Left carriage of the Presidential train before restoration Carriage of the Presidential train during restoration
The fully restored Royal train is well protected while the historical train depot is being transformed to an exhibition hall. The train will be one of the top attractions of Portugal’s Museu Nacional Ferroviårio (National Railway Museum) in the city of Entroncamento. The special Presidential train will be housed in the room next to the Royal train. The enormous terrain of 4.5 hectares is filled with nineteen rail-tracks, historic railroad buildings, train construction and repair sites. The collection consists of 340 vehicles dating from 1856 to 1973 and an unbelievable 36,000 items, varying from tools and lamps to furniture, timetables, charts, tickets, cutlery, jackets and hats, to name but a few. Entroncamento is one of the most important railway centres of the country and the site is a well-chosen location for what has become one of the largest museums of Portugal. It was officially inaugurated in 2007. The Locomotive Roundhouse,
which shows a selection of restored locomotives, is a recreation of the old roundhouse that had been demolished in 1976. It was re-opened to the public in 2008. The Foundation that is the force behind the National Railway Museum is also responsible for the National Railway Documentation Centre, which functions as an archive and a place of scientific study and research. The museum in Entroncamento is just the head office. Several local branches of the museum can be found across the country. Ricardo Cardoso, the driven director
of the museum lives out his dream. He enthusiastically shows me around the historical buildings that are being transformed into exhibition spaces. Stepping over tins of paint and electric equipment, he guides me through the freshly painted galleries of the museum. The impressive historical train depot is also almost
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