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Part 3 – The Inverness to Aviemore Direct Line. The Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway was built by the Highland Railway to provide a shorter and more direct route between Inverness and Aviemore, carrying its main line traffic to Perth and the south. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/07/01/the-highland-railway-part-3-the-inverness-to-aviemore-direct-line/

The Railways of Namibia (the former South West Africa) – Part 2 – Windhoek and the Southern Lines In Part 1, we looked at the railways in the North of Namibia. This article covers lines which left Windhoek and covered the South of the country. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/06/20/the-railways-of-namibia-the-former-south-west-africa-part-2-windhoek-and-the-southern-lines/

The Railways of Namibia (the former South West Africa) – Part 1 – Windhoek and the Northern Lines The Railway Magazine of February 1952 carried an article by Charles E. Lee about railways in what was German South West Africa. This encouraged me to have a look at the history of Namibia's railways and their condition and extent in the 21st century. The 1952 article also caught my attention because Manchester Diocese (I was a priest in Manchester Diocese before retirement) is linked with the Diocese of Namibia. The territory was formally colonized by Germany between 1884-1890. It covered an area of 835,100 sq. km. It was a settler colony and had attracted around 3,000 German settlers by 1903, who primarily settled in the central high grounds. [2] German South West Africa, now known as Namibia, was a German colony from 1884 to 1915. It was not a province within the German Empire but a separate colonial territory. From 1891, the capital was Windhoek, which also serves as the capital of modern-day Namibia. [2] The arrival of German settlers disrupted the existing socioeconomic balance and led to conflicts, particularly with the Herero and Nama people. “ In 1883 Franz Adolf Lüderitz, a merchant from Bremen, Germany, established a trading post in southwest Africa at Angra Pequena, which he renamed Lüderitzbucht. He also acquired the adjacent coastal area, which he named Lüderitzland. These areas were constituted the first German colony under German protection on April 24, 1884. The German occupation subsequently extended inland. By the latter 1880s the German Colonial Company for the South realized that it was incapable of administering the territory, and the German government immediately took over the colony's administration. As a result of the Zanzibar Treaty (1890) between Germany and Great Britain, German South West Africa acquired the Caprivi Strip (named after the German chancellor Graf Leo von Caprivi), a tract of land 280 miles (450 km) long in the extreme northeast of the territory ; [3] German colonial rule was harsh, leading to insurrections and resistance. “ Major Theodor Leutwein, governor of the colony in 1894–1904, suppressed insurrections of the Khoekhoe (1894) and of the Hereros (1896). In 1904, however, the Hereros fomented a far more dangerous rebellion. The German force, at first only 750 strong and supported only by one artillery battery, had to face an army of some 8,000 men equipped with modern weapons. Reinforcements increased the German force, ultimately under the command of General Lothar von Trotha, and resulted in a decisive German victory on the Waterberg River rebellions were put down in 1904–07 .” [3] German South West Africa was occupied by the South African Union Defense Force in 1915 during World War I, and Germany formally ceded the territory under the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Its administration was taken over by the Union of South Africa (part of the British Empire) and the territory was administered as South West Africa under a League of Nations mandate. It became independent as Namibia on 21st March 1990. [2] The Railways The railways in German South West Africa played a crucial role in the colonial administration and the First World War campaign. The German colonial authorities built a railway network between 1897 and 1914 to enable colonial territorialization and facilitate the extraction of resources. [4] http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/06/15/the-railways-of-namibia-the-former-south-west-africa-part-1-windhoek-and-the-northern-lines/

