rogerfarnworth

[B]Part 2 - Dufftown to Ballindalloch[/B] This is the second article following the Strathspey Line. The featured image shows Carron Railway Station early in the 20th century, © Public Domain. [61] We start this next leg of the journey in Dufftown at the Railway Station which is the terminus of the Keith & Dufftown Railway. Roger FarnworthThe Strathspey Line – Part 2 – Dufftown to BallindallochThis is the second article following the Strathspey Line. The first can be found here. [22] The featured image above shows Carron Railway Station early in the 20th century, © Public Domain. [61] We…

[b]Part 1 – Keith to Dufftown[/b] The featured image for this article is the last of the Great North of Scotland 4-4-0s was No.62277 ‘Gordon Highlander’, nick named ‘The Soldier’. Before being retired for preservation and resorted to its original green livery, No.62277 spent its remaining days in regular service working the goods between Keith and Elgin, and over the Speyside branch, © W.J.V.Anderson. [48] The January issue of The Railway Magazine usually focussed on Scotland. The January 1959 edition was no exception. [1] Included in the Magazine were articles by: H.A. Vallance about The Strathspey Line. J.W. Grant about Scottish 0-4-4 Tank Engines. G.H. Robin about The Lanarkshire & Dunbartonshire Railway. M.D. Grenville about Scottish Railways in 1859. [quote]This article picks up on the article by H.A. Vallance, and begins a journey along the Strathspey line which ran down the valley of the River Spey from Keith towards Abernethy. Initially the line ran Southwest along Strathisla before crossing the watershed to Strathspey.[/quote] Roger FarnworthThe Strathspey Line – Part 1 – Keith to DufftownThe featured image for this article is the last of the Great North of Scotland 4-4-0s was No.62277 ‘Gordon Highlander’, nick named ‘The Soldier’. Before being retired for preservation and res…

No. 3 – Christian Wolmar … The Subterranean Railway The featured image for the article below captures the Metropolitan Railway locomotive No. 23 during the London Underground centenary celebrations in 1963. The locomotive is an ‘A’ Class 4-4-0T condensing steam engine, built by Beyer Peacock in Manchester in 1866. It was designed specifically for use on the Metropolitan Railway’s Inner Circle line, where it was intended to limit smoke emissions in the tunnels. It was withdrawn from underground use in 1905 after the lines were electrified. Its appearance in 1963 at Neasden was a special event, marking 100 years of the London Underground. This article is the third in a short series: Christian Wolmar; The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground was Built and How it Changed the City Forever (2nd extended Edition); Atlantic Books, 2020. This edition includes a chapter on Crossrail. Christian Wolmar’s book published by Atlantic is a 2nd extended edition of a book published in 2004, dating from 2020. The chapter about Crossrail is the last chapter of the book on pages p323-342. This article provides a potted history of the London Underground and a quick look at other similar systems around the world, which comes out of reading Wolmar’s excellent book. Christmas 2025 Book Reviews and Notes No. 3 – Christian W...The featured image captures the Metropolitan Railway locomotive No. 23 during the London Underground centenary celebrations in 1963. The locomotive is an ‘A’ Class 4-4-0T condensing ste…

No. 2 – Anthony Burton - The Locomotive Pioneers I received a few welcome gifts for Christmas 2025. This article is the second in a short series about them: Anthony Burton; The Locomotive Pioneers: Early Steam Locomotive Development – 1801-1851; Pen and Sword, Barnsley, 2017. Anthony Burton’s book published by Pen & Sword dates from 2017. His book comes out of a series of different initiatives that he was involved in as a television journalist and author. Roger FarnworthChristmas 2025 Book Reviews and Notes No. 2 – Anthony Bur...I received a few welcome gifts for Christmas 2025. This article is the second in a short series: Colin Judge; The Locomotives, Railway and History 1916-1919 of the National Filling Factory No. 14, …

