rogerfarnworth

Modern Tramway – January 1951 – The ‘Felthams’ in Leeds I have a few older copies of Modern Tramway which I had not yet read. The first of these is the January 1951 issue, this is a second reflection from that copy of the Journal. As the London network began to close a significant number of trams were sold. This copy of Modern Tramway notes that the remaining ‘Felthams’ were sold to Leeds City Transport. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/11/modern-tramway-january-1951-the-felthams-in-leeds/

Modern Tramway – January 1951 – Birmingham Bustigestion! I have a few older copies of Modern Tramway which I had not yet read. The first of these is the January 1951 issue. The editorial for this issue of Modern Tramway was a long update on Birmingham’s tram-scrapping programme. An update that railed against the dominance of the bus! It was clearly written by someone who knew the centre of Birmingham at the start of the 1950s very well. The featured image for this article shows a tram service on Slade Road, Erdington in 1951, the photograph was shared on the Birmingham Area History Facebook Group by Jan Ross on 23rd November 2023, © Public Domain. Roger FarnworthModern Tramway – January 1951 – Birmingham Bustigestion!I have a few older copies of Modern Tramway which I had not yet read. The first of these is the January 1951 issue. The editorial for this issue of Modern Tramway was a long update on Birmingham&#8…

We enjoyed a visit to Wemyss Bay Railway Station in early May, while we were waiting for the ferry to the Isle of Bute. [Quote]The featured image for this article shows Wemyss Bay Railway Station from the covered walkway to the pier. A steam-powered service from Glasgow has just arrived, © Public Domain. [/Quote] Roger FarnworthWemyss Bay Railway StationWe enjoyed a visit to Wemyss Bay Railway Station in early May, while we were waiting for the ferry to the Isle of Bute. The featured image for this article shows Wemyss Bay Railway Station from the…

It was announced on 22nd October 2025 that the lines through the Channel Tunnel would see double-decker trains by 2031. An order was placed for their construction and delivery in October 2025. This article takes a look at the history of double-deck trains and carriages. The featured image for this article shows what one of these trains would look like in Eurostar’s grey livery. The fully electric fleet of trains will be named Eurostar Celestia, which comes from the Latin word caelestis, meaning ‘heavenly’. The colour of the train has not yet been decided, but the current colour of Eurostar trains is grey, dark blue and yellow. Each train would be 200m long. Currently two are run together making an entire service 400m long. Double-decker trains don’t have twice as many seats as a single-deckers though, just because there needs to be room for interior steps, but there would be a fifth more seats. This means an increase from just under 900 seats on the current service to just over a thousand. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/04/double-decker-trains/

A mineral railway and enlarged harbour were constructed in 1853/1854 with a first significant cargo of limestone leaving the Carnlough harbour for Scotland in mid-August 1854. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/04/23/the-carnlough-limestone-railway-and-harbour-carnlough-co-antrim/

The Railways of West Cumberland – Part 1 – An Introduction The November 1954 issue of The Railway Magazine included an article by C. A. Knight about the railways between Sellafield and Maryport and inland as far as Cockermouth and Kelton Fell. [Quote]Reading Knight’s article encouraged me to begin a review of the different railways and tramways of the area. This article is the first of a series. … [/Quote] http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/02/the-railways-of-west-cumberland-part-1-an-introduction/

Parliament and the Railways in 1858. N. Caplan reviewed parliamentary activity relating to railways in 1858 in The Railway Magazine of December 1958. His aim was to encourage research into railway history through the various Acts of Parliament relating to railways. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/02/parliament-and-the-railways-in-1858/

[b]Part 1 Introduction and the Route of the Railway from Gällivare to Arvidsjaur[/b] The featured image for this article is a picture of Swedish State Railways (Swedish: Statens Järnvägar) Locomotive No. 907 at Arvidsjaur Railway Station. The image is dated May 1935, (c) Public Domain. [60] Known as Sweden’s Inland Railway, the Inlandsbanan “extends from Gällivare, in Lapland, to Kristinehamn, on Lake Väner, in Värmland, a distance of 800 miles, through scenery that ranges from the tundra of the Arctic to the forest lands of Central Sweden.” [1: p826] The line is known for its leisurely pace, allowing for wildlife spotting (reindeer, elk) and spontaneous stops, with onboard hosts providing commentary. Trains operate with daily departures during the 3 months of high summer, often with packages that include hotels. It also operates for 4 months in the winter. Roger FarnworthSweden’s Inland Railway (Inlandsbanan) – Part 1 – Introdu...The featured image for this article is a picture of Swedish State Railways (Swedish: Statens Järnvägar) Locomotive No. 907 at Arvidsjaur Railway Station. The image is dated May 1935, (c) Public Dom…