The Highland Railway - Part 2 - The First Direct Line Between Inverness and Perth (via Forres) – the Dava Line H. A. Vallance tells us that “The proposed new railway through the Central Highlands left the Inverness & Aberdeen Junction Railway at Forres, 24 miles East of Inverness, and turning sharply to the south, rose steeply for several miles to cross the hills separating the valley of the Findhorn from Strathspey. Beyond the summit at Dava, 1,052 ft above sea level, the approximate course of [a] route surveyed … in 1845 was joined, and the line proceeded by way of Grantown and the west bank of the Spey to Kingussie. There followed a long, steep climb up the northern slopes of the Grampians to the head of the Druimuachdar Pass, and a corresponding descent to Blair Atholl and the Pass of Killiecrankie. Crossing the Tay near Dalguise, the line reached Dunkeld, where it made an end-on junction with the Perth & Dunkeld Railway.” [17: p24] The enabling Act of Parliament was passed in July 1861 and authorised the Inverness & Perth Junction Railway to take control of the Perth & Dunkeld Railway. That amalgamation took place in February 1864. Work on the line commenced in October 1861. The first 13 miles (Dunkeld-Pitlochry) opened at the beginning of June 1863. The length from Forrest to Aviemore opened in early August of the same year. The last length (Aviemore-Pitlochry) was completed in September, just a month or so later. Vallance notes: “The chief engineering works on the line were the seven-span masonry viaduct over the Divie, near Dunphail, 477 ft long and 105 ft high; the girder bridge across the Tay, near Dalguise, 515 ft long and 67 ft high; and the ten-span masonry viaduct, 54 ft high, over a deep ravine in the Pass of Killiecrankie. Smaller masonry bridges were required to carry the railway over the Bran, north of Dunkeld, and the Garry, at Struan. The latter was remarkable in that its main span crossed not only the river, but also the stone bridge carrying the Rannoch Road over the Garry at the same point. At Blair Atholl the Tilt was crossed by a single-span lattice-girder bridge. … Only two short tunnels were found necessary-one in the Pass of Killiecrankie (128 yd long), and the other north of Dunkeld (350 yd long). South of Dunkeld there was a third tunnel (310 yd long), but this had, of course, been constructed by the Perth & Dunkeld Railway. (These, incidentally, were the only three tunnels on the Highland Railway.)” [17: p25] ... This article covers the route from Forres to Perth. ... http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/06/28/the-highland-railway-part-2/

The Duke of Sutherland's Saloons, Locomotives and Railways In January 1950, G. Charles published a short (2 page) article about the Duke of Sutherland's railway interests. [1] It was only the nationalization of the British railways which brought to an end the Duke of Sutherland's hobby of owning and running his own train with running powers over LMS lines. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/06/06/the-duke-of-sutherlands-saloons-locomotives-and-railways/

The Railways of Skye and Adjacent Islands – Part 6 – Storr Lochs Hydroelectric Power Station Storr Lochs hydro-electric power station was commissioned in 1952. It was built by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, and used water from Lochs Leathan and Fada, to provide the first general supply of electricity to the island. The power station has a total output of 2.40 MW. Because the location of the turbine house was not easily accessible, it was (and continues to be) served by a standard-gauge electric funicular railway. [1] http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/06/04/the-railways-of-skye-and-adjacent-islands-part-6-storr-lochs-hydroelectric-power-station/

Part 5 -The Quartzite (Silica) Quarry Tramway at Ord There was a short tramway in the quartzite quarry close to Ord which was operational in the mid-20th century. … http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/06/03/the-railways-of-skye-and-adjacent-islands-part-5-the-quartzite-silica-quarry-tramway-at-ord

Part 4 – The Raasay Iron Ore Mine Railway There is an excellent book by Laurence & Pamela Draper, which they self-published in 1990, entitled “The Raasay Iron Mine: Where Enemies Became Friends.” I picked up a copy second-hand from an online sales site. That book covers the operation on Raasay in some detail. This article looks at the railways involved. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/05/27/the-railways-of-skye-adjacent-islands-part-4-the-raasay-iron-mine-railway/ L. & P. Draper tell us that “Just before the First World War the Scottish coal and iron-ore mining, and iron-smelting, firm of William Baird and Company opened up an iron-ore mine on the Island of Raasay in the Inner Hebrides. … In association with the mine, Baird’s built several kilometres of narrow-gauge railway, a crusher, five calcining kilns, a huge ore hopper and a reinforced concrete pier. Many aspects of the installation, such as this pier, diesel-electric power generation and the provision of powerful external electric lighting, were very advanced for their time.” [1: pV][3: p146] The BBC tells us that “William Baird and Co. Ltd … owned the Raasay estate and initiated the mine’s operations. The mine was developed just before the war and was crucial in providing iron ore for the British war effort, with the ore being transported to Ravenscraig for smelting.” [2]

Dereham (East Dereham) Station, Norfolk An article in the magazine Railway Bylines, in the September 2002 edition written by Orson Carter prompted a look at the railway system in Dereham Norfolk. [1] http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/05/31/derehameast-dereham-station-norfolk/

