Roger Farnworth Railways

[rogerfarnworth]

Re: The Railways of Tanzania
Part 6 – The British Mandate and the Trust – The Years of British Rule including the approach of World War II

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/01/rai...rld-war-ii

[rogerfarnworth]

RE: The Mount Washington Cog Railway
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?

Quote:Here (below) are a few of the lines highlighted by a number of different AI searches all of which included the words ‘mountain railway’ in the search parameters. They are all interesting examples of engineering developments over time. No claim is made that this is an all-inclusive list! And, looking at the lines highlighted, it seems the search term, ‘mountain railway‘ might have been interpreted quite widely! ….

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/04/15/the...g-railway/

[rogerfarnworth]

Egyptian Railways
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.”

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/04/01/egy...t-version/

[rogerfarnworth]

Sweden's Inland Railway (Inlandsbanan)
Part 1

Introduction and the Route of the Railway from Gällivare to Arvidsjaur

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, © 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.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/04/27/swe...arvidsjaur