Roger Farnworth Railways

[rogerfarnworth]

RE: The Railway Magazine again. ...
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/dev...uary-1959/

[rogerfarnworth]

RE: Some Railways in Quebec in the 1950s
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.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/02/11/the...in-quebec/

[rogerfarnworth]

RE: The Railways of Barrow-in-Furness
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.”

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/02/16/the...n-furness/[/i]

[rogerfarnworth]

Re: Barrow in Furness again. ...
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/bar...m-tramway/

[rogerfarnworth]

Re: Shoeburyness Military Tramways
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'.”

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/02/19/sho...e-tramways

[rogerfarnworth]

RE: Kenya and Uganda again. ...
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/feb...atest-news

[rogerfarnworth]

Re: The Tramways of Zanzibar
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."

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/02/23/the...f-zanzibar

[rogerfarnworth]

RE: The Railways of Tanzania
This post is the first in a series that 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. …

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/rai...-tanzania/

[rogerfarnworth]

RE: The Railways of Tanzania again. .....
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.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/04/01/rai...a-to-moshi

[rogerfarnworth]

RE: The Railways of Tanzania again. ...
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/rai...i-tanzania