Part 3 – The Skye Marble Railway The featured image for this article is the only photograph I have been able to find of ‘Skylark’, the locomotive which for a matter of only a few years operated on the Skye Marble Railway. Further notes about the locomotive can be found in this article. An information board across the road from Kilchrist Church, features Skylark at the head of a train of wagons. [5] Some sources say that in 1904, an aerial ropeway was constructed to transport marble to Broadford Pier from Kilchrist Quarries (alternatively known as Kilbride Quarries or Strath Suardal). The quarries were used to excavate marble. [1][2] Other sources talk of the line being worked first by horses. [14] There was an incline between the upper and lower Quarries at Kilchrist which appears to have been rope-worked. It is most likely, given the length of line from Kilchrist to the quay at Broadford and the relatively shallow gradients, that the line from the marble works down to Broadford was worked by horses, but it is entirely possible that an aerial ropeway was employed. Nothing remains of the line beyond the formation which now carries a footpath once South of Broadford, and, as will be seen below, some rails in the surface of the pier at Broadford. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/06/02/the-railways-of-skye-adjacent-islands-part-3-the-skye-marble-railway/

Part 2 – The Talisker Distillery Tramway The Talisker Distillery Tramway was a short 2ft-gauge tramway which opened in 1900 and closed in 1948. It ran from Carbost Pier on Loch Harport, along the Harport shore to Talisker Distillery and was used to transport materials for Talisker Distillery. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/05/03/the-railways-of-skye-part-2-the-talisker-distillery-tramway/

The Highland Railway’s Fort George Branch This short branch was established to bring a railhead closer to Fort George. The featured image in the linked article shows Highland Railway No. 29 at Fort George Railway Station in Ardersier in charge of a train of four wheel coaches. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/05/03/the-highland-railways-fort-george-branch

In April/May 2025 we had a holiday on Skye and as part of that started finding out about the history of industrial railways on Skye and immediately adjacent islands. The first we investigated was a line used to carry Diatomite from Loch Cuithir to Lealt on Skye the linked article below looks at that industry and follows the line. ... http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/05/01/the-railways-of-skye-part-1-loch-cuithir-to-lealt/ Other articles will follow in due course. ....

The Highland Railway as a Company is long-gone. Many of its roads area still in use, others have been abandoned. This thread will hopefully cover the majority of the Highland's lines. ... HAVallance notes that in the years prior to the coming of the railways to the North of Scotland there was a series of different initiatives intended to improve transport links. The first were the roads built by General Wade (250 miles of military roads) which “were quite unsuited to the requirements of trade operating under peace-time conditions.” [17: p11] The biggest contribution to raid development was made by Thomas Telford. He “was appointed to survey for new roads and for the improvement of existing highways. In the course of … 17 years he constructed about 920 miles of road, and built some 1,200 bridges.” [17: p11] But it was the coming of the railways to the Highlands, that most effectively addressed the regions transport problems. Previous articles about the Highland Railway network can be found here: http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/04/01/the-highland-railways-fortrose-or-black-isle-branch; and here: http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/03/23/the-highland-railways-strathpeffer-branch; These two articles cover the Strathpeffer Branch and the Fortrose Branch respectively. Trains Illustrated No. 18 which was published in 1976 focused on The Highland Railway. [1] The introductory article, 'Highland Retrospect', was written by Paul Drew. [1:p4-11]. The linked article starts from Drew's article to begin looking at the Highland Railway's network. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/05/01/the-highland-railway-part-1/ Further articles will follow in due course. ...

An online acquaintance sent this link to me. From 4 minutes 17 seconds into the film, it shows some views of Killin Railway Station https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxuwKg3wgUE

Back in November 2000, Michael S. Elton wrote about the Killin Branch in BackTrack magazine. The featured image for this article is the front cover of the November 2000 (Volume 14 No. 11) issue of the magazine. It depicts ex-Caledonian Railway Class 439 0-4-4T No. 55222 shunting at Killin on 4th September 1958, © Derek Penny. [1] “At first glance appearing to be no more than an offshoot of the picturesque and spectacular Callander & Oban Railway, the Killin Railway was a wholly independent company in its own right for the first 37 years of its working life. The Killin Railway Company endured for almost all of its independent years under the patronage of one of Scotland's wealthiest men. The local people promoted the village railway company in 1881 and the line was run under their management from its official opening on 13th March 1886 until its independence was reluctantly conceded to the LMS from 1st June 1923. In absorbing the Killin Railway Company the LMS accepted some £12,000 of debt accumulated over the years of its independence and paid the remaining shareholders just 8% of the face value of their original investment, in full settlement of the enforced transaction During the years of independence and before they were absorbed into the LMS, the train services of both the Killin and the adjacent Callander & Oban Companies were. worked by the Caledonian Railway Company as integral parts of its system.” [1: p624-625] The linked article looks at this short branch line ... http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/04/12/the-killin-branch/ .

