Portugal Alcos July 1995

How I wish this builders plate was in my collection...

 While visiting the Iberian peninsula (a fancy way of saying Spain and Portugal) my then girlfriend (now wife) and I decided to take an overnight train from Madrid to Lisbon to take in the sights and sounds of that part of the world.  In truth my ulterior motive was to see the streetcars in Lisbon and see if in fact the reported existence of RSC-3 in commuter service was correct.

The train ride was very comfortable and I slept well on the trip with the train pulled by a 333 class locomotive, basically an export cowl version SD40-2 for Spanish service.  The equipment rode on wheels designed to work on both Spanish and Portuguese railways as the two had slightly different gauges.  This was a relict of the European approach of every country having different gauged track to slow down their invasion by foreign forces.  Somewhere between Madrid and Lisbon we swapped locomotives and we arrived in Lisbon behind a CP locomotive.  

Electrics waiting for the call, Lisbon main station


We arrived in Lisbon in the morning and spent the day roaming the city , riding streetcars (future post fodder) and seeing the sights.  We took a ferry across the harbor to Barreiro to see the action at the commuting station there, apparently home to a fleet of RSC-3 locomotives.  I was hopeful but not convinced I would have luck on my side.  This was pre-internet so up to date information was hard to come by.    

The 1522 basking in the sun.  It made me a happy camper that day.



I can't recall if the station master was happy to have his photo taken or not, but the look he is giving me here says "No!"

I think the Alco designers won out on the aesthetics race.


1523 was the other RSC-3 I came across in the Barreiro station

I wasn't disappointed as several of these export Alco units were at the station, one set up to depart for points east.  I shot some video (which I need to dig up and digitize) of this unit (1522) departing the station.  It had some great stack talk as it roared out of the station.  




Not quite as pretty as an Alco but it will do the job.

I shot another unit (1523) running light engine to the engine shed along with a number of other CP (also the initials of Portugal's railway system as well as Canadian Pacific).  There was a lot of interesting stuff to see in Barreiro.  

Later that night we rode the overnight train back to Madrid.  Our day trip to Lisbon was a success on the railfanning front.  I hope to return for another visit in the future.  Unfortunately Alcos in daily commuter service are a thing of the past now.  It was nice to see when I had the chance.   

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