The Royal Train

In the service of the Portuguese Royal Family, between 1862 and 1910

The Portuguese Royal Train is one of the great landmarks of Portuguese railway history and a unique piece worldwide. It served the Portuguese Royal Family between 1862 and 1910, namely Queen Maria Pia of Savoy, King Luiz I and Prince Carlos. This train consisted of a steam engine, its tender (a support vehicle that carried coal), and two saloons. Its unique characteristics represented the ostentation and wealth of the constitutional monarchy era.

Considered at the time to be one of the best and fastest locomotives in the world, the C.F.S No. 1 steam engine, later christened D. Luiz, was acquired to pull the Royal Train. It was built in Manchester, England, in the workshops of Beyer Peacock & Co, and was delivered to the Caminhos de Ferro do Sul e Sudoeste (South and South-East Railway) in 1862. This unique engine was part of the 1862 International Exhibition in London, where it was awarded a gold medal. It was offered to the king for his journeys in the south of the country and could reach a maximum speed of 80 km/h.

Built in 1858 by the Belgian company Compagnie Générale de Materiels de Chemins de Fer, the D.ª Maria Pia saloon was offered by King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy to his daughter, D. Maria Pia, as a wedding gift for King D. Luís. With aesthetic lines inherited from its ancestral coaches and a livery in shades of green and black, accompanied by the royal coats of arms, its sumptuous interior consists of a service antechamber, a living room, and the queen's quarters, which include a bedroom, an adjoining room, and toilet facilities.
The Royal Train was later joined by the Prince's Salon. Purchased in 1877 from the English manufacturer Ibbotson Brothers Co. Limited, based in Sheffield, the salon was a gift from Queen Maria Pia to her son, Prince Carlos, on his 14th birthday. Predominantly green, the saloon is characterised by its luxurious interior and covered balcony. It consists of a small room, a main saloon and a compartment with toilet facilities.
The Portuguese Royal Train was used for royal family trips and ran frequently between Barreiro and Vila Viçosa. Its history is also linked to important moments in the national railway's history. The D. Maria Pia saloon car ran in 1863 at the inauguration of the Eastern Line to the Spanish border near Elvas and at the inauguration of the Maria Pia Bridge in Porto in 1877.

The D. Luiz steam engine was responsible for pulling the first train on the Eastern Line between Lisbon and the border at Elvas in 1863, and the Prince's Saloon was present at the inauguration of the Maria Pia Bridge in 1877. From 1910, the year the republic was established, the saloons were protected to prevent their destruction, and D. Luiz remained in service until 1916, pulling suburban trains on the Southern Line. Seven years later, it was taken out of service.

In 1952, the vehicles were repaired and restored at the Barreiro General Workshops, and were once again in working order. This measure was part of the 1956 Centenary Commemoration of Portuguese Railways. The train was moved to the Santarém museum section in 1979, where it remained on display until 2010. In January that year, it was transferred to the former EMEF workshops in Entroncamento to undergo the restoration process necessary to be included in the ‘Royal Class-Regal Journeys’ exhibition at the Railway Museum in the Dutch city of Utrecht, which ran from 15 April to 5 September 2010.

The Portuguese Royal Train was the highlight of the initiative and since its return, the train has been on static display at the National Railway Museum in Entroncamento.