The Douro Valley line | Put it on your bucket list!

The Douro Valley line | Put it on your bucket list!

As I had a couple of days left on my inter Rail Pass I thought I’d take advantage of the ryer 12299 flight deal from Bristol to Porto in Portugal because yes I’m here in Porto to do a true bucket list trip and to do that I must be at Porto

Sento station for about 9 in the morning well there’s building work outside for a new metro line but inside it’s still resplendent with around 20,000 aula ho tiles which were all the work of yog Colosso this really is a very special place and it’s the perfect place to start this remarkable Journey

Because the train I’m going to take today is the 0920 to Pacino up the Duro Valley stepping through the archway we reach the lovely engine shed and platforms it’s a wonderfully evocative Place somewhat Frozen in Time primarily because the tightly packed City all around and the tunnel portals would make

It impossible I’d think to extend the station in any direction at all although as a result this once Grand Terminus is now the home of commuter and Regional trains the only ones that can fit into these platforms and the local trains do seem prone to some very zealous graffiti it’s such a

Shame anyway as we watch the trains come and go I spy a man hanging around at the end of the platform near the tunnel portal looks like he wants a Word and good morning good morning in January and here I am not wearing a coat on a January morning in Porto so that’s good for a brick specifically Porto Sal vento and I think this one really ticks all the boxes for a Johnny Hoover video so what you kind of expect is

Interesting station architecture and maybe an interesting ride on an interesting train and I think we’ve got all three all three depending on what country you come from um we’ve got all three boxes ticked here anyway um yeah today I’m going to go up the Duro Valley on one of Portugal’s most famous little

Railway lines that cuts up right up the valley into into the hills to Pino and uh yeah I’m really looking forward to this uh the Train’s just about to come in here on the platform one I’m not quite sure what it’s going to be um everything I’ve checked on the internet

Says that this will be the old carriages hauled by uh diesel locomotive an Old English electric diesel locomotive uh but we have to wait and see uh of course Railways can change their plans and their Rolling Stock or guess what the internet can be wrong who knows but uh

Anyway uh only got 5 minutes to wait before the train actually gets chugged into Platform One and we’ll see how it goes so while we wait let’s have a look at the route for today with of course the immediate apology to any Portuguese speakers for the rest of the video

You’re going to get some very bad pronunciations we start off with a quick leg to Porto Campa and then a short Northerly run up the mainline to Irma Cinda after that we will turn roughly easterly along the electrified commuter line but we won’t stop at any stations

Until we follow the Rio Souza into parades and then we’ll keep climbing up by the river until kaid where a tunnel takes us through to the other side at Oliva and we head on down towards the Duro at Marco de canou we leave the electrification behind and shortly

Afterwards we hit the North Bank of the Duro and things get really Scenic and then as we go along there will be stations clinging to the water’s edge as we pass through the biggest town of Rua and onto the tourist hotspot of pinha where lots of passengers will a light

But after pinh how there’s still an hour to go along the most beautiful section of the line just before fadza the line crosses the river and we therefore roll into Pacino on the south side of the water this amazing journey is scheduled to take 3 hours and 18 minutes to cover

The 175 kilm or 109 mil from start to end that gives an average speed of 53 km per hour or 33 mph which coincidentally is about the same average speed as the UK line from iness to KY of Louch that I traveled on recently anday our train comes in drawn

By a class 2600 electric locomotive and behind it comes a rake of Shindler coaches which date back all the way to the 1940s and right by the diesel Loco is a SORA Fame classic car these date from between 1963 and 1984 and here’s our Motive Power it’s a

Class 1400 diesel electric these are based on the UK’s class 20 locomotives and the first 10 of this class were built by English electric this one however 1424 was built in Portugal we have a few minutes before departure so let’s take a look at the coaches we have for

Today well this one is an old third class coach built by Schindler in the 1940s and isn’t it beautifully restored it looks to be in a 3 plus2 configuration and I do wonder how full it gets in the summer months being the train spotter that I am I’m heading up

To the front coach so we can hear a lot more from that wonderful English electric diesel engine when we finally get going and actually this coach look looks a bit more comfortable too well that’s great we locked out we’ve definitely got the old Loco Hall train isn’t it

