rogerfarnworth

This article focusses on the first railway line built in Iran. It was an 800mm gauge line between Tehran and Rey and operating from 1888 to around 1960-61.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/23/railways-in-iran-part-1-tehran-to-rey-1888

I have been reading old copies of the Railway Magazine from the 1950s and 1960s. The old small format magazines somehow seem more attractive than the glossy larger format modern magazines, perhaps that is a sign of ageing!

In the January 1963 edition of the magazine there is a long article about the railways of Iran which is based on a visit in 1961 to Iran by M.H. Baker MA.

Until the 1930s, Iran was relatively isolated, but from around 1865 various European Countries had sought concessions to construct railways but the Imperial government continued to value isolation above integration.

Although there is reference int he article to further artciles about Iranian railways, the lines which were built after this one were to a gauge of 5ft, so do not qualify as narrow gauge!

This is the first of what I hope will be a few articles about the Railways of Iran. It focusses on the first line built between Tehran and Rey and operating from 1888 to around 1960-61.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/23/railways-in-iran-part-1-tehran-to-rey-1888

I have been reading old copies of the Railway Magazine from the 1950s and 1960s. The old small format magazines somehow seem more attractive than the glossy larger format modern magazines, perhaps that is a sign of ageing!

 

In the January 1963 edition of the magazine there is a long article about the railways of Iran which is based on a visit in 1961 to Iran by M.H. Baker MA.

 

Until the 1930s, Iran was relatively isolated, but from around 1865 various European Countries had sought concessions to construct railways but the Imperial government continued to value isolation above integration.

A final article from me which covers the remaining length of the line - the length from Westward Ho! to Appledore.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/21/bideford-westward-ho-and-appledore-railway-part-3

Quote

 In my first post I provided a few pictures of the station at Westward Ho!. The second post followed the line from Bideford to Westward Ho! This post covers the remainder of the line from Westward Ho! to Appledore.

A final article from me which covers the remaining length of the line - the length from Westward Ho! to Appledore.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/21/bideford-westward-ho-and-appledore-railway-part-3

Quote

 In my first post I provided a few pictures of the station at Westward Ho! which had not appeared on other links that I had encountered. The second post followed the line from Bideford to Westward Ho! This post covers the remainder of the line from Westward Ho! to Appledore.

I am really sorry. I don't know anything more about this signal box. It is an interesting find!

This second post about the Tanat Valley Light Railway covers the length of the whole line and the Nantmawr Branch.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/17/the-tanat-valley-light-railway-and-the-nantmawr-branch-part-2

This second post about the Tanat Valley Light Railway covers the length of the whole line and the Nantmawr Branch.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/17/the-tanat-valley-light-railway-and-the-nantmawr-branch-part-2/

The Nice to Digne-les-Bains Line has been in the news in France over the past few months. In February 2019 there was a collapse of the tunnel at Moriez while strengthening work was taking place. In November 2019 the already closed line suffered some further damage as a result of bad weather. The linked post covers the latest news about repairs on the line. .....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/09/les-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-an-update-on-maintenance-work

The Nice to Digne-les-Bains Line has been in the news in France over the past few months. In February 2019 there was a collapse of the tunnel at Moriez while strengthening work was taking place. In November 2019 the already closed line suffered some further damage as a result of bad weather. The linked post covers the latest news about repairs on the line. .....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/09/les-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-an-update-on-maintenance-work

I am planning a week in the area in the Autumn and hope that further railway routes and walks will get planned over coming months.

On 05/12/2019 at 13:06, KeithMacdonald said:

Roger, thanks for your guides.

 

M'lady & I have just spent a few days in the sun, travelling around the Cote D'Azur by train and bus between Cannes and Monaco. Especially the new tram route #2 in Nice, between the airport and Jean Medecin in the centre of town.  As the route #2 trams are painted red, and the last kilometre of the route to Jean Medecin is underground, with escalators to the surface, the whole experience was quite "London Tube"-like. But cleaner and cheaper.   The 10-trip bus and tram pass is just €10.

 

They are just about to open an underground extension of that route via Place Grimaldi to Port Lympia (the main port) . Due to open sometime this December, but we saw what looked like a test train already in Port Lympia.

 

Slightly off-topic, but we had a fun "I Spy" game, finding loads of locations that have appeared in famous and classic films based on the area, like To Catch A Thief, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Ronin.

Hi Keith

I am glad you found the articles useful. I have still to return to Nice after the completion of the latest modern tramway.

Roger

There is an excellent thread on RMWeb about modelling this station in O Gauge.

The linked article below looks at Lancaster's three railway stations before focussing on the Midland Station at Green Ayre. ...

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/02/28/lancaster-green-ayre-railway-station

Lancaster Green Ayre Station was the erstwhile Midland Railway Station in Lancaster and it provided East-West service through the city to Morecambe in the West and Yorkshire in the East.

