Miscellaneous & Oddities From station barrows to benches, signage and stalls etc. Sat, 12 Sep 2026 10:38:43 +0000 Sat, 12 Sep 2026 10:38:43 +0000 Platform1mrc.com http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?forums/miscellaneous-oddities/ The Guardian Lifestyle Travel - 23rd May 2026 Tue, 01 Sep 2026 18:02:05 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-guardian-lifestyle-travel-23rd-may-2026.7249/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-guardian-lifestyle-travel-23rd-may-2026.7249/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth Part 1 – Naples

The travel section of the Saturday Guardian Magazine on 23rd May 2023 included a few pages about train journeys in Europe (pages 72 to 77).

The featured image for this short article is a photograph of a EAV (Ente Autonomo Volturno)-owned Circumvesuviana train at Napoli Garibaldi station, © Falk2 and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 3.0).

1. Time Travel on the Naples Line

The first of the articles, written by Sophia Seymour picks...

The Guardian Lifestyle Travel - 23rd May 2026]]> 5 An NSR Absolute Block instrument Fri, 28 Aug 2026 22:17:08 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/an-nsr-absolute-block-instrument.6424/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/an-nsr-absolute-block-instrument.6424/ invalid@example.com (Andy_Sollis) Andy_Sollis
I have invested in a little restoration project of a Tyers Absolute Block Instrument as used by the North Staffordshire Railway, this being very similar if not the same as one of the pair found in Leek signal box as to be found one day on Yorkies developing diorama/layout.

I say restoration as it’s not quite complete.

View attachment 40728

At first I thought I had a broken top half, and missing some mid sections and the front panel...

An NSR Absolute Block instrument]]> 414 Friends of the West Highland Lines Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:55:03 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/friends-of-the-west-highland-lines.7263/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/friends-of-the-west-highland-lines.7263/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth Friends of The West Highland Lines Journal – ‘West Highland News Plus’

The featured image for this article shows the Jacobite arriving at Mallaig Railway Station, © Mary & Angus Hogg and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [18]

In the bookshop at Wemyss Bay Railway Station in May 2026, I picked up the Spring 2026 issue of West Highland News Plus which is the magazine of the friends of The West Highland Lines. It reminded me that 2026 is the 125th...

Friends of the West Highland Lines]]> Water cranes Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:44:52 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/water-cranes.7261/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/water-cranes.7261/ invalid@example.com (Ron) Ron
View attachment 52194]]> 1 The Edaville Railroad, South Carver, Massachusetts, USA Mon, 10 Aug 2026 18:40:34 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-edaville-railroad-south-carver-massachusetts-usa.7179/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-edaville-railroad-south-carver-massachusetts-usa.7179/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth
Originally known as ‘The Cranberry and Small Fry Line’, the Edaville Railroad is a 2ft-gauge narrow gauge line in Massachusetts. [1: p555]

It featured in a short article in the August 1952 issue of The Railway Magazine. This is the next article in a series looking at lines featured in early...

The Edaville Railroad, South Carver, Massachusetts, USA]]> 1 Kintyre Peninsula - Ronachan Point Thu, 06 Aug 2026 20:05:26 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/kintyre-peninsula-ronachan-point.7256/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/kintyre-peninsula-ronachan-point.7256/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth Ronachan Point, Kintyre – Limestone Tramway

Ronachan Point, located on the Kintyre peninsula, features remnants of a very short industrial limestone quarry and a 19th-century tramway used to transport materials to a nearby slipway.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/05/17/ronachan-point-kintyre-limestone-tramway/]]> Model Display Stand Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:27:08 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/model-display-stand.7255/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/model-display-stand.7255/ invalid@example.com (Rob Pulham) Rob Pulham
Mine isn't as wide because many of the tables at shows that we support are quite small.

View attachment 52158

These were taken part way through the process.

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The next two photos are of the finished display stand last weekend at Redcar Show....

Model Display Stand]]> The Railways of Tanzania Sun, 02 Aug 2026 20:40:25 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-railways-of-tanzania.7200/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-railways-of-tanzania.7200/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth
The Railways of Tanzania]]> 8 The Modern Tramway Journal After WW2 and through into the 1960s Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:30:06 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-modern-tramway-journal-after-ww2-and-through-into-the-1960s.7240/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-modern-tramway-journal-after-ww2-and-through-into-the-1960s.7240/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth Modern Tramway – January 1951 – The ‘Felthams’ in Leeds

I have a few older copies of Modern Tramway which I had not yet read. The first of these is the January 1951 issue, this is a second reflection from that copy of the Journal.

