Royal Mail Liverpool & Manchester Railway 12.3.1980

The above Royal Mail Liverpool & Manchester Rly stamps were issued on 12 March 1980 by Royal Mail and feature the following stamp designs: 12p 'The Rocket'; 12p First & Second Class Carriages; 12p Third Class Carriage and Sheep Truck; 12p Horsebox and Carriage Truck; 12p Mail Coach & Goods Truck. The Great Central Railway first day cover.  

The Moscow Metro - 70th Anniversary 25.4.2005

The Moscow Metro is a rapid transit system serving Moscow, Russia and the neighbouring Moscow Oblast towns of Krasnogorsk and Reutov. Opened in 1935 with one 11-kilometre (6.8 mi) line and 13 stations, it was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union.

The first line was opened to the public on 15 May 1935 at 07:00 am. It was 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) long and included 13 stations. The line connected Sokolniki to Okhotny Ryad then branching to Park Kultury and Smolenskaya, complete with the first logo, the capital M paired with the text "МЕТРО". There is no accurate information about the author of the logo, so it is often attributed to the architects of the first stations – Samuil Kravets, Ivan Taranov and Nadezhda Bykova. It is noteworthy, however, that even at the opening in 1935, the M letter on the logo had no definite shape.

The first line was opened to the public on 15 May 1935 at 07:00 am. It was 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) long and included 13 stations. The line connected Sokolniki to Okhotny Ryad then branching to Park Kultury and Smolenskaya.

The Moscow Metro is probably the most magnificent subway of the world. It is not only beautiful, but also cheap, reliable and runs on time. In Moscow the Metro is often the fastest way to get around the city compared to other means of public transportation, taxis or driving. During rush hours, metro trains run every one to two minutes.

Historic Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Timah Tailway Stations 28.2.2013

Featured in this set of four stamps (S$4.01) are the historic Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Timah railway stations. The Tanjong Pagar railway station, opened on 2 May 1932 by then Governor of Singapore, Sir Cecil Clementi, is a fine example of Modern Architecture with Neo-Classical and Art-Deco influences.
The Bukit Timah railway station, which was part of the three smaller railway stations (i.e. Alexandra and Tanglin Halt), was constructed to serve the suburban areas of Singapore.

Prior to the formation of Malaysia and independence of Singapore in 1965, border control between the two countries were non-existent. After border controls were established, the railway customs clearance coexisted in Tanjong Pagar station. In the 90's Singapore entered into an agreement with Malaysia to relocate the station and checkpoint in order to free up Tanjong Pagar train station's land for development purposes. Unfortunately the points of agreement were interpreted differently. Singapore moved its checkpoint to Woodlands while Malaysia was unwilling to budge its checkpoint, leaving it still in Tanjong Pagar.

This peculiar arrangement means that entry from Singapore to Malaysia by train would have to clear Malaysian customs when boarding at Tanjong Pagar. As the train moves to Woodlands, passengers will have to disembark and clear Singapore customs there. The result? Passengers was granted entry into Malaysia (they have cleared Malaysian customs in Tanjong Pagar) before clearing Singapore customs (they have not clear customs yet as the Singaporean checkpoint is at Woodlands). Imagine the potential confusion resulting from this!

This peculiarity aside, the train station itself is a marvel of a bygone colonial era. Marble colonnades and art deco architecture lent it an air of historical value. Its popularity is evident in that even after it ceased operations in 2011, the Singaporean public still applied to use the venue for events.

Featured together with the Tanjong Pagar railway station in this FDC is the Bukit Timah railway station. Unlike the terminus, this station is rather nondescript. It is in fact just a crossing loop station, not expecting to receive or disembark any passengers. Its historical value lies in the fact that it serviced the railway line between Singapore and Malaysia until Tanjong Pagar railway station ceased its operation.

U.S. Railroad Engineers 29.4.1950

The 1950 3¢ violet brown U.S. Railroad Engineers Issue commemorates the role of railroad engineers in building America. The stamp pictures folk hero John Luther “Casey” Jones, who was killed in a train wreck near Vaughn, Mississippi.

