Richard's Trip Reports

[Kite159]

Rather funky looking bus like trains

 

[Segedunum]

They have bus like seats to match!

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[Kristofferson]

Whenever somebody tries to compare our rail service unfavourably to that found in mainland Europe, I will point them to this report..!

Very entertaining stuff, even if it does sound like my idea of rail hell. As for crossing the tracks, "when in Rome" I guess!


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[Kite159]

Are they just single double doors in the middle of each coach or is that another door at the inner coach end?

Imagine the dwell time

 

[Segedunum]

Believe it or not, I love the Portuguese network! I'm quite a fan of the laid back friendly attitude, and in Lisbon as you'll find out in a later report, it's far more organised yet delays are basically isolated to the odd late Alfa or Intercity. The suburban trains run like clockwork.

Spain by comparison was unfriendly and deliberately against the passenger (I was nearly fined 1000 euros for spending too long [90 minutes!!] On the network on a day ticket and was sick of constantly buying single fares for everything. That and staff were often extremely rude, whereas little old Florival in Lagos ticket office seems to know the timetable off by heart and nothing is too much trouble!)

Germany was great, but hilariously unreliable to the point where London Bridge at rush hour seemed quite fun, and France was just a bit unpleasant. Majorca gets a special vote for having the most hilariously pointless Metro system I've ever seen.

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Are they just single double doors in the middle of each coach or is that another door at the inner coach end?

Imagine the dwell time

One carriage has 2 singles, one just has a double, there's also a manual sliding door used by passengers with bikes who climb up into a luggage compartment. Dwell times are normally fine as passenger numbers are healthy but steady (most seats normally taken but few standees), but it can get bad at busy times, especially in the front coach with its single door used by most of the carriage.

The issue is helped however by the ability to open the door before the train is at a stand, so everyone is instantly able to get off

 

[Kite159]

A well seasoned traveller

 

[55013]

I found the Portuguese railway to be very enjoyable, although Faro station is one of two places where a man with a gun has told me to stop taking photos of the trains - I complied!

 

[FQ]

It’s not quite going for a stroll off the end of the platform at Doncaster

Love it!

Sounds like a great first day but the ticket office clerk must think that everyone else is stupid!

 

[Segedunum]

I found the Portuguese railway to be very enjoyable, although Faro station is one of two places where a man with a gun has told me to stop taking photos of the trains - I complied!

Very very odd, I assume this was some years ago? I've had zero issues.

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Love it!

Sounds like a great first day but the ticket office clerk must think that everyone else is stupid!

Yesterday I had to remind him what I meant by Wednesday and what the number 10 looked like...his knowledge of English must just be a bit flaky [emoji14]

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[Techniquest]

I had assumed from your recent posts in Shack Attack 2016 that you hadn't been in the UK

A very strange sounding railway you've found yourself on, with some utterly rancid trains which make New York's Subway trains feel like the Northern Belle, but it also sounds like reasonable value and a good time. One of those shacks make Heart of Wales shacks like Sugar Loaf look like the height of civilisation mind!

As for the European railway comparisons, nothing will beat Stockholm's Metro for efficiency, cleaniness and how easy it is to navigate your way around, not to mention how excellent the value for money is. I really want to go back there! Obviously, London's Underground is the best for the thrash!

Very much enjoying the insight into the railways of Portugal, not my cup of tea so I'll happily leave that bit of my atlas blank!

 

[Segedunum]

The insides of the trains are actually well looked after and I've happily sat on one from Lagos to Olhão, a journey time equivalent to Doncaster to London!

Day 2 is almost done and day 3 was pretty short. Day 4 will be a monster one though as that's Lisbon, and 5-7 haven't happened yet, typing this as I take a stroll down the Promenade in Lagos!

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[Techniquest]

Sounds like you've been having a monster of a trip then, bring on the monster reads as I've some boring commutes to/from work next week!

 

[55013]

Very very odd, I assume this was some years ago? I've had zero issues.

It was 2007.
I had just got a shot of the loco hauled service from Lisbon that I had arrived on (the loco was 392621 for anyone remotely interested.) When I started to walk toward the exit and I noticed a bloke in a uniform marching purposefully towards me waving his hands and shouting "no photos, no photos".
I just said "OK" and he then rolled his eyes and said "English" with a tut before repeating the no photos line and chuntering in Portuguese.
I immediately left because a) I'd got my shot, b) I don't speak Portuguese, c)He didn't seem to speak English, other than "no photos" and d) he had a gun and my philosophy is never argue with a person who has a gun.

I was also stopped from photographing a train in Spain a few years earlier, again by an armed policeman.
Maybe it's me

 

[Segedunum]

It was 2007.
I had just got a shot of the loco hauled service from Lisbon that I had arrived on (the loco was 392621 for anyone remotely interested.) When I started to walk toward the exit and I noticed a bloke in a uniform marching purposefully towards me waving his hands and shouting "no photos, no photos".
I just said "OK" and he then rolled his eyes and said "English" with a tut before repeating the no photos line and chuntering in Portuguese.
I immediately left because a) I'd got my shot, b) I don't speak Portuguese, c)He didn't seem to speak English, other than "no photos" and d) he had a gun and my philosophy is never argue with a person who has a gun.

