rogerfarnworth

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

Shoeburyness History, Standard-Gauge Military Tramway, and other Narrow-Gauge Tramways Shoeburyness was once a fortified place guarding the Northern flank of the Thames Estuary. It appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 894 CE, and it was assumed for many years to have been built as a ‘Danish Camp’ by the Viking leader Haesten as those chronicles say that while King Alfred headed West towards Exeter, Danish marauding parties, “gathered at Shobury in Essex, and there built a fortress.” [1][2: p60] Much later developments are our primary interest in this article. The development of the site from 1849 onwards and the construction and extension of a military tramway and railways associated with the Ordnance depot and other military sites along the coast close to Shoeburyness. "Shoeburyness changed rapidly from a hamlet to a bustling military establishment. And by 1873, and the completion of the construction of the site, “the original portion of the Shoeburyness Military Tramway had been built as an integral part of it. The line was linked to three piers to facilitate unloading and transport by river from Woolwich and elsewhere, of stores, equipment and guns, brought and destined for various parts of the garrison'.” Roger FarnworthShoeburyness History, Standard-Gauge Military Tramway, an...Shoeburyness was once a fortified place guarding the Northern flank of the Thames Estuary. It appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 894 CE, and it was assumed for many years to have been built as…

Barrow-in-Furness Steam Tramway The Barrow-in-Furness Tramways Company operated a steam-powered tram service from 11th July 1885 until electrification in 1904. Using a 4 ft (1.219 m) gauge, the tramway reached Ramsden Dock by 1886 and continued expanding through the electric era to locations such as Bigger Bank. Ultimately, on 5th April 1932 the tramway network was closed in favour of buses. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/02/17/barrow-in-furness-steam-tramway/

Barrow was featured in The Railway Magazine in March 1959. The rebuilding of the old Central Station at Barrow-in-Furness which was virtually destroyed in the air-raids of 1941 was completed in the late 1950s. The replacement buildings marked another link broken with Barrow’s past. [Quote]Originally known as Barrow Central Station and the headquarters of the Furness Railway, it was, by the end of the rebuilding renamed Barrow-in-Furness. Early in the 20th century, the borough boasted ten stations. It had grown from a hamlet of a few farms with a population of around 100 to “a seething steel-town of 60,000 in under forty years.” [/Quote] http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/02/16/the-railways-of-barrow-in-furness/

The featured image for the linked article is a photograph of Saint Felicien Railway Station in 1959. In the North of Québec, some 300 miles from Montreal, there is an area of extensive mining – deposits of copper, zinc, gold and cobalt wee being mined in the mid-20th century. In the first half of the 21st century, Northern Quebec's mining sector is a significant part of the province's economy, focusing on gold, nickel, lithium, graphite, iron, and copper, focusing on gold, nickel, lithium, graphite, iron, and copper, with major operations like Glencore's Raglan (nickel) and Agnico Eagle's Canadian Malartic (gold) leading the way, alongside emerging lithium projects in the James Bay region, leveraging Quebec's hydropower for cleaner operations and creating jobs in remote areas like Nunavik, despite logistical and environmental challenges. Roger FarnworthThe 1950s – Some Railways in QuebecThe featured image above is a photograph of Saint Felicien Railway Station in 1959. [9] In the North of Québec, some 300 miles from Montreal, there is an area of extensive mining – deposits o…

Developments in Freight Transport – The Railway Magazine – January 1959 A, then, recent exhibition at Battersea Wharf Goods Depot of British Railways and British Road Services freight vehicles and handling equipment prompted a review in The Railway Magazine of January 1959, of developments in the handling of freight. The emphasis of the exhibition was on the improvement of door-to-door services. It was part of the broader Modernisation and Re-Equipment of the British Railways plan launched in 1954, which sought to modernize and improve freight services in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Freight Transport Exhibition at Battersea Wharf Goods Depot in London was held from 28th–30th October 1958. It was a major showcase organized by the British Transport Commission. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/03/20/developments-in-freight-transport-the-railway-magazine-january-1959/

Part 9 – The Short Golden Age I am writing this article having just returned to Menton where we were staying in November 2025. We travelled to and from Tende which is the terminus of Zest Bus Ligne 25. There was little action to observe at the railway station. The line from Nice to Tende via Breil-sur-Roya was closed until the beginning of 2026. The alternative route from Ventimiglia was still active but we did not see a train during the two hours we spent at Tende. This is the ninth article in a series relating to the railway between Cuneo, Nice and Ventimiglia. In earlier 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 looking at the line between Breil-sur-Roya and Nice. As we looked at the two routes we also looked at the history of the line over the period before it's opening in 1928. This article covers the period from 1928 to 1939. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/02/06/the-railway-between-nice-tende-and-cuneo-part-9-the-short-golden-age/