1. Colin Judge I received a few welcome gifts for Christmas 2025. Colin Judge; The Locomotives, Railway and History 1916-1919 of the National Filling Factory No. 14, Hereford; Industrial Railway Society, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, 2025, was one of these. I have an abiding interest in the railways of Hereford and so was delighted to receive Colin Judge’s book as a Christmas present. Judge’s book focusses on an area to the Southeast of Hereford, surrounding Rotherwas House, which was to become an essential element of the British war effort. Initially, intended to be a reserve filling station, National Filling Factory No. 14 was quickly to become vital when on 1st October 1917, the factory at Morecambe was put out of action by an explosion and a major fire. Later, on 1st July 1918, an explosion at the Filling Factory at Chilwell killed 134 employees, leaving it only able to produce munitions at a much reduced level. No. 14 was critical to the supply of munitions. The usage of shells during the conflict was frighteningly high, staggering! Judge tells us that during the Battle of the Somme 1,738,000 shells were used, and that at Passchendaele, over 5 million shells were fired. It is difficult to appreciate what those on the battlefield experienced. Roger FarnworthChristmas 2025 Book Reviews and Notes No. 1 – Colin Judge …I received a few welcome gifts for Christmas 2025: Colin Judge; The Locomotives, Railway and History 1916-1919 of the National Filling Factory No. 14, Hereford; Industrial Railway Society, Melton M…

Part 1 – The ‘Vinegar Works Branch’ or ‘Lowesmoor Tramway’ – An Unusual Branch at Worcester The Railway Magazine of April 1959 carried an article by Anthony A. Vickers about a short branch in Worcester of about 29 chains in length. 29 chains is 638 yards (583.4 metres). The line served Worcester’s Vinegar Works. After a time operating at their Vinegar Works in Lowesmoor, Worcester, Hill, Evans & Co. decided that a connection to the national railway network was required via the nearby joint Worcester Shrub Hill railway station which at the time served both the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway and the Midland Railway. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/11/11/the-railways-of-worcester-part-1-the-vinegar-works-branch-or-lowesmoor-tramway-an-unusual-branch-at-worcester/

The Nice to Digne-les-Bains Line in Provence-Cote d’Azur again. … The featured image shows one of the present modern diesel units at the Chemins de Fer du Sud/Chemin de Fer de Provence station in Nice. Roger FarnworthThe Nice to Digne-les Bains Line in Provence-Cote d’Azur...The featured image above shows one of the present modern diesel units at the Chemins de Fer du Sud/Chemin de Fer de Provence station in Nice. [4] I discovered this Video on YouTube recently (Octobe…

The short paragraph immediately below appeared in the February 1952 edition of The Railway Magazine in reply to a question submitted by G. T. Kaye. “The Nidd Valley branch of the former North Eastern Railway (which was closed to passengers on 31st March 1951) terminated at Pateley Bridge, 14 miles from Harrogate. In 1900, a Light Railway Order was obtained for a 2 ft. 6 in. gauge line from Pateley Bridge to Lofthouse-in-Nidderdale, six miles further up the valley, but the promoters had difficulty in finding the necessary capital. At that time, the Bradford Corporation was about to undertake the construction of reservoirs in the Nidd Valley, and a railway was required to carry materials to the sites. The Corporation took over the powers for the light railway, and extended it for a further 6 miles, from Lofthouse to Angram. The railway was laid to the standard-gauge, and was opened to passengers between Pateley Bridge and Lofthouse on 1st May 1907. The remainder of the line did not carry public traffic. The line was worked by two 4-4-0 tank engines and passenger coaches purchased from the Metropolitan Railway. The passenger services were withdrawn on 31st December 1929, and the line was closed completely some months later.” [1: p143] It appeared close to the back of the magazine in the section called, “The Why and the Wherefore”. It seemed like a good idea to explore what further information there is available about the Nidd Valley Light Railway. ……. The Nidd Valley Light Railway

I was asked to do a talk for the Association of Shrewsbury Railway Modellers in November 2025. These are the notes and images pulled together for that talk. In many cases, the images included have been used in other articles and rather than creating new image files a link to the original image has been provided in these notes. ……… The featured image is a view of the NCB-built engine shed near Granville Colliery. After the NCB took over the collieries owned by the Lilleshall Company, Granville Colliery supplied coal to Buildwas Power Station and the coal trains were worked by a range of locos down the 1.5 miles to Donnington. Granville Colliery had a decent sized shed and in later years used Austerity 0-6-0ST tanks but in Lilleshall Company days the bigger engines were the ex-TVR and Barry railway engines. This image and the accompanying text were shared by Marcus Keane on the Telford Memories Facebook Group on 15th September 2015. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/10/06/granville-colliery-and-the-lilleshall-company-railways/