The stamp was issued in Jackson, Mississippi, on 29.4.1950, the 50th anniversary of Jones’ death. Jones, who lived in Jackson, had a reputation for always staying on schedule – “get there on the advertised,” as the saying went. He was also known for his unique use of a train whistle. 

On April 29, 1900, Jones had completed a run to Memphis, when he volunteered to return to Canton, Mississippi, that same night to replace another engineer who was sick. While trying to make up time, he collided with the rear cars of another train that had moved to a side rail, but still was partially on the main rail. Jones was able to reduce his speed from 75 miles per hour to 35, which helped prevent likely deaths among the passengers. He was the only fatality.

Thank you Merja.

Bern–Lötschberg–Simplon railway 1913 - 1963

The Bern–Lötschberg–Simplon (BLS) railway, known since the merger of the "old" BLS with the Bern–Neuenburg-Bahn (BN), the Gürbetal–Bern–Schwarzenburg-Bahn (GBS) and the Simmentalbahn (SEZ) in 1997 as the BLS Lötschbergbahn, is a Swiss railway company. It is the largest standard gauge network on the Swiss Railway system apart from the Federal Railways, SBB-CFF-FFS. The railway had not been built at the time that the Federal government took control of the five big Swiss standard gauge railway companies in 1902 and so it led a separate existence, being considered the largest of the Swiss "private" railways, although the majority of its capital was owned by the cantonal government of Bern and also the Confederation held about 1/5. In 2006 the company merged with Regionalverkehr Mittelland AG to form a new company called BLS AG.

The stamp on this FDC was issued by Switzerland to commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of the Bern–Lötschberg–Simplon (BLS) railway inon 21.3.1963.

Thank you Maria for this nice cover.

150 Years of Railways in Finland

VR group (Valtion Rautatiet), Finland's state railways is celebrating its 150 years on the rail. In honour of the occasion, a six-stamp booklet designed by Tarja Salonen was released. The stamps depict six trains from different periods from the steam locomotive Ukkopekka to the newest train called Allegro, which runs from Helsinki to St. Petersburg. The shape of the stamps has been cut to perspective to give them the feeling of motion. These stamps were issued on 5.3.2012. 17 March 1862 was the date when regular rail services began between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna. Safety was important in designing the railway line because there were no level crossings and initially the trains travelled in different directions on alternate days. The 1930s were the golden age for rail travel in Finland as elsewhere in Europe. The all-time record for rail passenger volumes was set in the 1940s when the population began moving from farms to factories and commuting distances became longer.

After the war Finland started to modernize its rolling stock and diesel locomotives were introduced. Living conditions in Finland gradually improved and people started travelling again. The railways marketed round trips for holidaymakers. The urban line between Tikkurila and Kerava was completed in August 2004. In autumn 2006 the Kerava-Lahti direct line took the entire VR Group into a new railway age. Ella sent me this lovely FDC and maxicard shown alongside, which depicts the Helsinki Central Railway Station.

Railway's of Ireland

The Orient Express

This Miniature sheet was issued by DPR Korea to commemorate The Orient Express which was the name of a long-distance passenger train service originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. It ran from 1883 to 2009 and is not to be confused with the Venice-Simplon Orient Express train service, which continues to run. My dear friend Maria sent me this minisheet. I am not sure if she has travelled on this famous route. To an extent Agatha Christie made this train famous by her mystery “Murder on the Orient Express”.
The route and rolling stock of the Orient Express changed many times. Several routes in the past concurrently used the Orient Express name, or slight variants thereof. Although the original Orient Express was simply a normal international railway service, the name has become synonymous with intrigue and luxury travel. The two city names most prominently associated with the Orient Express are Paris and Istanbul, the original end points of the timetabled service. In 1977, the Orient Express stopped serving Istanbul. Its immediate successor, a through overnight service from Paris to Vienna, ran for the very last time from Paris on Friday, June 8, 2007. After this, the route, still called the "Orient Express", was shortened to start from Strasbourg instead, occasioned by the inauguration of the LGV Est which affords much faster travel times from Paris to Strasbourg. The new curtailed service left Strasbourg at 22.20 daily, shortly after the arrival of a TGV from Paris, and was attached at Karlsruhe to the overnight sleeper service from Amsterdam to Vienna.
On 14 December 2009, the Orient Express ceased to operate and the route disappeared from European railway timetables, reportedly a "victim of high-speed trains and cut-rate airlines". The Venice-Simplon Orient Express train, a private venture using original carriages from the 1920s and 30s, continues to run from London to Venice and to other destinations in Europe, including the original route from Paris to Istanbul. The first menu on board (October 10, 1882): oysters, soup with Italian pasta, turbot with green sauce, chicken ‘à la chasseur’, fillet of beef with ‘château’ potatoes, ‘chaud-froid’ of game animals, lettuce, chocolate pudding, buffet of desserts.

