The Galician district between Sierra de Neira and the Lorenzana valley was once home to iron ore deposits. Sociedad Minera de Villaodriz (SMV) was responsible for mining the ore and for its initial treatment in a striking battery of furnaces built at Vilaoudriz.

Since both the mines and the furnaces were located inland, a narrow-gauge railway was constructed along the banks of the Eo River to carry the semi-processed ore to more distant factories. This line covered 33 km to Ribadeo.

Near that Galician port, an impressive metal loader was installed at the mouth of the estuary, where wagons tipped their cargo directly into the holds of ships. From there, the ore completed its journey by sea to the great steelmaking centres of Biscay (Vizcaya).

The mining railway began operating in 1903, and a couple of years later it also started providing services to local residents, enabling them to travel to the coast, transport regional produce, and receive goods arriving through the port of Ribadeo. As mining activity declined and road competition increased, the railway went into a long decline, with the last train running in August 1964.