Fantastic so uh yeah station done cute train done so let’s get out there and uh have a look at this line all the way down through the Valley after a tunnel or two and a bit of bridge spting the train PS into Porto Campa station which is the station where the inter city and Alpha pendular trains all call I will be back here tomorrow to catch my Train to Lisbon on one of cp’s

Alpha pendula trains so look out for that trip report on the channel soon and then we’re out along the main Northbound line through the Porto suburbs and I doubt we’re ever going to get much faster than this as our class 1400 can only manage a top speed of about 100 Kmph Beyond parades there are some lovely old Vineyards by the track side penile has a modern concrete station but just beyond that the old station build building is still there just before CID we are met by the early morning train from Pacino coming the other way and then we plunge into the tunnel

And pop out with well completely different weather I was not expecting this Mist I do hope it doesn’t hang around too long however this this really is a lovely stretch of line as we head south for the Duro and as we await an oncoming commuter train to clear the single line

Section there’s always time for the staff to have a cigarette and then the English electric wine comes in strong as we accelerate away this is the life these valleys are really lovely what a great start to the trip and then suddenly there it is the panoramic views of this Majestic

Waterway is a breathtaking start to this Riverside section oh boy this really is wonderful moyo if that’s how you pronounce it is the first of quite a few small stations with amazing views from the platform it really is cool when you turn a corner or pop out of a short tunnel or

Cutting to find yourself right on the water’s edge the Doro Valley Line was actually built as an international through route the Western section of the line that we’ve already traversed was opened in 1875 and the line reached Chino in early 1887 and by the end of that year the

Link right through to salaman in Spain was complete however over on the Spanish side Renay closed their section of line to the Border in 1984 and the Portuguese were therefore obliged to close their short section to the Border too and then 4 years later the line was further truncated to terminate at

Pinho I have read There are hopes to reinstate the line back to the Border Town of Bara de Alva and if that happens I will definitely be returning however looking at Google’s satellite view of the Spanish side there are a lot of tunnels and bridges there

So I would not hold your breath waiting for the Spanish to reinstate their portion of the line as we go along on both sides of the river we can see Terraces for The Vineyards as we pull away from the river bank our class 1400 has to open up on the

Incline at radar we meet a CP class 592 diesel multiple unit the 592 is also work the line alongside the Loco hold stock and the camel nickname refers to the roof mounted air conditioning units I’m very pleased to be not riding on one although I do wonder if the locals

Prefer them when it’s hot as at least they do have air conditioning Rua is the largest settlement on the route and there’s quite a lot of people getting on and off these double-faced Portuguese Railway clocks are a Delight I’m so pleased to see so many of them up and down the

Line Rua is also an important crossing point with its Three Bridges the newest carrying the a24 high over the river which we get a great view of as we cross the river corgo and continue on our way the beautiful little Wayside stations keep coming and Koval linas is no

Exception with lovely tiling and a two-face clock and once again as our Wheels skim close to the water’s edge the class 1400 drags us onwards in fact now I mentioned the locomotive let’s get an even closer look and listen as we climb up away from the

River and was RA a Wonder this Old Carriage is well deed out for tourists to bring cycles and there’s room for many of them here at the front this really is a magical ride and you know what we still haven’t got to the best bits and as we start to approach pinh

How most of my tourist colleagues ready themselves to park company with the train because pin how is really the last true tourist destination on the route with cafes restaurants Winer is and the chance to switch to and from rivercraft all that being said I think it’s a poor

Choice to miss out on the last hour on the train and you will soon get to see why we cross the river Tua and then come to Tua station itself to meet the 1108 departure from Pacino and it’s great news that both trains are running spot

On time there’s just a few moments for the crews to exchange pleasantries and then we’re back on our way now there used to be a Narrow Gauge line that ran North from Tua and this looks to be the only remnants okay as it’s a historic train let’s have

A quick toilet tour yes anything you put down the toilet will indeed land on the track below but the facilities are all stocked and working and pretty clean there’s even a vanity light and maybe a working shaver plug altogether not bad for a toilet on a train that is about 60