Part 1 - A Short History The featured image for this article is a 4-4-0 Locomotive No. 694 – one of a class of 15 built by the North British Locomotive Company in Scotland for Egyptian State Railways in 1905-06, © Public Domain. [1] Egyptian National Railways (Al-Sikak al-Ḥadīdiyyah al-Miṣriyyah) is the national railway network of Egypt. Founded in 1854, it is the oldest railway system in Africa and the Middle East. [1] Much of what follows comes from the Wikipedia article about Egypt’s national railway network [1] and from Hugh Hughes book, ‘Middle East Railways’, published by the Continental Railway Circle. [3] Other sources include Grace’s Guide, [6] the Egyptian Government [7] and the Institute of Developing Economies. [8] [Quote] 1833-1877 Wikipedia tells us that, “In 1833, Muhammad Ali Pasha considered building a railway between Suez and Cairo to improve transit between Europe and India. Muhammad Ali had proceeded to buy the rail when the project was abandoned due to pressure by the French who had an interest in building a canal instead.” [/Quote] http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/04/01/egyptian-railway-history-a-short-version/

The November 1954 edition of The Railway Magazine contained an article by Robert Legget about the Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire. He was surprised to find that in 1954 it was claiming to be 'the first mountain climbing railway in the world'. It is beyond doubt that it is among the pioneer mountain railways of the world, but the first? http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/04/15/the-mount-washington-cog-railway/

Part 6 – The British Mandate and the Trust – The Years of British Rule including the approach of World War II Roger FarnworthRailways of Tanzania – Part 6 – The British Mandate and t...The featured image for this article is a photograph of the first ,’corridor’ mail train leaving Dar es Salaam in 1922. The locomotive is No. 1098 ex NGSR of India (later a TR NZ Class L…

[B]Part 5 – Tanga to Ruvu (and thence to Dar-es-Salaam)[/B] Roger FarnworthRailways of Tanzania – Part 5 – Tanga to Ruvu (and thence...This is the fifth article about the Railways of Tanzania, and there will be more to come. The featured image for this article is an EAR Class 30 locomotive No. 3019 ‘Nyamwezi’ at Tabora…

Following on from a couple of articles about the Tanat Valley Light Railway written some years back, I was reading some older rather tatty magazines and found an article entitled “Rails up the Tanat Valley” in an issue of the Ian Allan publication ‘Railway World‘ – the June 1990 edition. The featured image for the linked article is a photograph taken in August 1963 of an unidentified pannier tank crossing the A495 with a ballast train from Blodwell, heading for Llynclys Junction. One of the train crew is seeing the train across the crossing. An old gas lamp retains its red glass aspect to the road, GWR-style © Andrew Buckley. In his article, Colin Ganley recounted the rise and decline of the minor lines running west from Oswestry, the last remnant of which by 1990 had been ‘mothballed’. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/03/19/rails-up-the-tanat-valley The earlier articles can be found on this forum, failing that these are the relevant links: http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/09/18/the-tanat-valley-light-railway-and-the-nantmawr-branch-part-1 http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/17/the-tanat-valley-light-railway-and-the-nantmawr-branch-part-2

[i][b]The Railway Magazine[/b][/i] of November 1954 reported that East African Railways & Harbours had begun to name its new ’60’ Class Beyer- Garratt locomotives. They chose to name them after past and present Governors. The ’60’ Class were then the most powerful Beyer-Garratt locomotives to be delivered to East Africa. Twenty-seven (29? [1]) had been ordered, and by the Autumn of 1954, twenty-five had been delivered, with 20 already in service. Other locomotive classes were also given names. ... The short linked article focuses on the ass 59 and Class 60 Beyer-Garratts. [Quote]The featured image shows East African Railways (EAR) ’60’ Class Beyer-Garratt steam locomotive No. 6019 at Tabora depot, Tanzania in 1968, © Basil Roberts and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0).[/Quote] http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/03/26/named-locomotives-in-east-africa/