This is my second article about the line between Knott End and Garstang. It completes the full length of the line. I am very grateful to a number of people for permission given to publish their photographs as part of the article. You will see their pictures referenced throughout.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/02/08/the-garstang-and-knott-end-railway-part-2/

I hope that I will get round to publishing one further article about the motive power and rolling stock on the line.

On 28/01/2020 at 17:22, PenrithBeacon said:

http://www.cumbrianrailways.org.uk/books.html

This book is an excellent source of information about the. G&NE Rly

Cheers

Yes, it is a fantastic book, I refer to it a few times in the text of each of the articles about the Garstang and Knott End Railway and it is only £15 too!

Thank you

Roger

I have just found this thread. Some excellent older pictures of Garstang and Catteral Station and Garstang Town Station. Thank you, Apollo.

In January 2020, my wife and I stayed, once again, to the Southeast of the City of Lancaster and explored the area between the Line estuary and the Wyre estuary. It is a superb area for watching overwintering birds! 

It gave me another opportunity to look at railways in the area. After a visit in November 2019 when I explored the Glasson Dock branch, this time I took the chance to explore the railway which linked Knott End at the mouth of the River Wyre with the West Coast mainline near Garstang.

The first of two articles can be read by following the link below. ....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/01/28/the-garstang-and-knott-end-railway-part-1

The area across the River Wyre from Fleetwood was, for many years, quite isolated. There was a ferry across the river to Fleetwood, which still operates in the 21st century, otherwise, narrow un-metalled roads had to suffice.

 

The local community, particularly those with agricultural interests, were determined to have a railway. The line was built between Garstang and Pilling by those local agricultural interests to develop unproductive land. It had been intended to continue to Knott End but the company ran out of money. It eventually opened between Garstang and Pilling in 1870.

When was nationalisation of the railways first promoted as a significant idea? perhaps you'd like to fix a year in your mind before reading the linked post.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/01/23/british-railways-1948-part-2

Quote

Was the idea of nationalisation first thought of in the preparations for the major conflict which was looming in the early part of the 20th century?

When conflict was declared on 4th August 1914, the Railway Executive Committee, which had been formed in 1912 as an intermediary between Government and the 120 private railway companies, moved swiftly to take control of the network. Within 24 hours of the start of the conflict, the Committee used the powers of the Regulation of the Forces Act 1871 to secure its ascendancy.

 

Three further unusual locomotives/railcars. ...

The first was the first Michelin Pneumatic-Tyred Railcar (Type No.9) in the UK. The second are locomtives designed to serve the narrow gauge lines in The Guinness Factory in Dublin and a clever conversion vehicle which allowed the same locos to proviide traction on the Irish Standard Gauge as well. The third are railcars that were used by Colonel Stephens on a number of his Light Railways. ....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/01/03/unusual-locomotives-and-railcars-part-2

All around our world different engineers designed vehicles which seemingly suited the circumstances with which they were dealing.

Across the British railway network, and particularly on some of the light railways which sprang to life after the Light Railways Act 1896, there were a number of unusual locomotives and railcars.

This article focusses on two locomotives - Gazelle and Old Chainey.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/01/02/unusual-small-locomotives-and-railcars-part-1

For a number of years in the 1920s and possibly also the 1930s my grandfather worked as a blacksmith in Horwich Loco Works. The works have always, as a result, had a specific interest for me. It has been somewhat saddening over the years to see their gradual deterioration and eventual closure.

In November 2019 I finished reading Issue No. 27 of the Railway Archive Journal published by Black Dwarf Lightmoor Press of Lydney, Gloucestershire.

I enjoyed reading Jeff Wells article in the journal about the Manchester Exhibition of 1887. [1] The article highlights a number of railway exhibits on display at the exhibition. Among these exhibits was 'Dot' a Beyer Peacock 1ft 6 inch gauge 0-4-0T engine. 'According to the official catalogue, Dot was 'specifically built for working on tramways in yards and workshops, and also adopted for tail-rope shunting of ordinary wagons'. After the exhibition, Dot found work at the L&YR's Horwich Works, joining two other Beyer, Peacock 18 in engines, Wren and Robin, which had arrived in April 1887. Such engines were considered necessary to convey materials around the seven miles of internal works' railway.'

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/11/30/horwich-loco-works-18-gauge-railway-part-1

Horwich Locomotive Works "was the last major British railway works to be established on a green field site.  There were traditionally very strong links between the Lancashire & Yorkshire and London & North Western railways, and John Ramsbottom, late of the LNWR was in 1883 appointed consultant to the LYR regarding the planning of Horwich Works.  He advocated an 18in gauge internal transport system similar to that he had earlier installed at Crewe. Originally extending to 7½ miles, this enjoyed a longer life as the last surviving locomotive built for it, 'Wren', was not retired until 1962. The system was used for moving components around the works."

For a number of years in the 1920s and possibly also the 1930s my grandfather worked as a blacksmith in Horwich Loco Works. The works have always, as a result, had a specific interest for me. It has been somewhat saddening over the years to see their gradual deterioration and eventual closure.