I was also stopped from photographing a train in Spain a few years earlier, again by an armed policeman.
Maybe it's me

Never an issue I've noted, in Spain the Cercanias services had armed security on board and I did make a point of discretely taking photos where I could (Had 4 of them staring at me at Sevilla Santa Justa) but never had any arguments.

Indeed there's been no armed folk here, just jolly conductors who've been not even bothering to check my ticket, last one gave me a smile, a nod and a pat on the shoulder!
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Portugal Bash- Day 2/7

Day 2 I decided to start early, and opted for the 0659 service to Faro, which was formed by dud 0462 and in the end I took it all the way through, arriving in at 0837, and declaring Faro as shack number 10 of the trip. It was then a quick cross of the tracks onto winner 0460, working the 0857 service to Vila Real de Santo Antonio, which was taken for the short trip around the harbour, before heading inland and taking me to shack 11, Luz. This appeared to be one of those work in progress area, with many new villas being hastily put together, so I found myself having a wander around before taking dud 0454 to shack 12, Fuseta. This was a pleasant little coastal town, and I ended up making the short walk past a supermarket to fill up on drinks before wandering through a few sidestreets to find myself at the imaginatively named shack 13 that also serves the town, Fuseta-A

Line up, Faro by Richard Green, on Flickr


There was a short wait here with a few Irish tourists before dud 0466 rolled in around the rather sharp curve for the run to almost the end of the line, which was shack 14, Monte Gordo. This was a rather well patronised little station, but clearly still in touch with the old ways, so to speak, as a bloke nipped onto the line when the train had gone and started picking Guavas from the tree before sitting down on the platform to eat his haul The road bridge to Spain was also visible, and I myself am actually planning a little touristy norm visit tomorrow over the border to Ayamonte, albeit by the traditional ferry Dud 0466 then returned once again, and it was taken to shack 15, Porta Nova. I had originally planned to just fester here but on firing up Google Maps I noticed that Tavira station was a 20 minute walk away, so I bit the bullet and took a stroll.

0454, Fuseta by Richard Green, on Flickr

Spain-Portugal Bridge, Vila Real SA by Richard Green, on Flickr

0466, Porta Nova by Richard Green, on Flickr

I’m actually really glad I did! Tavira is a very pretty little town, and I found myself grabbing photos of quite a few different sights as I meandered my way over the river and up the hill, which was a bit of a slog, but I was soon on the platform at shack 16, Tavira. Dud 0454 turned up again for this run, which was to the remarkably tiny shack 17, Castro Marim. See, it was a case where the train was much shorter than the platform which in the UK would mean local door only or SDO coming into play. Here, common sense was the only option as I opened the door to realise that I was stepping directly onto the track! I went with it anyway, and the driver waited until I’d climbed onto the platform before setting off again, leaving me at the world’s most pointless station! I kid you not; this served absolutely nothing at all. There was nothing here except a road. It was only a +17, but I was very quickly at a loss as to what to do, and was most amused by the toilet facilities that had once been available! (They were fenced off, despite my best efforts to climb over and see what was actually in their place these days)

Station, Castro Marim by Richard Green, on Flickr

0454, Castro Marim by Richard Green, on Flickr

River, Tavira by Richard Green, on Flickr

Dud 0460 then rolled in to take me back up the line, and to shack 18, Livramento. This was a similarly isolated shack that didn’t serve much, and I ended up sat on the steps of a disused platform next to a pile of sleepers, awaiting dud 0463 to shack 19, Conceicao, where I noted my conductor from earlier in the morning headed home with his lunchbox in hand! It was then the turn of dud 0452 to take me to shack 20, Bom Joao, where I called it an afternoon as I had a +97 at Faro for something back onto the Lagos side. Bom Joao was a 20 minute walk from Faro anyway, so I headed for the city. On the way, I decided to pick up some food and found a 24/7 snack machine emporium. Hmmm, a burger for 2,90EUR? Not bad, I thought, putting my money in the machine. It was rank! The burger was barely a burger at all, and tasted like someone had shaped meat paste into a circle Nonetheless, it was food, so I ate most of it before having a wander around the shops and old town in Faro.

Rail line, Faro by Richard Green, on Flickr

City centre, Faro by Richard Green, on Flickr

I was at the station for 1555 and soon we had dud 0452 making an appearance on the 1619 to Lagos, which was taken all the way to shack 21, Ferragudo-Parchal. Seemed nice enough I suppose, as I wandered out and embarked on the walk over the bridge to the next stop only to find myself on the wrong side of the road, a very busy road with a path that abruptly stopped! Thankfully I found a gap and dashed for it, making it onto the right side. I was also rather bemused by an old man shoving his hand in my face demanding money, clearly begging is a little more stern these days as I had to ignore him and keep walking. I hate to see people living on the poverty line and all, but it’s not an excuse to be rude and blame a complete stranger for your position! I eventually made it to shack 22, Portimao, but I still had a while until the next Lagos service, so I ended up taking dud 0452 back to Ferragudo anyway to kill some time until dud 0468 arrived on the 1930ish to Lagos, where day 2 ended!

