David Veltom Portuguese Memories
John Marsh & David Veltom
INTRODUCTION
I was delighted when Robin at the Transport Treasury asked me if I would be interested in compiling a book based on the Portuguese steam photographs taken by David Veltom. Prior to his request we’d frequently discussed my trip to photograph steam in Spain and Portugal in 1969. I didn’t know anything about David or his travels in Portugal but when I started to select images from his collection of over 300 photographs, I began to understand his approach to railway photography. It is a pity that I never met David to discuss and compare his memories with mine, especially when our first visits to Portugal were in the same year.
It appears that David first visited Portugal in 1969 and made further visits in 1971, 1973, 1974 and 1975, the latter three as a member of a Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB) railtour party. In an effort to organise his many photographs I decided to categorise them into the various lines on which he travelled over the six years of his visits. In addition to discussing the locomotives in the photographs, I have attempted to include information on the history of the line/location as well as the track layout and station complex where information was available.
In writing the many captions, I found the excellent book “Narrow Gauge Railways of Portugal” by W. J. K. Davies an invaluable resource of highly detailed information. Books by D. W. Winkworth “Railway Holiday in Portugal” and Michael J. Fox “Last Steam
Locomotives of Spain and Portugal” also proved a good read. The Internet has has also been a useful reference. Portuguese Wikipédia, Google Maps, www.openstreetmap.org, topographic-map.com, the National Railway Museum of Portugal (www.fmnf.pt/pt) and the online editions of Gazeta Dos Caminhos de Ferro at https://hemerotecadigital.cm-lisboa.pt have all been an interesting read and Deepl Translate (www.deepl.com) has been an invaluable aid in translating Portuguese.
Finally, I must thank my Portuguese friend Jorge Perdigao who has helped me with translations and detailed information on locomotives and stations.
John Marsh. Brighouse, Yorkshire. November 2024
Map showing places that David visited on his travels in Portugal from 1969 to 1975.
When the expansion of Campanhã station was planned in the early 1960s to centralise Porto’s railway services, some of the land to the northeast where the locomotive shed and works were located was required. This meant that the shed and works would not be capable of servicing and repairing the large number of locomotives that were currently using the facilities, so a new shed and works was planned at the next station, Contumil, some 2km north of Campanhã. It was sited in the fork formed by the northeasterly route of the double track Minho line and the northerly route of the single track Leixões line. According to the Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro of 1st June 1966, the ten road roundhouse, electrically operated turntable and works were due to be completed by the end of June that year. The white roof over the roundhouse was made of Lusalite (a form of corrugated asbestos) and all the roads inside the roundhouse had inspection pits with three of these having wheel drops. Also there were coal and oil refuelling points. The turntable has a capacity of 100 tonnes, a diameter of 20m and was to replace that at Campanhã. The works are capable of repairing steam, diesel and electric locomotives and there is a large two storey office building with all the modern facilities such as a canteen, rest rooms for drivers, firemen and other railway workers as well as medical facilities.
THE VOUGA VALLEY LINE - ESPINHO TO SERNADA DO VOUGA; SERNADA DO VOUGA TO VISEU; SERNADA DO VOUGA TO AVEIRO
The Vouga Valley Line was located south of Porto and built by the CF Vale do Vouga Company to 1000 mm (1m) gauge. It opened fully in sections as follows; Espinho to Oliveira de Azemeis (38km) in December 1908 but officially by the King of Portugal on the 23rd November; Oliveira de Azemeis to Sernada (28.8km) in September 1910; Aveiro to Sernada (34.6km) in September 1911 and Sernada to Viseu (78.9km ) in February 1914. Fourteen tank locomotives of three classes were initially purchased to operate the railway; three 0-6-0T, seven 2-6-0T and four 4-6-0T. Some ten years later as part of a war reparation scheme (German war repairs), three 2-8-2Ts were delivered to the line. All seventeen engines were taken into CP ownership in 1947 except 0-6-0T number 1 (or 11) which had been sold in the 1920s. The three 0-6-0Ts were built by Corpet - Louvet (1904, 1906) and numbered 11-13. These were the first locomotives on the line and worked on the construction of the section from Espinho in 1908. 12 and 13 entered CP ownership as E22 and E23. They were withdrawn in 1952. The four 4-6-0Ts built by Borsig arrived in 1908 but proved difficult to erect. However, they were available to operate the section from Espinho when it opened to the public in December. They were used throughout the system. They became CP E121-124 in 1947. The photo shows E133 (factory number 19835), one of the three 2-8-2Ts built by Henschel & Sohn, Germany and delivered in 1925. It is at Oliveira de Azemeis on the line from Espinho Vouga to Sernada. The engine has just arrived with a train from Espinho Vouga and is preparing to return. Standing next to the water tank it will replenish its tanks and have some appropriate lubrication applied by the driver. It will then be turned on the turntable so as to face forward. The photo was taken by David after travelling on the LCGB Minho & Vouga Railtour of March 1973.
In March 1973 David travelled on the Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB) ‘Minho and Vouga’ railtour. This photo was taken on 25th March at São João de Ver on the outward journey from Espinho Vouga to Oliveira de Azemeis. It is typical of one of the many small standard stations on the line. There appears to be quite a number of people on the tour as most of the five coaches of the special train are well populated. E131 (Henschel factory number 19833 of 1924) was provided as motive power. The history of the surviving coaching stock on the Vouga Line is quite complex. Initially the Vouga had three classes of accommodation in 1st/2nd composite coaches and 3rd class bogie coaches. By 1969 there was only 1st and 2nd class accommodation. Some coaches retained their original outward appearance of vertical matchboarding (first coach above which is a composite 2nd/1st class) save for the removal of the clerestory roof, addition of heating and insertion of a toilet whilst others had been converted by the CP to gain a completely new roof (second, third and fourth coaches above), heating and a toilet. At the time of David’s visit there were twelve bogie Composite coaches, eighteen 2nd class coaches and six passenger - luggage coaches (two 1st and four 2nd class) in operation.