[b]King's Cross and St. Pancras Railway Stations: Renaissance 1990 to 2025[/b] In June 1990, The Railway Magazine issued a supplement entitled 'King's Cross Renaissance: The History, Development and Future of Two Great Stations' by PWB Semmens MA, CChem, FRSC, MBCS, MCIT. Semmens introduces the supplement by first highlighting the 1846 'Royal Commission on Railway Termini Within or in the Immediate Vicinity of the Metropolis' which recommended that “surface railways should remain towards the outskirts, and fixed a ring of roads around the city, beyond which they should not penetrate.” [1:p3] http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/04/12/kings-cross-and-st-pancras-railway-stations-renaissance-1990-to-2025/

'Arresting' Runaway Wagons British Railways Illustrated Volume 5 No. 5 of February 1996 included an article about the LNWR goods yard at Edge Hill, Liverpool. In 1850, the Edge Hill yards occupied 40 acres, with room for 1,782 wagons. By 1873, the yards spread over 104 acres and could accommodate 3,215 wagons. In 1894, they were 200 acres in size, with 60 miles of lines with a capacity of 6,828 wagons. At the turn of the 20th century there was still space on the site for further expansion, if required. The gradient across the site meant that wagons moved around the site under their own weight. To prevent dangerous runaways a system of hooks attached to heavy chains was employed at key locations across the site. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/04/06/arresting-runaway-wagons/

The Highland Railway's Fortrose (or Black Isle) Branch Stanley Jenkins tells us that “ The opening of the Inverness & Rossshire Railway between Inverness and Dingwall on 11th June 1862 brought the benefits of rail transport to a prosperous farming area in Ross & Cromarty. The line was completed throughout to Invergordon on 25th March 1863, while a series of subsequent extensions eventually resulted in the creation of the Highland Railway's 'Far North' line between Inverness and Wick. Inevitably the 161½ mile 'Far North' line omitted large numbers of places that would have benefited from direct rail links, and for this reason several branch-line schemes were put into effect during the latter part of the 19th century .” [1: p48] “ The Black Isle peninsula, between the Beauly and Cromarty Firths, became the focal point for two such schemes, only one of which was successful .” [1: p48] Wikipedia tells us that “ The Highland Railway was surprised when in 1889 the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) proposed the construction of a railway to Fortrose, … The GNoSR operated a network from Aberdeen and the nearest place to Inverness served by it was at Elgin, some distance away. The branch would have been detached from the owning railway, but running through the Black Isle it would have made a junction with the Highland Railway at Muir of Ord. A ferry operation from Fortrose to Ardersier, on the south side of the Moray, was included in the plans. Ardersier was then known as Campbelltown, and a railway branch to it was included. Two other schemes striking into Highland territory were proposed at the same time, elevating Highland Railway discomfort about its competitive position .” [2][3] “ The two companies had been adversaries for some time, and in 1883 and the following years there had been a state of continual warfare over junctions, frontiers and running powers. … The Highland saw at once that if this branch were built, it would be easy for the GNoSR to demand running powers into Inverness to reach its branch, and in that way the rival company would have gained access to the Highland's stronghold .” [2] After considerable 'argument' between the two companies, the GNoSR and the Highland Railway each submitted Bills to the UK Parliament for a line to Fortrose. ... http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/04/01/the-highland-railways-fortrose-or-black-isle-branch

Genova (Genoa) Addendum – Light Rail & Modern Tramway, August, September & October 1995 – including La Guidovia del Santuario della Guardia After completing the series of articles about Genova’s transport system at the end of 2024, beginning of 2025, I came across a series of three articles in the ‘Light Rail & Modern Tramway Journal’ dating from 1995. This article covers those three pieces. … Written, 30 years ago, Barry Cross’ articles help us to engage with the changes to the transport systems in Genova over the decades. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/03/25/genova-genoa-addendum-light-rail-modern-tramway-august-september-october-1995-including-la-guidovia-del-santuario-della-guardia