Steam Heating Tenders for Class 4E locomotives The November 1954 edition of The Railway Magazine reported that, “An improved type of steam-heating tender for electric main-line trains has been brought into use on the Cape Western and Natal systems of South African Railways. The new tenders are fitted with automatic oil-burning generators and are stated to be both cleaner and more effective than the former coal-burning type." Historically, passenger carriages in South Africa were heated using steam heating systems powered by steam locomotives, or later via steam generators in diesel/electric locomotives. These systems supplied steam through pipes to heaters within the coaches. Other than the short piece in The Railway Magazine, I have been unable to find any reference to the need for SHGs with Class 4E locomotives. Roger FarnworthSouth Africa: Steam Heating Tenders for Class 4E LocomotivesThe November 1954 edition of The Railway Magazine reported that, “An improved type of steam-heating tender for electric main-line trains has been brought into use on the Cape Western and Nata…

Les Chemins de Fer du Sud de la France - Ligne du Littoral - St. Raphael -Toulon. (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 94) This very short post returns to the coastal line between St. Raphael and Toulon. Two videos make use of historic photographs which have been given a treatment using Al and which has created short vignettes with moving images. Roger FarnworthLes Chemins de Fer du Sud de la France – Ligne du Littora...This very short post returns to the coastal line between St. Raphael and Toulon. Two excellent videos scripted in French have been produced by ‘Group Speleo de Vence’. These cover the f…I have written extensively about the three main routes of the Chemins de Fer du Sud in the past, all of the articles have links to them on the forum. Failing that this link can be followed: https://rogerfarnworth.com/category/railways-and-tramways-blog/french-railways-and-tramways/railways-and-tramways-around-nice The first article on this link is the one above and others follow.

600 mm Narrow Gauge Lines used during World War 1 in East Africa – Predominantly in what is now Tanzania 600 mm gauge trolley lines (often known as Feldbahnen or “field railways”) played a crucial role in the East African Campaign of the First World War, particularly in German East Africa (GEA) where they were used for both industrial and military logistics. These narrow-gauge systems were used to connect coastal areas, plantations, and interior supply depots to the main standard-gauge (1,000 mm) railways, or directly to the frontline. [QUOTE]Numerous privately owned 600 mm gauge Sisal Plantation Railways operated throughout the coastal and Tanga regions of German East Africa. These lines linked the plantations to factories and ultimately to the port at Tanga. During the first world war these were adapted for military use and transported troops, supplies and weapons.[/QUOTE] http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/03/16/600-mm-narrow-gauge-lines-used-during-world-war-1-in-east-africa/

Part 10 – The Mkumbara to Neu Hornow Cableway/Ropeway, Usambara Hills, German East Africa/Tanganyika The western Usambara Hills were characterised by precipitous cliffs and deep gorges. The provision of a rail link between Mkumbara and Neu Hornow was not considered practical. A 9 km long ropeway was constructed, under the ownership of “the firm of Wilkens and Wiese, and designed to carry cedar from the Shume plateau to the railway, an enterprise that was never an economic success. The longest span of the ropeway, 907 metres, was said to be the longest in the world when it was built in the years 1910-1911.” [1: p75] Wood was transported via the Goatal/Ngoha Valley in the Schumewald/Shume Forest. [2] Roger FarnworthTanzania Railways – Part 10 – The Mkumbara to Neu Hornow...The western Usambara Hills were characterised by precipitous cliffs and deep gorges. The provision of a rail link between Mkumbara and Neu Hornow was not considered practical. A 9 km long ropeway w…

A number of different articles are under preparation, this is the next completed article: Part 9 – Narrow-Gauge Industrial Lines The featured image for this article shows a train on the Kihuhui Bridge on the Sigi Railway in Tanganyika. Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania) possessed a dense network of industrial narrow-gauge railways, primarily developed during the German colonial era (German East Africa) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to support plantation agriculture and forestry. While the main lines (Central Line and Usambara Railway) were built to 1,000 mm (metre) gauge, industrial, plantation, and forestry lines often used 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) or 750 mm (2 ft 5 1⁄2 in) gauge. Following World War I, the British administration deemed many of the 600 mm “light railways” to be economically inefficient compared to the, at the time, more efficient 1,000 mm metre-gauge lines, leading to a shift away from developing these smaller lines. Early Industrial Narrow Gauge lines included: the Sigi Railway; and the Sisal Plantation Railways. Later industrial lines included: the Southern Province Railway, the Port of Bujumbura Railway, and Narrow Gauge Railways near Moshi. Roger FarnworthRailways of Tanzania – Part 9 – Narrow-Gauge Industrial L...The featured image for this article shows a train on the Kihuhui Bridge on the Sigi Railway in Tanganyika. [3] Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania) possessed a dense network of industrial narrow-gauge…