0452, Ferragudo by Richard Green, on Flickr

 

[FQ]

Sounds like another brilliant day! I loved the bit about the guy going onto the track to pick fruit!

 

[Techniquest]

Another monster of a day, clearly, but I can't believe I never asked before: Were these units rateable in terms of noise?

 

[Segedunum]

Another monster of a day, clearly, but I can't believe I never asked before: Were these units rateable in terms of noise?

It depends what carriage you're in. The old declassified first class carriage is silent but the standard one with the engine in can be monstrously loud. They give out a hell of a lot of thrash sometimes but on an average run, just imagine a loud Class 170/172 mixture!

 

[Techniquest]

Hmm, not the best sound then!

 

[Segedunum]

Warning- this is a long, picture heavy post!

Portugal Bash- Day 3/7

Day 3 started rather late as the heat was starting to get to me and my list of requirements was dwindling. The alarm went off for 0540 but in the end I reset it for 0940 (No service from 0750 to 1115 so it was either an early or a late) and went out to catch the 1114 service to Vila Real de Santo Antonio (via Faro), as this service runs through which meant I could get the headphones on and relax for a couple of hours. It was a relatively peaceful run all the way through to shack 23, Olhao, on board dud 0452 where I had a +30 or so until a service back to Faro. I spent this time doing something I’d never advise anyone to do in the UK! The only shaded area close by was the edge of the platform, so I sat on the edge with my feet on the tracks. With such low platforms however, there wasn’t much danger and a few people joined me in doing so. I got up again with a few minutes until the train was due and joined dud 0466 back to Faro where I decided to run up the end of the line and clear it fully.

0452, Olhao by Richard Green, on Flickr

Dud 0466 was again the haulage for this run all the way along the coast to shack 24, Vila Real de Santo Antonio, where I had 25 minutes until the train went back to Faro. I thought that I may as well take up the novel idea of taking a look at the river and the view of Spain on the other side (I never did actually go across the border in the end, and I can’t see myself slogging it all the way there tomorrow!) which was instantly seeming like a bad idea once I left the train only to realise it was pushing 40 degrees all of a sudden, and the heat hit me like a slap in the face! I pressed on however, the direct route to the river being a dirt track behind a supermarket, where I had the rather novel view of point zero on the Portuguese rail network as the track came to an abrupt halt before the main road, as I nipped over and grabbed a few shots of Ayamonte from the Marina car park.

Faro Harbour, viewed from 1355 Faro-VR De Santo Antonio by Richard Green, on Flickr

Ayamonte viewed from the Portuguese side by Richard Green, on Flickr

Station, VR De Santo Antonio by Richard Green, on Flickr

What I hadn’t noticed was a rather large dog a good few hundred yards away which seemed to be lazing around, and didn’t seem to care about my presence until I wandered back up towards the road where it broke into an angry bark filled sprint! ‘Oh f***’ I think, absolutely legging it only to realise a second terrifyingly large dog had joined in the chase. They didn’t seem to be gaining but they also weren’t giving up, and with no other people around I was just a tad scared! My first thought was to run across the busy road as soon as possible, so I timed it with a van approaching quite closely which meant that I’d have enough time to cross but they’d probably be put off! This somehow worked and I caught my breath back having ensured that they were completely out of sight, downing a full bottle of water and staggering the rest of the way back to the station. Thank god I’m reasonably fit, as anyone physically unable to sprint for a solid minute or so would have been very very screwed.

Back on 0466 which had 0452 tacked on, I took a seat, just relieved to not be dog food [emoji38] I went straight back through to Faro in order to await the 1715 to Lagos, and picked up a Café Zero from the restaurant on the station (For those not in the know, these are frozen coffees that start off as ice cream but quickly turn into slushies in the heat, absolute heaven!) before taking a seat on the bench and striking up conversation with a British expat who was doing work as a nurse in a Faro hospital but lived in Portimao. Seems she was doing a trial run of the train before she started because the roads terrified her and to be honest, I’d agree with that as the roads aren’t the safest [emoji38] Eventually, it conspired that dud 0463 was working the service, and I jumped on as far as shack 25, Loule. This is an absolute pain of a shack to get as it’s a passing point on some services or there’s a nonsensically high +120 on others. I however had a different idea, which was to jump off, go to the ticket office, and buy a single on the following InterCity service.

Great idea until I realised that the ticket office was closed for no reason! I hastily went online on my phone, and bought an 8EUR first class single to Tunes (2nd class was 6,90EUR so may as well) and asked for a text message ticket as of course I couldn’t print a ticket! It never arrived despite me quite literally copying and pasting my number from my contacts onto the site to avoid typographical errors (it’s a temporary one so I couldn’t remember it!) so I wondered what to do. In the end, an RPI appeared next to the door I was boarding and I asked him if he’d accept the electronic version of the ticket (you get sent a PDF to print) and he didn’t seem too bothered so I took my seat on the service which had winner 5612 hauling. Indeed, I’d snagged myself a loco hauled train which was a bonus. It was a pleasant little 25 minute amble, and for the last few minutes I stood at the rearmost carriage as it had a view of the line behind, just having the glass inter carriage door as a barrier.

