Today is a sad day for Portuguese Railroads

Yesterday, the 5th June, 2004 was the last day for the trainsets Locomotive+cars to depart from Barreiro in the South border of Tagus River, just in front of Lisbon.

The progress made possible by the introduction of the Alfa Pendular fast services, made that, with the new organization, trains to the South regions of Alentejo and Algarve have now their starting points in Lisbon or Pinhal Novo.

This new service is an improvement for the entire network of Portuguese trains, although it sends Barreiro, after almost 120 years of existance almost into oblivion... Only suburban trains will depart from here, unitl the electrification of this area is complete.

To mark this final step, all trains departing and arriving from Barreiro yesterday made large horn sounds from Barreiro almost to Barreiro-A depot, in an extension of 2 kilometres... The last act was when the 1935 diesel locomotive, bearing the Shields of Barreiro City entered Barreiro Station by 22.40. That was the last locomotive to carry this service, after 100 years of steam and more than 50 years of diesel locomotives....

Now, we'll have to wait for the complete conversion of Barreiro into catenary to see complete trains agains...

This was the first step towards the complete erradication of Main Line Diesel locomotives from Portugal... and surely marks the end of an era....
 

Topo

Member
Ricardo, these are sad news, certainly :(

I can be wrong but, wasn't some big locomotive shops in Barreiro? Maybe they can maintain them busy.

P.S.
Do you have some pics of Barreiro RR facilities?
 

nalmeida

Member
It's sad but it's also evolution, people will have more comfort, trains will be faster and now is up to us modellers to keep the tradition modelling older and extinct lines so that future generations can see how it was done!
 

CPmodeler

New Member
Barreiro

Hey Ricardo,

Are they still going to do all the repair the use to do there or did they move it to a different area?

I know it evolution but it's still sad.

If things work leave things they way they are, "Change SUCKS "

Hey Ricardo email me i lost you email.

Frank
 
Topo said:
I can be wrong but, wasn't some big locomotive shops in Barreiro? Maybe they can maintain them busy.

P.S.
Do you have some pics of Barreiro RR facilities?

Well... the locomotive shops are about to disappear from Barreiro, spreading people over Poceirão and probably Campolide and Sta. Apolónia... In Barreiro, were made locomotives and for over 50 years, Barreiro was number one in the repairs made to all diesel material... now, with the sunset for diesel engines, Barreiro is no longer needed... and it will disappear soon.... but there are some news about new things to do where Barreiro station and locomotive shops are located... I hope those news are coming to be true....
About photos... I hope this afternoon to take some, since today, I'm paying my visite to Barreiro Locomotive Works....

nalmeida said:
It's sad but it's also evolution, people will have more comfort, trains will be faster and now is up to us modellers to keep the tradition modelling older and extinct lines so that future generations can see how it was done!

Barreiro is now a shadow of older times... You only have suburban trains departing from there... but one thing's for certain... remember my work about Seixal? The objective is for it to appear also as a layout.... and Barreiro is, of couse included... let's see when....


;) ;)
 
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