The photo on the right was taken the same day as the photo above. 0-6-0T E56 is replenishing its tanks at the head of a mixed train from Tua to Bragança on which David was travelling. The red brass builders’ plate in the tank side bears the inscription;
No 2350
MASCHINEN - FABRIK ESSLINGEN EMIL KESSLER 1890
The large yellow numbering reads 3 059056 - 4 which is the UIC number. The white lettering above this reads;
O.G.C-R1- 3-12-57
O.M.L 3 25-6-62
Indicating a visit to the works.
Two more views at Codeçais station. The view at left taken on Thursday, 25th March 1975, shows the goods shed and water tower quite clearly. The fireman has climbed back up to be ready to put the lid on the tank after the arm of the water column has been swung away. The driver is ready to turn off the water supply whilst the guard looks on. The train is the 15.45 from Mirandela to Tua. As previously mentioned 2-6-0T E82 was one of the first locomotives bought to operate the line. Six locomotives (CN 1-6 and eventually CP E81-E86) were built by Emil Kessler, Esslingen, Germany (Factory Nos. 2189-94) in 1887. At some time early in their career they were all given names which were fitted on brass plates above the works plate on the side tank. They were; 1 TRAZ OS MONTES, 2 BRAGANÇA, 3 MIRANDELLA, 4 VILA FLOR, 5 CARRADEZA and 6 FOZ TUA. The names were removed before CP ownership. However some of the crews still called their locomotives by their original names. The copper capped chimney with capuchon as fitted to E82 was not a standard feature of all the class, there being only two locomotives at any one time fitted with them, the others having a plain tapered chimney. By this time the brass number plates originally fitted to either side of the chimney had been removed when the CP introduced the UIC numbering system in 1974. They were numbered 3 069081-86 and this was painted below the bottom step on the side tank near to the cab door. E82 is preserved at the National Railway Museum, Bragança.
Two trains pass at Cachão on Thursday, 3rd June 1971. Cachão was 16km further up the line from Codeçais. It had a passing loop and a siding to the goods shed off the main line. The line would continue for a further 13km through olive groves before reaching the important city of Mirandela (originally Mirandella). 0-6-0T E55 (Kessler-1990. Factory No. 2349) arrives with a train from Tua and meets 2-6-0T E112 (Kessler-1904. Factory No. 3289) waiting in the station with a train from Mirandela to Tua. E55 is preserved at the National Railway Museum, Bragança.
LINHA DO DOURO - THE DOURO LINE (ERMESINDE TO BARCA D’ALVA)
The single track broad gauge Douro line ran from the station at Ermesinde to Barca d’Alva near the Spanish border but trains started from Porto Campanhã, 9 km from Ermesinde and then from Porto São Bento when it was built. David travelled on this line on many occasions but he didn’t take any photos at Ermesinde, at least not any that have survived. The station at Livração, also called Livração - Caldas de Canaveses, all of which appear on the station buildings, opened on 15th September 1878 when the section of line from Caíde to Juncal opened to traffic. At the station is the main line and a loop line to the west. There was also a spur off the line as it approached from the northwest that terminated at the northwest end of the station platform. This served a small loading bay and small goods shed. The main station building is typical of small town stations on the line being two storey with single storey buildings attached either side and a roof over the main line platform. This platform extends southeastwards to allow interchange of passengers between the Douro line trains and the narrow gauge Tamega line train in the adjacent platform. The narrow gauge terminus at Livração has been discussed previously. The photo taken on Tuesday, 1st June 1971 shows 2-6-4T CP 089 (Henschel and Sohn; 1920 Factory No. 21315) waiting to depart with a train for Régua. The platform behind the loco is the interchange platform for Tamega line trains.
In 1975 David travelled on another LCGB railtour, the Douro/Sabor/Tua tour in Portugal. This photo was taken on Saturday, 22nd March 1975 on the Douro main line 1.8km northwest of Palas station on the journey to Tua. It appears that the train is doing a run past on the historic five arch, 180.9m long stone built Quebradas Viaduct ( Ponte de Quebradas). When the train came off the viaduct it immediately crossed a dirt road so it would have been a convenient place to arrange for members of the group to get off the train to take photographs. The driver would then reverse the train back across the viaduct for photographs as can be seen by the direction of the smoke. The viaduct is located on the 38.4km section of line between Juncal and Régua which opened on 15th July 1879. 2-8-4T CP 0190 (Henschel and Sohn 1924 Factory No. 19899) is pushing the train off the viaduct in order to come forward for the run past. It is preserved at Devesas station in Vila Nova de Gaia in an unrestored condition.
When steam finished on British Railways in August 1968 many enthusiasts looked to continental Europe as the nearest source of steam operated railways. It was therefore not surprising that such an enthusiast as David Veltom made his first visit to Portugal in 1969. This book, through a selection of David’s many photographs, portrays the steam operation of the Narrow and Broad Gauge Railways of the Camino de Ferro Portugueses (CP) up to his last visit in 1975.
Many of the different classes of steam locomotives are depicted at stations both large and small, depots and in beautiful scenery. Detailed captions accompany the photographs.
ISBN 978-1-913893-67-5
£17.50