The Railway between Nice, Tende and Cuneo – Part 8 – Drap-Cantaron Railway Station to Nice. The featured image is a postcard view of la Trinite-Victor Railway Station in the very early years after the line opened. In the first seven articles about the line from Cuneo to the sea we covered the length of the line from Cuneo to Breil-sur-Roya and then to Ventimiglia, before beginning to look at the line between Breil-sur-Roya and Nice. Woven into the text below are a series of stills from a video of the train journey from Breil-sur-Roya to Nice. This article begins the journey from Drap-Cantaron Railway Station. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/10/07/the-railway-between-nice-tende-and-cuneo-part-8-drap-cantaron-railway-station-to-nice/

Uganda is to begin construction of its Standard Gauge railway network in April 2026. "Uganda has recently confirmed that its Standard Gauge line from Malaba/Tororo to Kampala will operate with electric traction to European standards rather than diesel traction to Chinese standards." Roger FarnworthEast Africa Railway News – November/December 2025A. Uganda to begin construction of its Standard Gauge railway network in April 2026. In August 2025, Rogers Atukunda wrote of the construction of Uganda’s Standard Gauge railway network comme…

Stockport’s 21st Century Trams and Transport for Greater Manchester’s Plans for the Future. [Quote] Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has indicated that it is considering a plan to extending the already proposed East Didsbury to Stockport extension of the Metrolink tram network. The extension would utilise the underused railway line between Stockport and Denton.[/Quote] Talk is of utilising tram-train technology on this possible new extension. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/12/07/stockports-21st-century-trams-and-transport-for-greater-manchesters-plans-for-the-future/

A short-lived LNWR Interest in the Wenlock Railway and the Ultimate Takeover by the GWR This is little more than a mildly interesting aside. Or perhaps an addendum to the short series about the Line between Wellington and Craven Arms. …. The small companies that built the different lengths of the railway line between Wellington and Craven Arms struggled to manage their assets without support from the Great Western Railway. The GWR first began to operate the services on the line in the period after each section was opened, before gradually absorbing the companies that owned the different sections of the line. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/10/04/a-short-lived-lnwr-interest-in-the-wenlock-railway-and-the-ultimate-takeover-by-the-gwr/

[b]Part 7 – L’Escarene to Drap-Cantaron Railway Station.[/b] This article begins the journey from L’Escarene. Initially, the line heads Southeast but then gradually turns to the the Southwest through Peille, Peillon and Drap before running into Nice. Roger FarnworthThe Railway between Nice, Tende and Cuneo – Part 7 – L’Es...The featured image above is a rather grainy image of steam at Drap-Cantaron Railway Station. In the first six articles about the line from Cuneo to the sea we covered the length of the line from Cu…

Part 6 – Breil-sur-Roya to L’Escarene The featured image in the linked article shows an unidentified steam locomotive crossing the highly unusual Viaduc de Bevera. The train is heading toward Sospel. The article begins the journey from Breil-sur-Roya to Nice. ... South of Breil-sur-Roya a junction allows direct access to Ventimiglia and to Nice. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/08/29/the-railway-between-nice-tende-and-cuneo-part-6-breil-sur-roya-to-lescarene

The featured image at the head of the linked article is an early view of Thal Railway Station, possibly as early as 1903. By 1881, Khushalgarh had been connected by a short 7 mile (11 kilometre) broad gauge spur to Jand the North Western Railway main line. The length from Khushalgarh to Kohat was initially built to the 2ft 6in narrow gauge in 1902 but converted to broad gauge (5ft 6in) at the same time as the River Indus was bridged, reopening in 1908. The line from Kohat to Thal was built to the narrow gauge (2ft 6in) and opened in stages from 1901 to 1903. [5] Khushalgarh-Kohat-Thal Railway was worked by the North Western Railway. It was a military railway which ran close to the border with Afghanistan, linking the border town of Thal with the wider network at Khushalgarh. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/09/25/the-khushalgarh-kohat-thal-railway-in-pakistan/

[b]The Stockton and Darlington Railway[/b] On 27th September 2025 we marked the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway which is accepted the world over as one of the most significant developments in the history of railways, the precursor of all that was to follow in the development of railway networks throughout the world. That day, Locomotion No. 1 pulled a long train along the Stockton and Darlington Railway. ………… I was asked to give a talk by the Friends of Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust entitled, 'What was so special about the Stockton & Darlington Railway?' The link below is to my notes for the talk. .... Roger FarnworthThe Stockton & Darlington RailwayOn 27th September 2025 we marked the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway which is accepted the world over as one of the most significant developments in the history of railways, th…These were condensed somewhat to suit the time available. ..

