Portugueses railways in the 1890s

between a faith in progress and a technological pessimism

Abstract

In the Portuguese railway historiography, the 1890s practically are not analysed critically, as a decade of retraction in the sector, which contrasted with the large investments made in the previous years, especially during the 1880s. In this paper, I propose a global analysis of that period, encompassing both the continental and the overseas railway sector, as one cannot be fully understood without the other. I highlight the opposition between the faith in the technological fix, typical of the Regeneração and of the Portuguese engineers of the time, and a technological pessimism accrued from the a feeling of disappointment with the results of the investment in railways and with the private companies that managed it that reached its peak with the British Ultimatum of 1890 and the partial default of 1892. I will read on parliamentary debates, technical reports and the existing state of the art to explain how by the end of the 19^th century, the faith in technology prevailed and managed to overcome a moment of severe crisis.