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The featured image for this article shows 'Argyll' (a Barclay built 0-6-2T) taking its train Southeast out of Campbeltown before turning Southwest to run round the South side of the town. This image was shared on the Machrihanish Online Facebook Page on 26th July 2023. (c) Public Domain. [22] The Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway was a 6-mile, 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) narrow-gauge railway in Kintyre, Scotland, operating between 1906 and 1934. It ran from Campbeltown's New Quay to Machrihanish, primarily serving coal traffic while also transporting tourists and locals across the peninsula. It replaced an earlier industrial tramway which was built in 1876 and used by the Argyll Coal and Canal Company, which before this had replaced a canal. In 1876, the line followed the line of the old canal that used to be used to transport coal. In 1905/6 the curves were improved and the steeper gradients eased. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/07/01/the-campbeltown-and-machrihanish-light-railway/

Part 6 - Over Land & Sea: Magical Views and Sea-Hugging Routes on Europe’s Best Coastal Train Lines – Part B – Spain and Italy The featured image for this article comes from the FEVE lines of Northern Spain. It shows a typical DMU in use on the FEVE network, together with a number of single-car units, these vehicles provide services across the network, (c) Elfo del Bosque and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 3.0). [151] The travel section of the Saturday Guardian Magazine on 23rd May 2023 included a few pages about train journeys in Europe (pages 72 to 77). This is the sixth part of a look at those pages. … Nicky Gardner is lead author of Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide (Hidden Europe, £21.99). The 19th edition of the book was published on 22nd June 2026. To order a copy for £19.79 go to guardianbookshop. com. Delivery charges may apply! This second part of a look at the coastal routes highlighted by Nicky Gardner focusses on two railways – one in Spain and the other in Italy. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/06/28/the-guardian-lifestyle-travel-23rd-may-2026-part-6-over-land-sea-magical-views-and-sea-hugging-routes-on-europes-best-coastal-train-lines-part-b-spain-and-italy/

Friends of The West Highland Lines Journal – ‘West Highland News Plus’ The featured image for this article shows the Jacobite arriving at Mallaig Railway Station, © Mary & Angus Hogg and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [18] In the bookshop at Wemyss Bay Railway Station in May 2026, I picked up the Spring 2026 issue of West Highland News Plus which is the magazine of the friends of The West Highland Lines. It reminded me that 2026 is the 125th anniversary of the opening of the Mallaig Extension on 1st April 1901. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/06/26/friends-of-the-west-highland-lines-journal-west-highland-news-plus/

Corrour Station is near Loch Ossian on the Corrour Estate. It is the highest mainline railway station in the United Kingdom at an elevation of 1,340 feet (410 m) above sea level. It is located between Rannoch and Tulloch, and is sited 71 miles 54 chains (115.3 km) from Craigendoran Junction, near Helensburgh. In the 21st century, ScotRail manages the station and provides the most services, along with Caledonian Sleeper. [2] The featured image for this article is from a video of steam at work on Rannoch Moor not far from Corrour. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/06/26/corrour-railway-station/

The Edaville Railroad, South Carver, Massachusetts, again. … The featured image for this article is Monson Railroad No. 4 on an Edaville Railroad works train in 1950, © Public Domain. [2: p93] In January 2026, I was reading an early copy of The Railway Magazine and wrote an article about the Edaville Railroad which can be found above. [1] In January 2026, I had not really cottoned-on to the significance of the Edaville Railroad as a pioneer in the field of preservation. We all recognise the Talyllyn Railway as the first railway in the world to be preserved. But the Edaville Railroad predates the date in 1951 when volunteers began running the Talyllyn. The Edaville Railroad opened in 1947. It was not a ‘preserved’ railway, but it still has a claim to being the first heritage railway. It was a 2ft-gauge railway, built by an enthusiast on a green field site to run historic stock. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/06/18/the-edaville-railroad-south-carver-massachusetts-again/

Ronachan Point, Kintyre – Limestone Tramway Ronachan Point, located on the Kintyre peninsula, features remnants of a very short industrial limestone quarry and a 19th-century tramway used to transport materials to a nearby slipway. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/17/ronachan-point-kintyre-limestone-tramway/

