The Portugal Tour 2025

Arrival. Porto Airport has a direct tram link to both Sao Bento and Campanha stations. No formal visits have been arranged for today. You could spend time exploring the extensive tram system, watching movements at Campanha station or exploring the city, the decision is yours.

Today we concentrate on locations in Porto. Time will allow observation of the morning Porto rush hour. We then take the train to visit Porto Contumil Depot, the second largest in Portugal. Moving into the northern outskirts of Porto our next stop will be Guifoes Works were both locos and coaches are overhauled. Crossing the Douro River, we view the yard at Vila Nova de Gaia. This is a small yard which is used for PW and some locos should be stabled. The activities will conclude mid-afternoon with the remainder of the day your own.

Today we take to the rails and travel the magnificent Linha do Douro. Starting at Sao Bento station, haulage will be courtesy of a class 1400 diesel, we will travel to Regua. Here we will have a break of just under an hour to view the yard and small depot. The journey then continues to the terminus of the line at Pocinho. Then sit back and enjoy the scenery for the journey back to Porto. Several Class 1400’s work the line with one usually spare at Regua.

This is the transfer day south to Lisbon. With a mid-morning departure from Campanha. Changing trains at Granjo do Alfarelos we head to Ligeira do Foz were we visit the small depot. Heading south we take the Linha do Oeste to Torres Vedras and Mira Sintra. Arrival in Lisbon will be early evening. As an alternative you can take the much quicker mainline from Campanha to Lisbon, through Entroncamento arriving in Lisbon mid-afternoon.

After a leisurely breakfast we head back north to Entroncamento, here we will visit the Depot and Works, the largest in Portugal. There are a handful of plinthed steam locos in the grounds of the adjacent collage to be photographed. Returning to the station we cross the footbridge and visit the National Railway Museum of Portugal. Returning to Lisbon we head to Cais do Sodre station to travel on the Linha de Cascais through the terminus at Cascais. Returning to Lisbon we will stop at Carcavois to view the unit SP.

A short train ride from Sete Rios we arrive at Campolde for a depot visit. On completion we head to the Terreirad Returning Ferry terminal and a twenty-five-minute crossing of the Tagus River. A short walk will see our arrival at Barreiro Works where CP diesels are overhauled. Several stored locos will also be present. From Barreiro we take to the rails and pass through Setubal to Praias do Sada to view the yards which serve the local docks. Returning to Pinhal Novo we transfer to road transport (probably Taxi) to visit the small depot and PW yard at Poceirao. Enroute keep an eye open for the White Storks which nest in large numbers on the overhead pylons. We return to Lisbon on one of only two trains a day that stop at Poceirao.

Dispersal day