Part 3 - The Railway Line from Voi to Kahe The majority of this line was in Kenya, built to support the war effort in the First World War. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/04/09/railways-of-tanzania-part-3-voi-kenya-to-kahe-and-moshi-tanzania

Railways of Tanzania – Part 4 – Moshi to Arusha The featured image in the linked post is a photograph of East African Railways (EAR) 29 class steam locomotive no. 2904 at Moshi depot, Tanzania, © Basil Roberts and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). The Moshi-Arusha railway line is a 86 km extension of the Usambara Railway (Usambarabahn) in northern Tanzania, It was initially built between 1911 and 1929 and rehabilitated in 2018–2019, the metre-gauge line connects the Northern zone to the port of Tanga, and mainly serves as a freight corridor for agriculture and industrial goods. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/04/15/railways-of-tanzania-part-4-moshi-to-arusha/

Part 2 - The Route of the Usambarabahn The Route of the Usambara Railway – Tanga to Moshi In 2018, the Government of Tanzania invested 5.7 billion Tanzanian shillings to rehabilitate the line. As of July 2019, diesel powered cargo trains were leaving Tanga Railway Station again. Passenger transport between Tanga and Arusha was planned to start in September 2019, but has not been commenced as yet. [6] The line has its terminus in the Port of Tanga. It leaves the Port of Tanga (Hafen von Tanga) to run towards Tanga station and from there on to Moshi. Roger FarnworthRailways of Tanzania – Part 2 – The Route of the Usambara...NB: Given the way in which some of the images in this article have been displayed, this article is best read/viewed on a laptop or desktop computer rather than a mobile phone. If you need to read i…

This thread is meant to cover all the railways of Tanzania, starting with the old metre-gauge lines. [Quote]Over recent years, I have reported events relating to the railways of Kenya and Uganda but have singularly failed to do so in relation to the railway network in Tanzania. This has probably been because of an abiding interest in the railways associated with what is now referred to as the Northern Corridor (when referring to the Standard Gauge Railway network). It is time to rectify this situation. … [/Quote] First, a look at the history of the various lines in Tanzania. The linked article focusses on the history of the Usambara Railway (Usambarabahn) in the north of Tanzania. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/03/16/railways-of-tanzania/

The featured image in the linked article shows a horse-drawn/mule-drawn tram in Zanzibar before the turn of the 20th century. Zanzibar hosted two early rail systems, with a mule-drawn tramway operating from 1879 to 1888 between Stone Town and Chukwani, which later used a steam locomotive. A second, more notable 7-mile line known as the Bububu Railway ran from 1905 to 1930, connecting Stone Town to Bububu, featuring passenger service and, briefly, electric street lighting. [Quote] "The First Line (1879–1888): Built by Sultan Barghash bin Said, this, one of the first, tracks in sub-Saharan Africa. The 2ft-gauge line ran from the Sultan’s palace at Stone Town to Chukwani. Initially the two coaches were hauled by mules but in 1881 the Sultan ordered an 0-4-0T locomotive from the English locomotive builders Bagnall, this was named ‘Sultanee’. The railway saw service until the Sultan died in 1888 when the track and locomotive were scrapped."[/Quote] Roger FarnworthThe Tramways of ZanzibarThe featured image shows a horse-drawn/mule-drawn tram in Zanzibar before the turn of the 20th century. [1] Zanzibar hosted two early rail systems, with a mule-drawn tramway operating from 1879 to …

February 2026 – Kenya and Uganda Railways – Latest News I spent 3 weeks in Uganda in February 2026. This short article picks up on local news reports about developments relating to railways in East Africa early in 2026. …. This article follows on from one published early in December 2025. The featured image at the head of the linked article shows one of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) locomotives and its passenger train on the existing network in Kenya. NilePost reported on 19th February 2026 that Uganda is fast-tracking final financing for the Malaba–Kampala Standard Gauge Railway, with talks underway with the Islamic Development Bank to unlock 13 trillion UgX. The project promises faster, cheaper cargo transport and stronger regional trade links! http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/02/21/february-2026-kenya-and-uganda-railways-latest-news