The Guardian Lifestyle Travel – 23rd May 2026 – Part 5 – Over Land & Sea: Magical Views and Sea-Hugging Routes on Europe’s Best Coastal Train Lines – Part A – Scotland, Ireland and Germany The travel section of the Saturday Guardian Magazine on 23rd May 2023 included a few pages about train journeys in Europe (pages 72 to 77). This is the fifth part of a look at those pages. The featured image for this article is a view looking Southeast towards the buffers at Kyle of Lochalsh Railway Station and across the Kyle to Skye in 1939, the ferry to Kyleakin is off scene to the right. A train is leaving for Dingwall and Inverness, managed by an ex-Highland 4-6-0 locomotive, © Walter Dendy and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [14] Nicky Gardner, lead co-author of the guidebook ‘Europe by Rail’, has championed slow travel across the continent’s most scenic routes. Her writings highlight sea-hugging railways where travellers can take in spectacular coastal panoramas, deep fjords, and dramatic cliffs right from the carriage window. The short Guardian article featuring a few such routes was written by her and is directly quoted here. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/06/10/the-guardian-lifestyle-travel-23rd-may-2026-part-5-over-land-sea-magical-views-and-sea-hugging-routes-on-europes-best-coastal-train-lines/

I saw the featured image in the article in a photo book compiled by Alton Douglas for Beacon Radio in 1987, ‘Memories of the Wrekin and Beyond’. It shows Lilleshall Estate’s 2ft-gauge railway in action in 1933. [1: p47] The Lilleshall Estate in Shropshire featured a historic 2-foot gauge miniature railway that operated from 1928 until the onset of World War II. Built to entertain tourists, the line used unique petrol-powered, steam-outline locomotives manufactured by E.E. Baguley Ltd. Opened in 1928 and closed in 1939. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/06/14/lilleshall-abbey-woodland-railway/

Locomotives of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) – 1920 I have just been given a small pamphlet style paperback book compiled and published in June 1920 by W.G. Tilling. The featured image for this article comes from the frontispiece of Tilling’s book. It is a picture of the Class L 4-6-4T superheated large tank locomotive ‘Charles C. Macrae’. [1] Tilling’s forward to the book states: “For many years particulars of the locomotives running on our railway lines were difficult to obtain, but the Great Western Railway Company a year or two back broke through the usual official reticence by publishing a list of all their named engines. This was doubtless done to interest the general public in that railway, and I believe has proved a successful advertisement. “Unofficial lists have also been published of the engines of the London and North Western Railway and a few of the smaller lines. Following these examples, I am prompted to deal with the locomotives of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway." http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/06/13/locomotives-of-the-london-brighton-south-coast-railway-lbscr-1920/

Railways of Tanzania – Part 7 – The Central Line – An Introductory History and the Length of Line from Dar-es-Salaam to Mikese The featured image for this article is a photograph of East African Railways (EAR) Class 30 steam locomotive No. 3019 ‘Nyamwezi’ at Tabora depot on the Central Line, Tanzania in 1968. Class 30 locomotives were oil-burning 2-8-4 steam locomotives. Built in the 1950s by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow, the 26 engines in the Class were named after indigenous tribes across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika (now Tanzania). They were known as the ‘Tribal Class’ of locomotives, (c) Basil Roberts and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). [44] The line from Dar-es-Salaam to Kigoma. was known during the German Protectorate as the Mittelland Bahn. Under British colonial control it was the Central Line. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/06/04/railways-of-tanzania-part-7-the-central-line-an-introductory-history-and-the-length-of-line-from-dar-es-salaam-to/

The Railways of West Cumberland – Part 2 The featured image for this article is a photograph taken by Walter Dendy of a football excursion returning from Egremont to Carlisle passing through Distington Railway Station behind ex-LMS Class ‘4F’ Locomotive No. 44461 in 1951. The line to the left is to Rowrah and Kelton Fell line, © W. Dendy and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [6] This article is based around the potted history of West Cumberland’s railways written by C. A. Knight and included in his article in The Railway Magazine of November 1954. [1] Knight explains that the growing importance of Carlisle as a railway centre, sitting as it did on the natural route between England and Scotland and already the terminus of existing and proposed railways. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/31/the-railways-of-west-cumberland-part-2/

