The CP 1001 to 1006 shunters

Built by The Drewry Car Company.

The CP 1001 to 1006 series diesel shunters entered service with the Portuguese Railway Company in 1948.
Their acquisition was part of the strategy to modernise the rolling stock fleet after World War II and the process of replacing steam traction with diesel. At the time, the scarcity and cost of coal caused constraints on railway operations, a reality that led the state to seek alternatives. It was in this context that these diesel engines were acquired.

Built by the English manufacturer The Drewry Car Company, the fleet of six new locomotives was acquired in 1948 by the Caminhos De Ferro do Estado (C.F.E.) – Direção Geral dos Caminhos de Ferro, through the Re-equipment Plan launched by the Portuguese government at the time. With 150 hp and a maximum speed of 41.5 km/h, these units were acquired to provide auxiliary and shunting services at stations.

As soon as they became available, the Drewry shunters were sent to the Campolide depot, where they performed shunting services for passenger trains that, at the time, began and ended at Rossio station. Still in the Lisbon area, they also performed manoeuvring services between Alcântara-Terra and Cais do Sodré stations, thus ensuring the movement of carriages to and from the Cascais Line.

It was in the 1950s that their geographical area changed, with part of the CP 1001-1006 series fleet transferred to the Barreiro depot, where they provided shunting services for various passenger trains. Later, in the mid-1960s, the Drewrys were transferred again, this time to the north, to the Contumil depot, providing service in Porto Campanhã, Porto São Bento, Gaia and even in Régua.

The original paint scheme for this series of diesel engines was dark green. This was later changed to shades of blue and yellow, with black undercarriage stripes. The series ended its useful life in 1996, with yellow livery and the current CP logo applied.

Preserved by CP for historical purposes, the CP 1002 locomotive is part of the permanent exhibition at the National Railway Museum in Entroncamento.