Part 5 - Breil-sur-Roya to Airole and Ventimiglia This article follows the line South from Breil-sur-Roya to Ventimiglia in two parts: the first as far as Airole and the second from Airole to Ventimiglia. …. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/08/25/the-railway-between-nice-tende-and-cuneo-part-5-breil-sur-roya-to-ventimiglia/

The Severn & Wye Joint Railway and its Locomotives – The Railway Magazine, November 1899. Reading the November 1899 edition of The Railway Magazine, I came across an article about railways and tramways in the Forest of Dean … ‘The Severn & Wye Joint Railway’ by E.A. Clark. Roger FarnworthThe Severn & Wye Joint Railway and its Locomotives – The...Reading the November 1899 edition of The Railway Magazine, I came across an article about railways and tramways in the Forest of Dean … ‘The Severn & Wye Joint Railway’ …The article from 1899 adds something to the series of posts already made about the Forest and its tramways/railways Clark says that “it was in the year 1809 that the initiative of the Severn and Wye took place. It had long been felt that there was great commercial scope in the Forest of Dean, and in this year Parliament sanctioned the construction of a tram road through the district. The undertaking was incorporated by the name of the Lydney and Lydbrook Railway Company, ‘for the purpose of making a railway or tramway from the River Wye at Lydbrook to the River Severn at Lydney, with various branches to serve the collieries in the Forest of Dean’. The Company finding their undertaking not complete, owing to there not being proper accommodation at Lydney for the export of coal, etc., in the following year (1810) obtained power by an Act of Parliament for the construction of a canal (over one mile in length) and docks or basins at Lydney to communicate with the River Severn, and the name of the Com- pany was changed by the same Act to the Severn and Wye Railway and Canal Company.” ...

Dog Kennel Bridge on the Coleford Branch in the Forest of Dean The Coleford Branch between Monmouth and Coleford replaced an earlier tramroad. The Monmouth Tramroad, linked Monmouth with Coleford and opened in 1810. It was the first rail transport in the immediate area. This is an intriguing structure on the line. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/09/09/dog-kennel-bridge-on-the-coleford-branch-in-the-forest-of-dean/

Part 2 My apologies, I seem to have missed sharing the second part of the journey along the line. This is that second part. ..... In the first article about the line from Cuneo to the sea we covered the length from Cuneo to Vernante. This article covers the next length of the line from Vernante to Limone. The Line South from Vernante to Limone A schematic drawing showing the main locations on the line from Vernante to Limone. Banaudo et al write that “It was only in 1886, after the creation of the Rete Mediterranea, that the work on the fourth tranche from Vernante to Limone was awarded. It was 8,831 m long and had a gradient of 203 m, which was to be compensated for by a continuous ramp of up to 26 mm/m. This value would not be exceeded at any other point on the line. On this section, the rail remained constantly on a ledge on the steep slope on the right bank of the Vermenagna, where it was anchored by eleven bridges and viaducts totaling sixty-three masonry arches, as well as nine tunnels with a combined length of 4,416 m, or just over half the route:” We start this next length of the journey at Vernante Railway Station and head Southeast. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/07/26/the-railway-from-nice-to-tende-and-cuneo-part-2/

Part 4 - South from St. Dalmas de Tende The featured image in the linked article is a poster for the Nice-Cuneo line. It shows Scarassoui Viaduct with a Northbound steam service between the wars, designed by Adolphe Crossard, © Public Domain. In the first three articles about the line from Cuneo to the sea we covered the length of the line from Cuneo to St. Dalmas de Tende. In the linked article we head South from St. Dalmas de Tende. Roger FarnworthThe Railway between Nice, Tende and Cuneo – Part 4 – St....The featured image above is a poster for the Nice-Cuneo line. It shows Scarassoui Viaduct with a Northbound steam service between the wars (c) Adolphe Crossard. … Public Domain. [49] In the f…