The Guardian Lifestyle Travel – Saturday 23rd May 2026 – Part 4 – Readers’ Favourite Railway Journeys – Part B The travel section of the Saturday Guardian Magazine on 23rd May 2023 included a few pages about train journeys in Europe (pages 72 to 77). This is the fourth part of a look at those pages and includes more reader’s recommendations of journeys by train. It includes a few more uploaded by the Guardian online. The featured image for this article is a photograph of Le Petit Train Jaune which runs from Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour de Carol/Enveitg in the Pyrenees, © A1AA1A and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 3.0). [33] 4. Readers’ Favourite Railway Journeys – Part B F. Vintage Locomotives in Tuscany. G. Alpine beauty on the Montreux to Interlaken line. H. Slow travel at its best: Belgrade to Bar. I. Through Italy’s Apennines to Rome from the Adriatic. J. Best way to See the Pyrenees? On a Little Yellow Train! http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/28/the-guardian-lifestyle-travel-saturday-23rd-may-2026-part-4-readers-favourite-railway-journeys-part-b/

The Guardian Lifestyle Travel – Saturday 23rd May 2026 – Part 3 – Readers’ Favourite Railway Journeys – Part A The travel section of the Saturday Guardian Magazine on 23rd May 2023 included a few pages about train journeys in Europe (pages 72 to 77). This is the third part of a look at those pages and focuses on some reader’s recommendations of journeys by train. It includes a few more uploaded by the Guardian online. The featured image for this article is a Flexity Outlook Eurotram at Trindade station in Porto, Portugal, © Cornelius Kibelka and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [3] 3. Readers’ Favourite Railway Journeys A. A Dramatic Metro Line in Porto B. Fjords and Waterfalls in Norway C. An Electric Gem in Germany D. The Swiss Watchmakers’ Line E. Charmed by the Vienna to Zagreb train http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/27/the-guardian-lifestyle-travel-saturday-23rd-may-2026-part-3-readers-favourite-railway-journeys-part-a/

The Guardian Lifestyle Travel - Saturday 23rd May 2026 Part 2 – Nice to Tende The travel section of the Saturday Guardian Magazine on 23rd May 2023 included a few pages about train journeys in Europe (pages 72 to 77). This is the second part of a look at those pages. … The featured image for this article is the Train des Merveilles (Train of Wonders), a scenic tourist train that runs between Nicye, France, and Tende, France. Services also run on to Cuneo. The train travels through the Roya Valley, through rugged gorges, picturesque villages, and numerous tunnels. The line is a feat of engineering, featuring hundreds of bridges and tunnels to traverse the steep terrain of Les Alpes Maritime. The viaduct shown in the featured image is the Viaduc de l’Erbossiera, a unique structure designed to run longitudinally through a river gorge having a singular upturned ‘U’-shaped pier (just off the left of the photograph), © Monaco Tribune, (although used on a significant number of different webpages). [14] 2. France’s Wonder Train My wife and I stay regularly in Nice or in Les Alpes Maritime and have often travelled on the line between Nice, Tende and Cuneo – Le Train des Merveilles. A particular favourite location to stay has been the perched village of Saorge which overlooks a section of the line. In recent years, the valley of La Roya has experienced devastating flooding. In October 2023, Storm Alex hit the valleys of the Royal and the Vesubie causing catastrophic damage. The Institut Géographique National published excellent interactive maps showing the Roya and Vésubie valleys before and after Alex. These can be found here. [2] http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/24/the-guardian-lifestyle-travel-saturday-23rd-may-2026-part-2-nice-to-tende/

[b]Part 1 – Naples[/b] The travel section of the Saturday Guardian Magazine on 23rd May 2023 included a few pages about train journeys in Europe (pages 72 to 77). The featured image for this short article is a photograph of a EAV (Ente Autonomo Volturno)-owned Circumvesuviana train at Napoli Garibaldi station, © Falk2 and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 3.0). [b]1. Time Travel on the Naples Line[/b] The first of the articles, written by Sophia Seymour picks up on a new film about the region around Naples which “reveals rarely visited villas, seismic landscapes and a ‘civilisation buried mid-sentence’ – all accessible by train.” [1: p72] http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/24/the-guardian-lifestyle-travel-saturday-23rd-may-2026-part-1-naples/