Years old and whilst I’ve been in the toilet we’ve entered the much steeper Gorge as we head on up to where the Duro is much younger and once again Allegria is a little station that has truly some of the best platform views to be found anywhere in

Europe nobody boards or leaves the train but also nobody complains about the paes as they enjoy the moment and of course if you stop it means the class 1400 has to accelerate again just up the line is the valra dam and hydroelectric plant but we only get a quick look

Before we plunge into one of the many short tunnels and then we burst out to this amazing view honestly I can’t imagine why you’d want to lead the train before seeing this at fadza the line crosses the Duro on the one and only occasion on the whole trip

Without a breath of wind up here the river’s glassy Reflections are incredibly special you know this is why I do this YouTube thing for sure well I hope they get the clock fixed at varash but just imagine sharing a bottle sat around that concrete table awaiting the Porto train as the after

Afternoon cools into the evening so I’ll be quiet now and we can enjoy these last views of the river and then finally we briefly say goodbye to the Duro as it snakes northwards but we shortened the trip to Pino by passing through our final tunnel of the journey

The smoke stacks of the Pino concrete Factory Mark our destination in the distance as we make one last sweep Through The Vineyards and the olive Groves and here we arrive at 12:38 spot on time Journey’s End and now there’s just 30 minutes to wait before the train reverses to return us to

Porto but not before the crew have time to to eat a snack use the bathroom and no doubt smoke the odd cigarette or two like all the stations on the line Pacino is a pocket Beauty the exterior two-faced clock is complimented by a really cool little waiting room with

Antique weighing scales and a grandfather clock still ticking its way through the decades there’s just a little time before we leave to get a Clos look at the engine just one more time and here we are at Pino and it’s not as you might have thought some kind

Of uh Brazilian football player but in fact a railway station here and isn’t it great it’s absolutely fantastic I mean I hope you’ve enjoyed that run I mean you can imagine I enjoyed it it was everything it was cracked up to be if you’ve got any chance of ever riding on

This train then do it do it while you still can cuz you never know when they’re going to stop doing it so please get over the Porto get on this train it was absolutely Fant fantastic absolutely brilliant and I hope you enjoyed it and if you did enjoy it give it a like

Subscribe all of that stuff and um yeah thank you very much for getting to the end of another Johnny Hoover video and uh thank you very much and thank you to all of you who watch and comment yes if you’ve uh if you have any good ideas of

Anything else a bit like this that I ought to be doing then do drop me a note in the comments and uh I’ll see if I can get there in the meantime from Pacino here in the the beautiful Duro Valley in Portugal it’s goodbye and thank you so much for

Watching and with that I hopped onto the rear most Shindler Carriage to try out one of those for the ride back to Porto and I obviously could not resist just taking a few photos on the way and earlier in the video I mentioned another classic water side trip so if

You’ve not yet seen it why not share a ride with me from iness to Historic Kyle of Lal

Here’s a trip I’ve wanted to do since I started the channel. It’s the absolutely stunning Douro valley line that follows the river east from Porto to Pocinho. I think after watching this, you will agree this is one of the most magical train journeys you can take anywhere in Europe, maybe even the world.

The line hugs the banks of the Douro through villages and towns with quaint little stations marking off your progress. Either side, the terraced landscape leads you down to the water’s edge as the train wends its way through increasingly stunning landscapes.

That would be enough in itself, but the ride takes place in 1940s and 1960s coaches being drawn by an old 1960s diesel locomotive. But this isn’t a heritage railway, this is a timetabled daily service from Portugal’s railway operator Cambiois de Portugal (CP)

Departure: Porto, Portugal
Destination: Pocinho, Portugal
Distance: 175 km / 109 miles
Duration: 3 hrs 18 mins
Average speed: 53 km/h 33 mph

Cost: Adult return €26,10 / £22.30

Date of Travel: January 2024
Operator: Cambiois de Portugal (CP)
Motive power: Class 1400 diesel loco. Built: Sorefame, Portugal (c1968)

Thank you to everyone that supports the channel by subscribing, liking, commenting or just watching these videos. I really appreciate it!