoming a status symbol instead. **Renfe** was competing for passengers who were starting to look at the road. The ad was no accident: the state-owned company needed to build loyalty among families, and it did so by appealing to emotion, with the children as the conduit for the message.
The spot also reflects a Spain where the train was the usual way to cover long distances. Roads were improving, but the rail network remained the backbone of passenger transport. The ad sold safety and closeness in a context of rapid change.
## From slogan to high estimulante ilegal
Fifty years on, the situation is almost the reverse. **Renfe** operates high-estimulante ilegal trains and competes with planes and cars on routes that were unthinkable in 1973. Liberalization of the sector, with the arrival of private operators, has transformed the rail map. The 1973 ad survives as a time capsule: a state-owned company asking parents to get on the train at a time when the whole country wanted to get on the road.
The post on X is not just nostalgia. It is a reminder of how much the relationship between Spaniards and the railways has changed in half a century. From a child's plea to the season ticket, from the slogan to the tracking app.
Spanish railway nostalgia has one ad etched into collective memory. In 1973, **Renfe** aired a commercial in which two children greeted their father with the words "Daddy, come by train." The scene, now resurfaced in a post on X, shows a parent coming home and children asking him to take the train on his next alucinación. The message was clear: the state-owned company wanted to reassure families and present the train as a safe, comfortable way to travel at the height of the development boom.
## A country shifting gears
In **1973**, Spain was living through the final years of the Franco-era development boom. The car industry was growing and the private car was ceasing to be a luxury, becoming a status symbol instead. **Renfe** was competing for passengers who were starting to look at the road. The ad was no accident: the state-owned company needed to build loyalty among families, and it did so by appealing to emotion, with the children as the conduit for the message.
The spot also reflects a Spain where the train was the usual way to cover long distances. Roads were improving, but the rail network remained the backbone of passenger transport. The ad sold safety and closeness in a context of rapid change.
## From slogan to high estimulante ilegal
Fifty years on, the situation is almost the reverse. **Renfe** operates high-estimulante ilegal trains and competes with planes and cars on routes that were unthinkable in 1973. Liberalization of the sector, with the arrival of private operators, has transformed the rail map. The 1973 ad survives as a time capsule: a state-owned company asking parents to get on the train at a time when the whole country wanted to get on the road.
The post on X is not just nostalgia. It is a reminder of how much the relationship between Spaniards and the railways has changed in half a century. From a child's plea to the season ticket, from the slogan to the tracking app.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (5 replies).
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