First Class Interior, CP InterCity by Richard Green, on Flickr

5612, Loule by Richard Green, on Flickr

Tunes was also shack number 26, I’d just never bothered going for it as it was my interchange point for Lisbon the next day. Dud 0468 was then my haulage back to Lagos, arriving in at 1951.

Productive, albeit a rather hectic day at points!
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Portugal Bash- Day 4/7

So, Friday was the day I’d allocated for the big bash up to Lisbon. And, with far more ease than the previous morning (The prospect of blue DMUs on the same line can only excite one for so long) I was up at 0510, ready for 0605 and made the rather dark walk over the bridge and onto dud 0460 which was working the 0616 to Faro. It was taken to the delightful Tunes where I was deposited for 0710, leaving 20 minutes until the Alfa to Porto via Lisboa. Slightly late, winner 4001 arrived in and I took my seat in Coach 1 which was First Class. I was sharing a table for two with a rather sleepy businessman who spent his time on his iPad, leaving me to get frustrated at the pathetic WiFi and sip at the free tea. It wasn’t much of a high speed service for ages after leaving Tunes, but the tilt function was certainly useful (the Alfa is a shortened Pendolino and even sounds like a 390) as we eventually had the chance to stretch our legs and absolutely hammered our way at 140mph to Pinhal Novo. This was exactly everything a Pendolino should be! Tons of legroom, thick reclining seats, even TVs on, proper window alignment in both classes and seemingly tons of natural light despite the same sized tiny windows!

4001, Tunes by Richard Green, on Flickr

Interior (ft tilt), Alfa Pendular by Richard Green, on Flickr

We arrived into Lisboa-Oriente, shack 27, bang on time at 1005 and I was instantly in awe at the station! It was amazing; with a tall overall roof that was a work of art in itself. However I decided to stop gawping and get straight on with the bash, nipping downstairs and buying a 6 euro day ticket for all CP Urban Trains (but as the map below will show you, the lines are a bit random). The Sintra/Azambuja Lines are easy enough to do as they’re linked to the main network, and have Metro connections, but the Cascais and Sado Lines are harder to do as they’re isolated from the rest of the network, at least at the Lisbon end as the Sado Line has interchange at Pinhal Novo which then in turn has no interchange with any means of getting to Lisbon on that ticket. The Cascais Line starts at Cais do Sodre, which is easy enough to get to as it’s a Metro and Tram station, but it’s 20 minutes or so from Entrecampos and Oriente so it’s more difficult to reach. The Sado line, wait for it, is reached by a bloody boat! The fastest way is to get the Metro then a Ferry so needless to say, I didn’t use the line while there. There’s also Fertagus (named after the River Tagus that the line passes over) which is the only private rail operation in Portugal, which operates from Lisboa Roma Areeiro to Coina and Setubal, but no CP tickets are valid so I didn’t end up using them.

Lisboa-Oriente by Richard Green, on Flickr



Having had my ticket loaded onto a Viva Viagem paper smartcard, I saw that the next service was the 1012 to Alverca, formed of quad winners 2302/2352/2324/2374, so I boarded that for the short hop up the start of the Linha do Norte. Before I go any further, I’ll say that these trains count as half sets, with one half being a 2300 or 2400 series and the other a 2350 or 2450 series, hence the fact that I’m getting 4 winner at once from every double set! This applies to most EMU stock in Lisbon, except on the Cascais Line. In reality, there is no visible difference between each half. I bailed at shack 28, Moscavide, and having consulted my summary timetable of the line, I noted that another service was right behind, formed of double deck and double winners 3530/3580 which were taken a further two stops to shack 29, Bobadela. A quick swap was then made here back over to shack 30, Sacavem, on double winners 3527/3577. At this point I realised I’d completely misinterpreted the timetable and that I had a +30 instead of a +5! Basically, the summary timetable has a lot of peak only services in it, and the services terminating at Alverca were actually peak only. Turns out the one I’d caught earlier was the final end of peak service (I didn’t expect to see a rush hour only train at 1012!) so the actual frequency on this stretch was 3-4tph (but very uneven) and not 6tph!

2386, Moscavide by Richard Green, on Flickr

3530, Bobadela by Richard Green, on Flickr

1466, Sacavem by Richard Green, on Flickr

Thankfully, there was a random service that ran only every 5 or 10 hours (seems it ran before morning rush hour, and after both morning and evening rush hour in order to even out the service at 0513, 1013 and 2013) that was due, so the wait wasn’t so high. This was formed of winners 2305/2355 and on noting that it went to Lisboa Santa Apolonia, I stayed on board all the way to the terminus. This was because Lisboa S-A only gets 1tph (this extra train actually replaced the usual service) from urban trains in the off peak, with most services between InterCity or Alfa. On bailing, I made it shack number 31, and it was a pretty little terminus albeit with very low platforms! I nipped outside to have a proper look and wow, despite this not being very central, it was still a sight to behold! It was then time for the Metro as I got myself another smartcard and loaded a Metro/Bus/Tram pass onto it for 5,50EUR. There was a service already waiting (I didn’t record Metro numbers but they’re fairly easy to do, 3 carriage units that run in singles and doubles, and the numbers are consecutive, so a unit is comprised eg. 684-685-686) and it was taken to the next stop, shack 32, Baixa-Chiado. There was then an unusually long wait here for a service on another one stop hop, shack 33, Cais do Sodre, which was where the ‘fun’ on the Cascais line began!

