European Railroad Discussion > Hanging Around the São Bento Station in Porto, Portugal

With one full free day in Porto I did manage to spend some time at the attractive and heavily tiled São Bento station in Porto. It is a smallish, stub-end station with most traffic being the regional EMUs but it also sees the trains in from the Douro Valley line and at least one electric locomotive-hauled passenger train with modern coaches.

1. Upon first arrival at São Bento I was greeted with this vintage electric locomotive on a train of modern coaches. The CP 2620-class were built in 1984 of French/Alsthom-design and part of the Nez Cassé (Broken Nose) family of locomotives. Every time I see that row of buildings in the background I think it almost doesn't look real, like a backdrop on a model railway layout.

2. The paint scheme 'flips' from one side to the other (diagonally symmetric?). I should have looked on the board to see what city this train came in from.

3. On my free day I got an old locomotive, new paint scheme. I like the vintage orange but this is sharp and the only locomotive of any type that I saw in this scheme. In this case the locomotive has towed a 1400-class-powered Douro Valley line train into the station and will remain in the station until after that train's departure and return light to the service facility.

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4. Another view showing the train it has towed in.

5. Much later that same day, the same locomotive has towed in another Douro Valley line train and I took the opportunity to capture the builder's plate.

6. And a roster shot after that train departed. The open station platforms provide for nice natural light.

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7. Less interesting to me but photographed nonetheless were the typical regional EMUs. The most interesting thing to me in this shot is the "QUEMES" building in the background with its elaborate tile/??? work. There are more words below the one visible that translates as "who".

8. I think I photographed EMU 3425 on multiple occasions. It was a train to and from Marco Canaveses on the Douro Valley line.

9. An EMU departs into the tunnel with a green-over-dark-over-'"C". Not sure what the "C" designates. The next station is Campanhã but I don't know what other route choice could be indicated on the short, double-track line to Campanhã.

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10. And into the tunnel it goes with a destination of Aveiro on the line south towards Lisbon. That is a blue sky! Note the possibly in-service signal box (tower) at the right.

11. Later that day another EMU departs the station for Aveiro. Note the Douro Valley line train in the background.

12. And an old friend arrives: a DMU from Regua.

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13. A repeat appearance of EMU 3425 operating to and from Marco Canaveses on the Douro Valley line, the current end of electrification on that line.

14. And another old friend, 1400-class #1408 with the 7:25 PM train that will terminate in Regua.

15. A view of a portion of the São Bento entry hall with some of the tilework, a lot of tourists, and the somewhat unhelpful arrivals and departure board with a defective segment. Note that all but one of the trains is a suburban (EMU) train. The one 'IR' train from Valença might be the electric locomotive-hauled train. 'Minho' at the top refers to a region of northern Portugal served from this station.

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Beautiful coverage.  Gerry

NMlurker Wrote:
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> 4. Another view showing the train it has towed
> in.
>
> 5. Much later that same day, the same locomotive
> has towed in another Douro Valley line train and I
> took the opportunity to capture the builder's
> plate.
>
> 6. And a roster shot after that train departed.
> The open station platforms provide for nice
> natural light.


I think 2600 are used on the services between Porto and Valença