Roger Farnworth Railways

[rogerfarnworth]

Aberystwyth Cliff Railway
After Easter 2026, we spent a few days at Borth on Cardigan Bay, North of Aberystwyth. We took the opportunity to visit Aberystwyth and to travel on the Cliff Railway.

Aberystwyth Cliff Railway is the longest electrically operated cliff railway in the UK. It sits at the North end of Aberystwyth’s promenade. Constitution Hill provides views over the town and Cardigan Bay. On a really good day, as many as twenty-six mountain peaks can be seen from the summit.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/07/11/abe...ff-railway

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RE: Roger Farnworth Railways
Railways of Tanzania – Part 11 – The Central Line – from Dodoma to Tabora

The featured image for this article is EAR 24 Class steam locomotive No. 2443 which was originally purchased by the Uganda Railway by 1930, manufactured by the Vulcan Foundry and Nasmyth, Wilson and Co. The photograph was taken at the Tabora depot in Tanzania in 1968 © Basil Roberts, 1968 and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 3.0). [2]

We start this next length of the journey along the Central Line in Tanzania at the capital Dodoma’s metre-gauge railway station which until the SGR line was opened was the main transport hub for the city, both for passengers and goods. The station is no longer used for passenger services to Dar-es-Salaam to the East nor for travel further West in Tanzania. The SGR line has (in 2026) reached Tabora and work on the line to Kigoma has now started.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/08/16/rai...to-tabora/

[rogerfarnworth]

The Narrow Gauge Railway Society Journal
I have enjoyed being a member of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society for a number of years. One of the benefits of membership is the regular mailing.

The Narrow Gauge Railway Society sends out a bimonthly mailing in which ‘Narrow Gauge News’ (a full colour A4 update for readers covering what has been happening across a wide range of different narrow gauge lines in both the UK and around the world) is accompanied by one, sometimes two, more detailed studies of contemporary and more historic narrow gauge lines.

In October 2026, the latest mailing included two other A4 ‘bookazines’. The first being a single issue paper recorded as ‘The Narrow Gauge No. 302’ which focusses on various railways at Crystal Palace, written by R. G. Cash.

The second ‘bookazine’ is the September edition of ‘The Narrow Gauge’ – No. 303. In 2026, the Narrow Gauge Railway Society celebrates 75 years serving the narrow gauge world since 1951. This is reflected on the front cover of ‘The Narrow Gauge No. 303'. This second volume includes:

Slaggyford Light Rail – Philip Champion (p3-9);
Early Petrol-Electric Railcars in Prussia – David Meller (p10-22);
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad: Part 1 – Jim Stancliffe (p23-33); and
A few shorter items.

The linked article below reviews the two 'bookazines!'

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/10/05/the...y-society/

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The Railways of Tanzania again. ....
Part 12 – The South

The featured image for this article is a Tanganyika Railway (TR) oil-fuelled RV (River) class 4-8-2 locomotive, later classified as the East African Railways (EAR) 21 class. Locomotives of this Class were used on the Southern Province Railway in the late 1950s and early 1960s, © Public Domain. [6][1: p303]

The linked article looks at attempts by the German protectorate to expand a rail network into the south before WW1 and links to efforts made under the British Mandate to establish a Ground Nut Scheme and an associated railway and the locomotives that were active on that line.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/07/29/rai...the-south/

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The Railways of Herefordshire and the Southern Marches
This is the second book written by Heather Hurley which focuses on railway history. The first concentrated or the early tramways/tramroads of the Wye valley. A short review of that earlier book can be found here.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2023/01/02/hor...ye-valley/

In this latest publication, Heather Hurley provides a social history of the lines which served the area between Ludlow in the North and Chepstow in the South – the area shown in the map below.

Given the essentially rural nature of the Southern Marches, it is sometimes easy to forget the industries which existed in the area and the manifest need, in the 19th century, for the railway connections which developed over time.

This book is an obvious successor to Hurley’s earlier study of the Tramways in the Wye valley. It is “written by a local historian, not a railway enthusiast, who has delved through the archives of 18 railway companies: two were abandoned from the start, four remained open, with another partly restored as a heritage line. Apart from the documentary research, a great deal of fieldwork was undertaken [by Hurley] in the counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Brecknockshire and Radnorshire, in order to provide important visual information.”

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/07/29/the...n-marches/

[rogerfarnworth]

The Railways of Tanzania again. ...
Part 13 – WW2 and its Aftermath

The featured image for this article is GB Class Garratt Locomotive 4-8-2+2-8-4 which entered service in 1948. [1: p307]

During WW2, the financial position of the railways in Tanganyika improved considerably, due in no small part to movements of troops and refugees and a significant increase in goods traffic. In 1940, the number of journeys made by passengers was 511,809 which produced a revenue of £93,478. In 1945, the number of journeys made by passengers was 1,524,087 which produced revenue of £345,650. Throughout the system there was a shortage of passenger rolling-stock and many third-class passengers were carried in goods wagons. Goods traffic amounted to 236,512 tons in 1940 and 357,359 in 1945. The revenue derived from it increased from £469,228 to £638,536. made by passengers was 511,809 which produced a revenue of £93,478. In 1945, the number of journeys made by passengers was 1,524,087 which produced revenue of £345,650. Throughout the system there was a shortage of passenger rolling-stock and many third-class passengers were carried in goods wagons. Goods traffic amounted to 236,512 tons in 1940 and 357,359 in 1945. The revenue derived from it increased from £469,228 to £638,536.

The linked article covers the period from the beginning of WW2 until 1948 when East African Railways and Harbours was formed

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/07/16/rai...aftermath/