Schindler coaches

In service since 1948.

Schindler coaches were among the first major steps in the modernisation of the railways in Portugal, particularly at the Portuguese Railway Company. At the time, it was recognised that the coaches were insufficient and outdated, consisting mainly of wooden-bodied vehicles.

Between 1927 and 1948, passenger numbers doubled, and during that period, the CP fleet was increased by only six carriages built in the company's workshops in Campanhã, Porto.

On 26 June 1947, CP signed a contract worth 12,016,500 Swiss francs with the Swiss company Schindler Wagons SA to purchase 65 coaches of various types. The total number of coaches specified in the contract already included an option to purchase five more: two 2nd class and three 3rd class, but the Company did not exercise this option. Thus, the final value of the 60 Schindler coaches was 11,110,000 Swiss francs, to be paid in stages, with tranches of varying amounts. In December 1948, a fire at the company's factory in Pratteln, in the canton of Basel-Stadt, damaged five vehicles in the fleet ordered by CP. After investigations and technical opinions, the carriages were deemed recoverable but had lost value. As compensation, the Swiss manufacturer offered the Company the option to purchase an additional coach at the attractive price of 15,500 Swiss francs. The Board of Directors accepted the proposal.

Thus, the new fleet of 61 carriages consisted of eight 2nd-class vehicles, nine 2nd-class vehicles with a luggage van, four 3rd-class vehicles with a luggage van, and 40 3rd-class vehicles. The contract signed between CP and Schindler also included a series of requirements to be met by the Swiss company: the rolling stock had to be delivered via the Marvão-Beirã cross-border station on the Cáceres branch line and be ready to run on the Portuguese railway network; the first carriage had to be delivered within eight months and the rest within six to eight months; for two years, and after the contract had been fulfilled, Schindler would have to replace any parts that were defective or showed abnormal wear and tear, fractures or any other type of anomaly free of charge. The coaches had to be delivered between mid-1948 and the end of 1949.

The maiden voyage of the first carriage took place on 18 June 1948 on the Sintra Line between Rossio Station in Lisbon and Sintra. The event was attended by several figures, including representatives of the Company's Board of Directors, Schindler Wagons SA, and the Portuguese and Swiss governments. Despite their differences, the rolling stock shared common characteristics: they were tubular in structure, equipped with bogies, and built of mild steel. They have a spacious saloon, panoramic windows, WC, central heating and are capable of travelling at a maximum speed of 120 km/h.

Initially acquired for the Lisbon suburban service on the Sintra Line, the new rolling stock quickly spread throughout the north of the River Tagus, particularly on the Minho, Douro, Norte, and Ramal de Braga lines, providing various types of service and supporting several special runs. In the 1950s, the Portuguese state and the Company intended to continue modernising the fleet, including by acquiring rolling stock. In 1951, Schindler expressed interest in supplying the Company and even offered to set up a factory in Portugal. However, this did not happen.

When they arrived in Portugal, the carriages featured a colour scheme consisting of red, light grey and black undercoating. The first colour change occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, when a blue livery was introduced for part of the fleet. Alongside these changes, some of the vehicles were converted into first-class carriages, featuring single- and reversible-seat configurations. Subsequently, the third class was abolished as well.

In the 1970s, when CP was nationalised, the carriages changed colour to red and white, with brown ceilings. This colour scheme remained until the early 2000s, when the carriages that existed at the time were withdrawn from commercial service, with the exception of part of the fleet that remained in circulation between 2004 and 2007 as part of the ‘Porto Wine Train’ project and which received a new livery in shades of red wine and brown.

June 2017 marks the official return of part of the remaining fleet of Schindler carriages to commercial service and to the Douro line, after a decade of absence and as part of the creation of the MiraDouro regional train as a way of responding to and reinforcing commercial demand during the busiest season in the Douro Region and on the Douro line. The official presentation of this new service also took place in June, with a short round trip between Contumil and Ermesinde. These vehicles were refurbished and repainted in shades of red, yellow, orange and white.

As part of CP's rolling stock recovery plan, Schindler carriages that had been out of service for almost two decades were restored and integrated into regional services on the Douro line. In addition to being reconditioned, much of the fleet now features new colours in bright red and white. However, some carriages stand out for retaining their 1950s livery and the livery they arrived in Portugal with.

The Schindler carriages are among the largest purchases of rolling stock ever made by the international railway industry in Portugal.