A Tramway in the Valley of the River Roya? (Early 20th Century) While finding out about the line between Cuneo and the Mediterranean coast, I found a few paragraphs in the French language book about the railway which crossed the Col de Tende by Jose Banaudo et al. Those paragraphs were about a proposed tramway that in the end did not get built. … The featured image in the linked article is a map showing the full length of the proposed line. Late in the 19th century before a rail link from Vievola to the Mediterranean was really on the agenda. Alongside the experimental ‘Train Scotte’, (see https://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/07/26/miscellaneous-steam-powered-road-vehicles-scotte-steam-road-vehicles) a “local engineer, M. Chatelanat, proposed building a tramway line between Vievola station … and Ventimiglia. He knew the region well, having just overseen the construction of the rack railway from Monte Carlo to La Turbie. (see https://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/11/23/monaco-to-la-turbie-rack-railway-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-15) He presented an application filed on 7th February 1899.” ….... The submission made by M. Chatelanat began, “The electric tramway for which we are requesting a concession is intended to facilitate the movement of passengers and goods in the Roya Valley through a rapid, convenient, and economical means of communication. Currently, to reach Nice and the other communes of the department, the population of the French part of this valley must either travel more than 60 kilometres along the old Nice-Cuneo road, crossing the foothills of Brouis and Braus, in unsafe conditions due to the steep slopes, the height of the passes, and, in winter, the seasonal inclement weather. Or, since the opening of the national road from Breil to Ventimiglia, travel approximately 30 kilometres and cross two customs lines to join the coastal railway line in Ventimiglia. … Between the coast and Upper Piedmont, especially the province of Cuneo, there is a very intense movement of population every year, but if you want to go by train, you have to make a long detour via Savona, which is long and expensive. The province of Cuneo sends to Nice and the coast some of its products that our region cannot obtain elsewhere. On the other hand, our particular products from the South are in demand and consumed in the upper Po Valley. Facilitating the movement of travelers and this exchange of products between Piedmont and the coast will at the same time allow the French populations of the Roya Valley to come easily and quickly to Nice to stock up and connect with the entire French coast without having to cross the Braus and Brouis passes, such is the goal we are pursuing.” There were a number of projects of this nature being explored at the time. The tramway between Menton and Sospel is an excellent example (see http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/02/23/the-sospel-to-menton-tramway-revisited-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-51 and http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/06/08/the-menton-to-sospel-tramway-revisited-again-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-61). Others in the valley of the River Var and in the valley of the River Paillon were also built. This is what we know about the proposed tramway: ... Roger FarnworthA Tramway in the Valley of the River Roya? (Early 20th Ce...A proposed tramway that did not get built. … The featured image is a map showing the full length of the proposed line which followed National Route No. 204 in France. Late in the 19th c…

Les Trains du Col de Tende - Part 3 - Vievola to St. Dalmas de Tende http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/08/06/the-railway-from-nice-to-tende-and-cuneo-part-3-vievola-to-st-dalmas-de-tende/ Our journey South down the line continues from Vievola. …

Part 1 The railway from Nice PLM Station to Tende and Cuneo was completed in 1928. It was long in the gestation and in construction. The story stretches back more than a century and a half. ‘Le Chemin de fer du Col de Tende’ is historically a significant local and international line. Its inverted Y-shaped layout and its crossing of international borders means that it is known by a number of different names: - in Nice it is known as the Nice – Coni Line; - generally in Italy it is officially Ferrovia Cuneo Ventimiglia - in the Piedmont city of Cuneo’s economic/political circles, sitting at the top of the inverted ‘Y’, it is often referred to as the Cuneo – Nizza line in recognition of good relations with the community of Nice. Roger FarnworthThe Railway between Nice, Tende and Cuneo – Part 1The featured image above shows the inaugural train arriving at Breil-sur-Roya in March 1928, © Public Domain, shared by Jean-Paul Bascoul in the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 25th…[quote]Its story is a saga of significant technical achievement: gaining 1000 metres in height ; having a dozen tunnels longer than 1 kilometre (including those of the Col de Tende (8098 m), the Col de Braus (5939 m) and the Mont Grazian tunnel (3882 m), which are among the longest structures on the French and Italian networks); having four complete helical loops, several S-shaped loops and a multitude of bridges and viaducts (some of which, such as those of Scarassouï or Bévéra, are architecturally significant railway structures. Of a total route of 143.5 km, 6.5 km are on bridges or viaducts and over 60 km are in tunnels. This means that close to 42% of the journey along the line(s) is on or within structures.[/quote]