2305, Sacavem by Richard Green, on Flickr

Station, Lisboa Santa-Apolonia by Richard Green, on Flickr

I nipped upstairs and was rather irritated to have the escalator chew the end of my lace off! Clearly safety isn’t the highest priority here as I’d never known an escalator to snag a shoelace that wasn’t even loose [emoji38] The 1140 to Cascais was ready to leave, and it was wedged! It was formed of winners 3158/3161, and unhelpfully people kept pressing the close door buttons as I walked down the platforms, and I ended up giving a bloke an earful as he shut one door in my face as I went to board! It was a rather warm journey to shack 34, Belem, where I crossed over to join winner 3251 to shack 35, Alcantara-Mar. There was another unit on the back but for some reason half the units have the numbers covered over with a banner saying that the train is operated as part of Lisbon’s urban network, meaning that one can only ID the train based on the number written behind the driver’s cab! I did do this on the next trip yesterday, but I gave up on IDing these ones for the hops on Friday. Winner 3255 working with another mystery unit was next to shack 36, Alges, where I had a +1 onto winner 3262 to shack 37, Santos, where I called it a day on the quirky but annoying Cascais line. The stations are also absolute heaps, being caked from head to toe in graffiti and looking like they haven’t been touched in years! Same goes for the trains, which were a bit of a mess at times and seemed to be in need of an update. After reading up on the line, it seems that it's been the same trains since 1959, though they've been rebuilt at some point!

3161/3254, Cais do Sodre by Richard Green, on Flickr

Cascais Line Train, Alcantara-Mar by Richard Green, on Flickr

I ended up taking the next tram towards the city, which was a modern Line 15E service, formed of winner 507. This was taken to Praça do Comércio (I’m not counting tram stops as shacks as they’re just shared bus stops, and there’s about 50 of them on each line!) where I jumped off to take in the sights of the place, as it was just gorgeous! This was the only time I encountered a genuinely dodgy person too, as a bloke whispered to me ‘Sir…Marijuana?’ and went to hand over a bag of weed! Thankfully, the perks of wearing a pair of sunglasses were that I could just pretend to have not heard him, and I quickly kept walking! Having snapped a few shots of the likes of the Museu da Cerveja, and the Arco da Rua Augusta, I spotted one of the old trams working line 25E, and that was winner 561, so I made a dash for it, tapping in and taking the last seat for a run to somewhere like Rua Garcia da Orta. It was one heck of an experience and I’d honestly recommend it to anyone, as I sat up front and saw the driver being worked hard as seemed be doing about 10 things at once in driving the little sod! I got off the aforementioned random stop once I’d realised that the line didn’t go anywhere that I could interchange with any other line or mode of transport!

Line 15 Tram, Santos by Richard Green, on Flickr

Rua do Arsenal, Lisbon by Richard Green, on Flickr

Arco da Rua Augusta, Lisbon by Richard Green, on Flickr

Line 25 Tram, Lisbon by Richard Green, on Flickr

A quick walk back down the hill saw me at Santos tram stop once more, and having to let go a dangerously wedged Line 15E tram! I have no idea why it was so full, but winner 510 was only a few minutes behind, and it was taken to the halfway point between the two Alcantara stations. It was then a short walk back to the big trains and onto winners 3528/3578 at shack 38, Alcantara-Terra, which seemed to just be on top of a yard as I had to cross the tracks in order to reach Platform 3, where a loco was shunting around next to my service. It was just taken to the next stop, shack 39, Campolide, where I made a very confused interchange onto winners 2311/2361/2403/2453 to their terminus at the again ornate shack 40, Lisboa-Rossio. I didn’t have an awful lot of time here, so I grabbed as many shots as I could before taking winners 2341/2391/2402/2452 back out, which meant that I’d cleared every Lisbon terminus that was a dead end branch, so to speak. We continued out onto the Sintra Line, where I spotted a linear bashing chance (there’s 6tph on the line, but the gaps are 4m-16m-4m-16m etc.) and jumped off at football famous shack 41, Benfica. As predicted, we had a service right behind, formed of winners 2310/2360/2314/2364, and it was taken to the next stop which was shack 42, Santa Cruz/Damaia.