The featured image shows Strathpeffer Railway Station in 1928. Locomotive No. 16118, one of a class of three locos designed by William Stroudley. Built in 1869 at the Highland Railway's Lochgorm works in Inverness, they became known as 'Lochgorm Tanks' and this loco carried the number 56 when first built and the name 'Balanin', and later 'Dornoch'. All three passed to the LMS in 1923 when they lost their names and are widely believed to be the basis of the LBSCR Terrier design that Stroudley produced later in his career. This loco and sister No. 16383 were broken up in 1927, although the third lasted until 1932, © John Mann Collection, used with the kind permission of Nick Catford. [30] Stanley Jenkins comments: “Located at the head of a fertile valley some five miles inland from the Cromarty Firth, Strathpeffer was once famous as a health spa and fashionable holiday resort. Although the medicinal value of the local mineral springs had been known for many years, the village did not really develop until the Victorian era when the Countess of Cromartie was instrumental in creating a Central European-style spa in this remote part of Scotland.” [1:p53] When the first section of the Dingwall & Skye Railway opened on 19th August 1870 the Strathpeffer area became much better connected. However, the new line ran well to the North of the village. The line had a station named 'Strathpeffer' but it was 2 miles from the spa and at a much higher level. The station ended up in that location because of the opposition of a local landowner to a far better route for the Dingwall & Skye line, which would have passed through the village. The result was a steeply inclined (1 in 50) line climb to the summit at Raven Rock. ... http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/03/23/the-highland-railways-strathpeffer-branch

[b]San Sebastian's Urban Tramway, Funicular and Aerocar, and the 'Spanish Aerocar' at Niagara Falls.[/b] A variety of different forms of transportation in and around San Sebastian in Spain and an interesting link with Niagara Falls! http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/03/22/san-sebastians-urban-tramway-funicular-and-aerocar-and-the-spanish-aerocar-at-niagara-falls/

Rt. Revd. Eric Treacy MBE LLD Flicking through a number of old magazines passed to me by a friend here in Telford, I came across a supplement published by The Railway Magazine in December 1990, “Eric Treacy: The Classic Years.” Treacy's photographs are now in the National Archive collection at Kew They are ©Crown Copyright and covered by an Open Government License which permits copying of images in the collection for non-commercial use. This covers the photographs from the collection which were reproduced in the 1990 supplement. The Rt. Revd. Eric Treacy MBE, LLD, Lord Bishop of Wakefield from 1968 until 1976 , died on Appleby Station on 13th May 1978. He left behind a large collection of railway photographs, taken over more than four decades. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/03/22/rt-revd-eric-treacy-mbe-lld/

Wikipedia tells us that “ The Caledonian Railway (CR) was one of the two biggest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping. It was formed in 1845 with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It gradually extended its network and reached Edinburgh and Aberdeen, with a dense network of branch lines in the area surrounding Glasgow. It was amalgamated into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. Many of its principal routes are still used, and the original main line between Carlisle and Glasgow is in use as part of the West Coast Main Line railway (with a modified entry into Glasgow itself) .” The linked article looks at the development of the Caledonian Railway. ... http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/03/20/the-caledonian-railway/ Other articles which focus on different parts of the Caledonian Railway include: http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/12/22/the-callander-and-oban-railway/ http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/07/16/the-caledonian-railway-rail-motor-car/ http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/01/01/the-ballachulish-railway-line-part-1/ http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/01/02/the-ballachulish-railway-line-part-2/ http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/01/05/the-ballachulish-railway-line-part-3/

When and why were railways created? What were the circumstances which brought about their existence? History does not make it easy to take out one example from a steady continuum of change. ...There have been tracks or platforms since Roman times. You might say that these could be brought within the term railway and therefore the Romans invented the railway. Except there were railways of a sort, at least as far back at 600 BCE, possibly going back even further, maybe as far back as 1000 BCE. The clearest example being the Diolkos Trackway, a paved trackway near Corinth in Ancient Greece which enabled boats to be moved overland across the Isthmus of Corinth. For many people, however, the railways began with the Stockton and Darlington (S&D), though I'm sure people appreciate that history is not always as simple as it may seem. The linked article is based on a short three page article by David Wilson which he wrote in the early 1990s, entitled, 'Mother of Inventions'. It explores some of the significance of the development of the railways and why they seem to hold a special place in our national consciousness. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/03/03/the-mother-of-all-inventions There will always, and inevitably, be more to say about the development of railways than can be covered in a short article. Some discussion of how those developments occurred would be worthwhile in the context of the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway later in 2025. I have been asked to prepare a talk about Stockton & Darlington railway for a special interest group in East Shropshire and considering its importance will preoccupy me in coming months. I hope this first article will be of interest to some readers.