As the London network began to close a significant number of trams were sold. This copy of Modern Tramway notes that the remaining ‘Felthams’ were sold to Leeds City Transport....

The Modern Tramway Journal After WW2 and through into the 1960s]]> 17 Double-Deck Trains Sun, 05 Jul 2026 09:24:18 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/double-deck-trains.7231/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/double-deck-trains.7231/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth
This article takes a look at the history of double-deck trains and carriages.

The featured image for this article shows what one of these trains would look like in Eurostar’s grey livery. The fully electric fleet of trains will be named Eurostar Celestia, which comes from the Latin word caelestis,...

Double-Deck Trains]]> 4 Birmingham Bustigestion! Wed, 01 Jul 2026 19:17:56 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/birmingham-bustigestion.7239/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/birmingham-bustigestion.7239/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth Modern Tramway – January 1951 – Birmingham Bustigestion!

I have a few older copies of Modern Tramway which I had not yet read. The first of these is the January 1951 issue.

The editorial for this issue of Modern Tramway was a long update on Birmingham’s tram-scrapping programme. An update that railed against the dominance of the bus! It was clearly written by someone who knew the centre of Birmingham at the start of the 1950s very well.

The featured image for this article shows a...

Birmingham Bustigestion!]]> Sweden's Inland Railway (Inlandsbanen) Thu, 04 Jun 2026 20:34:24 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/swedens-inland-railway-inlandsbanen.7222/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/swedens-inland-railway-inlandsbanen.7222/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth 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, (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...

Sweden's Inland Railway (Inlandsbanen)]]> Egyptian Railways Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:52:51 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/egyptian-railways.7221/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/egyptian-railways.7221/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth 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...

Egyptian Railways]]> The Mount Washington Cog Railway Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:56:30 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-mount-washington-cog-railway.7220/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-mount-washington-cog-railway.7220/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth
It is beyond doubt that it is among the pioneer mountain railways of the world, but the first?

The Mount Washington Cog Railway]]> Named Locomotives in East Africa Tue, 05 May 2026 18:22:07 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/named-locomotives-in-east-africa.7210/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/named-locomotives-in-east-africa.7210/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth The Railway Magazine 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...

Named Locomotives in East Africa]]> South African Railways - Steam Heating Tenders for Class 4E Locomotives Mon, 04 May 2026 17:24:42 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/south-african-railways-steam-heating-tenders-for-class-4e-locomotives.7209/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/south-african-railways-steam-heating-tenders-for-class-4e-locomotives.7209/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth 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...

South African Railways - Steam Heating Tenders for Class 4E Locomotives]]> Historic Metre-Gauge Railways in Provence - Le Macaron Sat, 02 May 2026 20:44:25 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/historic-metre-gauge-railways-in-provence-le-macaron.2837/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/historic-metre-gauge-railways-in-provence-le-macaron.2837/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth Alongside the work I've been doing on the Central Var Line l have been pulling together a series of posts about Le Macaron. This is the metre-gauge line along the coast between Toulon and Saint-Raphael. This is the first of these posts:

[COLOR=rgb(34, 34,...[/URL]

Historic Metre-Gauge Railways in Provence - Le Macaron]]> 17 600 mm Narrow Gauge Railway Lines Used During World War 1 in East Africa Fri, 01 May 2026 21:03:28 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/600-mm-narrow-gauge-railway-lines-used-during-world-war-1-in-east-africa.7208/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/600-mm-narrow-gauge-railway-lines-used-during-world-war-1-in-east-africa.7208/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth 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...

600 mm Narrow Gauge Railway Lines Used During World War 1 in East Africa]]> The Tramways of Zanzibar Sat, 11 Apr 2026 15:04:40 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-tramways-of-zanzibar.7199/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/the-tramways-of-zanzibar.7199/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth
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.

The Tramways of Zanzibar]]> Kenya and Uganda Railway News - February 2026 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:25:12 +0000 http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/kenya-and-uganda-railway-news-february-2026.7196/ http://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/kenya-and-uganda-railway-news-february-2026.7196/ invalid@example.com (Roger Farnworth) Roger Farnworth 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...

Kenya and Uganda Railway News - February 2026]]>