In November 2019 I finished reading Issue No. 27 of the Railway Archive Journal published by Black Dwarf Lightmoor Press of Lydney, Gloucestershire.

I enjoyed reading Jeff Wells article in the journal about the Manchester Exhibition of 1887. [1] The article highlights a number of railway exhibits on display at the exhibition. Among these exhibits was 'Dot' a Beyer Peacock 1ft 6 inch gauge 0-4-0T engine. 'According to the official catalogue, Dot was 'specifically built for working on tramways in yards and workshops, and also adopted for tail-rope shunting of ordinary wagons'. After the exhibition, Dot found work at the L&YR's Horwich Works, joining two other Beyer, Peacock 18 in engines, Wren and Robin, which had arrived in April 1887. Such engines were considered necessary to convey materials around the seven miles of internal works' railway.'

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/11/30/horwich-loco-works-18-gauge-railway-part-1

Horwich Locomotive Works "was the last major British railway works to be established on a green field site.  There were traditionally very strong links between the Lancashire & Yorkshire and London & North Western railways, and John Ramsbottom, late of the LNWR was in 1883 appointed consultant to the LYR regarding the planning of Horwich Works.  He advocated an 18in gauge internal transport system similar to that he had earlier installed at Crewe. Originally extending to 7½ miles, this enjoyed a longer life as the last surviving locomotive built for it, 'Wren', was not retired until 1962. The system was used for moving components around the works."

For a number of years in the 1920s and possibly also the 1930s my grandfather worked as a blacksmith in Horwich Loco Works. The works have always, as a result, had a specific interest for me. It has been somewhat saddening over the years to see their gradual deterioration and eventual closure.

In November 2019 I finished reading Issue No. 27 of the Railway Archive Journal published by Black Dwarf Lightmoor Press of Lydney, Gloucestershire.

I enjoyed reading Jeff Wells article in the journal about the Manchester Exhibition of 1887. [1] The article highlights a number of railway exhibits on display at the exhibition. Among these exhibits was 'Dot' a Beyer Peacock 1ft 6 inch gauge 0-4-0T engine. 'According to the official catalogue, Dot was 'specifically built for working on tramways in yards and workshops, and also adopted for tail-rope shunting of ordinary wagons'. After the exhibition, Dot found work at the L&YR's Horwich Works, joining two other Beyer, Peacock 18 in engines, Wren and Robin, which had arrived in April 1887. Such engines were considered necessary to convey materials around the seven miles of internal works' railway.'

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/11/30/horwich-loco-works-18-gauge-railway-part-1

Horwich Locomotive Works "was the last major British railway works to be established on a green field site.  There were traditionally very strong links between the Lancashire & Yorkshire and London & North Western railways, and John Ramsbottom, late of the LNWR was in 1883 appointed consultant to the LYR regarding the planning of Horwich Works.  He advocated an 18in gauge internal transport system similar to that he had earlier installed at Crewe. Originally extending to 7½ miles, this enjoyed a longer life as the last surviving locomotive built for it, 'Wren', was not retired until 1962. The system was used for moving components around the works."

I have recently purchased the six copies of The Railway Magazine which were issued in 1948. The first of these coincides with the formation of British Railways, and the January/February 1948 issue of the magazine highlights for the readers a little of the history of railways in Britain which led up to that momentous occasion. The linked article below builds on the article in The Railway Magazine.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/12/09/british-railways-1948

A copy of the article is reproduced in Appendix 1 to this article.

 

The Railway Magazine was not alone in seeing the 1st January 1948 as a significant landmark in railway history. The Guardian carried an article on 30th December 1947 which said: "Of all the landmarks in Britain's railway history, January 1 1948 will probably be outstanding. It is over a hundred years since railway nationalisation was first advocated. Since then enthusiasts for State ownership have never ceased to proclaim the benefits to be obtained, though in 1867 Sir Rowland Hill in a minority report as a member of a Royal Commission on Railways gave a warning of the "undue enlargement of expectation". The clamour became louder towards the end of last century when the trade unions took it up strongly and after the first world war nationalisation nearly became a fact. Since then the pressure has continued to grow, culminating in the Transport Act of last August which provided for the transfer of the railways to the State on January 1. Thus after more than a century of controversy the decision has been taken."

I have been intending to follow up my first article about this line (http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/06/04/bideford-westward-ho-and-appledore-railway-part-1-railfile) with a second one. It has taken me sometime to complete it. This next article covers the line from Bideford to Westward Ho!

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/11/30/bideford-westward-ho-and-appledore-railway-part-2

I have been intending to follow up my first article about this line (http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/06/04/bideford-westward-ho-and-appledore-railway-part-1-railfile) with a second one. It has taken me sometime to complete it. This next article covers the line from Bideford to Westward Ho!

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/11/30/bideford-westward-ho-and-appledore-railway-part-2