3528, Alcantara-Terra by Richard Green, on Flickr

2452, Lisboa-Rossio by Richard Green, on Flickr

I had the feeling I was in a bit of a dodgier area at this point (it gets better as you get further out on the Sintra line) as I watched a bloke vault the gates (which are vicious and basically body height!) and watched another try his luck at doughnutting behind me (it didn’t work, the time between me slapping my pass on the reader, the gates opening and closing was about 3 seconds). Thankfully it wasn’t long until winners 2333/2383/2340/2390 rolled in, and I took them back into the city and to shack 43, Roma-Areeiros. It was time for an attack on the stops between Oriente and Sete Rios (a bit like a Thameslink core sort of set up, with less evil platform changes) and with that I joined duds 3530/3580 to shack 44, Sete Rios, where there was a quick swap onto winners 2342/2392/2331/2381 back along to shack 45, Entrecampos. These stations all seemed to look just about the same, being 4 platforms, made of about 57 million tonnes of concrete, and being efficient beasts. However I was in for the shock of my life with the next one! Winners 3521/3571 took me to shack 46…Marvila. You see, there was another station detailed on the maps called Chelas, but the timetable seemed to deny that it existed and on passing it, it looked like it had been abandoned and left to rot. In fact, the entire area around it looked like an absolute mess.

2390, Roma Areeiro by Richard Green, on Flickr

Fertagus, Roma-Areeiro by Richard Green, on Flickr

It was actually abandoned, and had been since June 2015 but I’ve struggled to find reasoning for this as what I’ve found just says that CP decided to change the timetable and stop calling. I feel like it might be for capacity reasons (a bit like a Mosley Street situation on Metrolink) but considering that this is the same company where drivers turn up in tracksuit jackets and play Candy Crush Saga while driving I’d believe just about anything [emoji38] I also find it rather odd that the stations announcers still say 'This train will not call at Chelas today' considering that it's abandoned, or are they in denial?! Anyway, back to Marvila, it has a reduced frequency from the other stations, getting only 2tph off the Alcantara-C. Ribajeto services with everything else skip stopping, even in the peaks, which I did think was rather odd. However, on leaving the train and finding the whole area both hilarious and terrifying, I could see why. Imagine Loughborough Junction, a less than desirable area, with less than desirable patrons. Then, imagine Thameslink gave up on maintaining it, and left it to rot. Then turn all the patrons feral. That was my impression as I jumped down onto the low, weed covered and graffiti coated platforms, with signage that was both faded and graffiti covered so one could barely read ‘Marvila’ on them.

3571, Marvila by Richard Green, on Flickr

Station, Marvila by Richard Green, on Flickr

A few locals passed me, and on seeing that one of them had a plank of wood in their hand and that the others were blasting music, I put my sunglasses back over my face and ran under the subway onto the other platform. I say ‘subway’, it was more like someone had dug a trench under the track [emoji38] I was alone for another few minutes before I had a sigh of relief as winners 3522/3572 trundled in, and I took them back to Roma-Areeiros. It was time for another tourist type walk, as I nipped out and caught a Metro from shack 47, Areeiros, to shack 48, Martim Moniz. I then took a stroll down to the Placa Figueira, and caught sight of another wee tram that was practically empty, so I jumped on. It was winner 567 and I had a nice breezy quiet run around the corner to a stop I can’t really remember, but it wasn’t a huge distance along on Line 25E. Full tourist mode on as I walked back to Rossio, down a series of wonderful looking streets full of beautiful buildings and the like, including a view of the Elevador de Santa Justa. However, it was back to the trains and I took the Metro to shack 49, Alameda, changing onto the Pink Line to shack 50, San Sebastao, and subsequently onto the Blue Line which took me to shack 51, Jardim Zoologico, which linked to Sete Rios mainline station.

Line 25 Tram, Placa Figueira by Richard Green, on Flickr

Interior, Line 25 Tram, Lisbon by Richard Green, on Flickr

Rua Augusta, Lisbon by Richard Green, on Flickr

Green Line, Alameda by Richard Green, on Flickr

Interior, Lisbon Metro by Richard Green, on Flickr

Winners 2330/2380/2409/2459 were my haulage to shack 52, Amadora, as I’d turned my attention once again to the Sintra Line with the peak kicking off, giving me a train nearly every 5 minutes to play with. Winners 2321/2371/2307/2357 then took me back along to shack 53, Reboleira, where I had a brainfart moment and randomly let the next service to Sintra go without even thinking! Thankfully, it was only 5 minutes wait and I shouldn’t have even made the service I’d let go (it was a +0, we just happened to be 1 early and it happened it be 1 late) and soon enough I was on duds 2333/2383/2340/2390 to shack 54, Monte Abraao. It was only a 2 minute wait until winners 2334/2384 rolled up to the platform, as we seemed to have a case of acute door failure as none of the buttons worked in the rear carriage! The trick here is that if you’re holding down the button (on the outside) or yanking the latch (inside) and it doesn’t open before the train has completely stopped then there’s probably a fault as in normal practice you’d be stepping onto the platform as soon as the train is stopped, with doors opening at 2-3mph. I ran to another carriage, going into the back carriage via the similarly vicious inter-carriage doors (there’s no button, you yank them apart with two huge handles and as soon as you let go they start closing so you need to be damn quick and strong, as you need both hands to open them!)

2332, Queluz-Belas by Richard Green, on Flickr

I was off at the next stop, shack 55, Queluz-Belas, and in true rush hour fashion, it was a mere 2 minutes until winners 2332/2382/2319/2369 arrived and took me through the core to the 56th and final shack, Braco de Prata. That was every station from Bobadela to Monte Abraao (about half the shacks on the line) done on the Sintra/Azambuja Lines, and with that, now irritating mega duds 3530/3580 took me up to Oriente where my urban adventure concluded and I killed some time in the adjacent shopping centre before joining the same 4001, now dud, on the 1823 to Faro. It was about 10 minutes late for some reason, and I did notice that every train trying to depart Oriente was getting power then tripping the lines and having to coast for a solid minute or so at slow speed. The same issue occurred yesterday (Tuesday) near Entrecampos so I’m not sure why that’s happening! I took my seat, and to be honest, I can’t understand why there isn’t 4 tracking on the line, at least to Pinhal Novo, as it was an absolute crawl to there, with us frequently stopping, yet we made up 2 minutes in the process! [emoji38] Dinner orders were then taken, and I had the pumpkin soup, turkey, and fruit for afters, served with bread, water, tea and all. It was actually delicious and served on proper crockery, in glasses, the lot. All kept hot under foil and all for the sum of 11,69EUR as I’d prebooked to get a 15% discount, well worth it, even if not free! We arrived into Tunes at 2059, and it was a short wait to where I started, on dud 0460 to Lagos, for around 2211, 10 minutes late.

2367, Lisboa Oriente by Richard Green, on Flickr

*breathes* [emoji38]

 

[Kite159]

*wonders if Richard ever got round to visiting the delights of Pegswood & Ackington yet*

(Will read the report when on my tablet tonight)

 

[Segedunum]

*wonders if Richard ever got round to visiting the delights of Pegswood & Ackington yet*

(Will read the report when on my tablet tonight)

I honestly don't know, I mean now probably is the right time of year to do them but i'm all booked up. That said, I did Chathill in February

I was previously going to go for Pegswood but did something like Bardon Mill instead.

 

[FQ]

Sounds like a good day! The heat must have been absolutely horrid - I was sweltering in Manchester (a first?) and pretty much all of Lancashire when it was 33 degrees in July so I'd hate to think of 40!

The 'dog attack' can't have been nice, that's for sure. Good call on the road too.

Score on getting some loco haulage done there too. I'm guessing that the back of the Intercity one from Loule was like the back of the Cally Sleeper?

Some of those stations sound awful, especially Marvila. Maybe it was the area of Chelas that made them decide not to stop !

Bad luck at getting the same ones on the way back but it sounds like a great day in Lisbon!

 

[Segedunum]

Sounds like a good day! The heat must have been absolutely horrid - I was sweltering in Manchester (a first?) and pretty much all of Lancashire when it was 33 degrees in July so I'd hate to think of 40!

The 'dog attack' can't have been nice, that's for sure. Good call on the road too.

Score on getting some loco haulage done there too. I'm guessing that the back of the Intercity one from Loule was like the back of the Cally Sleeper?

Some of those stations sound awful, especially Marvila. Maybe it was the area of Chelas that made them decide not to stop !

Bad luck at getting the same ones on the way back but it sounds like a great day in Lisbon!

The heat was actually fine apart from in Vila Real where it seemed really intense. It was 40 on my other trip to Lisbon and I simply didn't notice it!

And it's a bit like the Cally but the door is basically all glass so one hell of a view out!

And yeah neither area looked great so it seems like Marvila might be next for the chop. There's also a Lisboa-Entrecampos West connected to the main station by travelators. Very creepy looking, simply mothballed and cut off with police tape.

 

[Techniquest]

You weren't wrong about that being long and photo heavy, I sure appreciated the warning, thankfully I'd loaded it on WiFi for the work-bound commute. Which the read filled almost half of, so happy days!

Some nice shots you got there, with some impressive stations visited. I'd be here all day going up and down the page for the names, but certainly must have felt quite pleasant compared to the other moves you'd made recently

The dogs thing came across as quite the freaky occurance, I'd have been stuffed as I'm very much not fit and healthy!

The Green Line on the Metro looks the most appealing out of that lot, modern compared to some of that stuff you did. The yellow fronted things immediately made me think of LO and 378s mind Some funky trams and suburban stuff though, but I have to confess to not wanting to go there myself.

The Pendolino you did sounds like fun though, always wanted to know what the type are like in other countries. I sure enjoyed the read, and indeed the photos, as per usual

With so much done in the area I can only imagine what you'd be getting up to next!

 

[Segedunum]

You weren't wrong about that being long and photo heavy, I sure appreciated the warning, thankfully I'd loaded it on WiFi for the work-bound commute. Which the read filled almost half of, so happy days!

Some nice shots you got there, with some impressive stations visited. I'd be here all day going up and down the page for the names, but certainly must have felt quite pleasant compared to the other moves you'd made recently [emoji38]

The dogs thing came across as quite the freaky occurance, I'd have been stuffed as I'm very much not fit and healthy!

The Green Line on the Metro looks the most appealing out of that lot, modern compared to some of that stuff you did. The yellow fronted things immediately made me think of LO and 378s mind [emoji38] Some funky trams and suburban stuff though, but I have to confess to not wanting to go there myself.

The Pendolino you did sounds like fun though, always wanted to know what the type are like in other countries. I sure enjoyed the read, and indeed the photos, as per usual

With so much done in the area I can only imagine what you'd be getting up to next!

Will probably have Lisbon's second report come with a similar warning in that case!

Indeed it was something closer to home so to speak, even if the method of train operation was a bit...dodgy at times.

The Metro is actually very nice yeah, to be fair the trains themselves too are actually alright on the Sintra Line, careworn on the outside but they're well refurbished. It's worth a visit if you get the chance, and a ride on the old trams is an experience I'd definitely recommend as Carris seem constantly intent on shutting it all down.

Glad you enjoyed the read, and it's more focused mainline bashing from Tuesday. Sadly I should have had a third trip to Lisbon (I even paid for it) but I abandoned it due to being excessively delayed the previous day from Tuesday's Lisbon adventure, and I need to complain too as I'm owed a refund which required the guard's endorsement. Guess which member of staff ran off and hid up front with a coffee?!

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[Kristofferson]

Absolutely epic read and pictures!

A real variety of quality there, in terms of trains, safety, stations and experiences!

The dog thing sounds terrifying and the heat doesn't sound any better. It's good being able to read about this from the (relative) safety of a British platform - although it's not much cooler here!


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[Kite159]

Those yellow fronted units remind me of some of the units in Japan.

Sounded like a busy day with a lot of different modes of transport

 

[Segedunum]

Cheers, indeed it was a very busy day! Still got two days to write up but I was away Saturday/Sunday with the girlfriend and had a jolly down to London for some red penning yesterday. ALR also happens to start in 5 days time!

--
There's been a change to the ALR! And by that I mean I've got a good idea of how the first few days are going to pan out.

I've pulled the idea of going up to Inverness on the Cally and spending a day doing Kyle of Lochalsh and the Far North as far as Ardgay. I just didn't feel like spending a day in the back of beyond, especially considering my masses of requirements elsewhere.

So it looks like this so far:

Sunday- Anglia bash (I get to Norwich at 1248), into London about 1900, then time for dinner etc before joining the 2350 Sleeper to Newton Abbot

Monday- Arrive Newton Abbot 0547 and join the 0607 XC back to Bristol TM, onwards on the Cardiff service, Valley Lines Bash. Return home that night.

Tuesday- Undecided.

Wednesday- Meet friends in Yate in the morning, evening bash on Bristol Metro, then Sleeper to Penzance.

Thursday- Cornish Branches bash, 2230 sleeper from Truro

Friday- Arrive Padd 0513, then do the London Overground PSUL from Battersea Park. Undecided from there but returning home that night.

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[Kristofferson]

Seems a shame to buy an ALR then miss out on the Cally sleeper/highlands/Chieftain/WHL, considering how expensive tickets to travel that kind of distance are...


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[Segedunum]

Seems a shame to buy an ALR then miss out on the Cally sleeper/highlands/Chieftain/WHL, considering how expensive tickets to travel that kind of distance are...


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I'm still using the Cally to get to Glasgow on the second week, and will possibly be going to Oban!

I have however already covered Inverness and to be honest, being based in Newcastle, getting to the Highlands isn't the most expensive (I did Inverness for £29 return and in First Class on one leg!)

Considering i'm getting to Penzance, i'd say i'm covering a good distance and i've already added in an extra sleeper move to let me stay in the Valleys from 0845 to 2000 rather than 1625.

However for yourself being based down south I can imagine that you'd be dying to reach the northern extremities far more than the likes of Hayle and Cardiff Bay
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Well I can confirm all is going well though a trip report might take a while yet!

Sunday saw me cover a few loose ends like Peterborough to Ely before clearing the length of the GEML (Needed it from Ipswich to Gidea Park) and the Sudbury line, as I worked out that on one of my Anglia plans, I didn't have enough time to clear it. May as well! I then spent the evening with my girlfriend and her sister (as they happen to be staying in London this week) before joining the seated sleeper to Newton Abbot.

Oh my god it was horrible! And not because of the train itself. I had happily dozed off by Maidenhead but some family was wide awake and had their kids running up and down the carriage so I was awake by bloody Tilehurst! By Frome I'd had enough and moved but it was too late and didn't properly get to sleep all night. That said, I did seem to drift off at points so whatever I did, kept me awake the next day!

Off to the Valleys yesterday, seeing Barry Island/Penarth/Cardiff Bay/City lines completed as well as the Rhymney line as far as Hengoed. Despite absolutely blitzing through my requirements, I won't be returning as I had far too many bad experiences with the locals! (I had two youths at Cadoxton openly discuss how much they want to punch me in the face, a woman at Newport call me a tw@ as she wanted to force her way off the train before me, and a creepy bloke follow me on a few of my Queen Street leaps which was quite frankly terrifying!) Then it was a slow amble down to Plymouth to pick up the sleeper again.

Much better sleep was had this time, as I was out cold by Totnes, being awoken by the guard literally yelling into the PA that we were near Exeter (again happened at Reading where I was woken up again) but I got a good 5hrs kip which was most welcome!

Today I'm really in the Severn and Solent Rover area (though I've done a few shacks not covered by any rover at all as well as the line from Guildford to Havant) and I'm on 158960 to Southampton as I type this! I'm returning home tonight, before another treble sleeper fest for the rest of the week.

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