Luganskteplovoz diesel locomotives Plant

These four Ukrainian stamps on the First Day Cover were issued on 8.8.2008 for celebrating the Luhansktepovoz locomotives Plant in Luhansk in the Ukraine. This locomotives factory is mainly employed in manufacturing Diesel locomotives. Luhanskteplovoz, earlier known as Voroshilovgrad Locomotive works is a large industrial company in Luhansk, Ukraine, manufacturing locomotives, multiple unit trains (both electric and diesel) as well as other heavy equipment. The company was founded in 1896 as Russischen Maschinenbaugesellschaft Hartmann in Luhansk and renamed Lokomotive factory Octoberrevolution (after the October Revolution) in 1918 following the Russian revolution. In the second half of the twentieth century the plant produced thousands of the well known 'M62' and DR Class 130 (TE109) ("ludmillas") diesel electric locomotives for eastern European Soviet Bloc countries. My dear friend Ella gave me this nice FDC.

Cyprus – Railways

The Cyprus Government Railway was a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway network that operated in Cyprus from October 1905 to December 1951. With a total length of 76 miles (122 km), there were 39 stations, stops and halts, the most prominent of which served Famagusta, Prastio Mesaoria, Angastina, Trachoni, Nicosia, Kokkinotrimithia, Morphou, Kalo Chorio and Evrychou. The CGR was closed down due to financial reasons. An extension of the railway which was built to serve the Cyprus Mines Corporation operated until 1974. By the time the total 76 miles (122 km) of the CGR had been completed, running costs had spiralled to £199,367, which remained constant throughout the operation period of the line. During the 46 years of its operation, the CGR witnessed various interesting events that marked the modern history of Cyprus, among which were:

• During the Enosis riots in October 1931, 120 yards (110 m) of line were torn up, as the railway was regarded as a symbol of British colonial rule.
• the transportation of Allied troops to and from Famagusta, Nicosia Airport and Xeros during both World Wars.
• It was targeted by the Axis powers during World War II.

The railway was used for the transportation of a large number of the 50,000 Jewish refugees to Karaolos internment camps, between 1946-1949. The Cyprus Government Railway was used in a number of ways and served both the colonial authorities and the local population. Principle operations were as follows:

• It served the port of Famagusta, as a freight transfer system.
• It transferred timber from the Troodos Mountains to towns and cities across Cyprus.
• It carried freight, ore and minerals on behalf of the Cyprus Mines Corporation.
• The local railway stations functioned as a place of exchange of goods and services, while some also operated as telephone centres, telegram offices and/or postal offices.
• CGR trains carried mail, which arrived in Famagusta via the Khedivial Mail Line (1912–1939).

The existence of a railway in Cyprus brought many benefits to the population of Cyprus. However, during the first years of its operation, many viewed the Railway more like a spectacle, instead of a means of transportation, which is why they crowded under the bridges to admire it. Overall, the CGR carried 3,199,934 tons of commercial goods and freight and 7,348,643 passengers. The various stations were designated by large trilingual (Greek, Turkish and English) white signs, while the CGR owned a total of 12 locomotives, 17 coaches and about 100 multi-purpose wagons, 50 of which were purchased from Egypt and Palestine. The CGR employed around 200 people in total. Thank you Merja for these lovely covers.

Bosnia Herzegovina – Railways

These stamps and the FDC was issued by Bosnia Herzegovina to commemorate the Company Zeljeznice Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine which provides rail transportation of passengers and freight in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and internationally. It transports cargo through wagons and freight cars. The company was founded in 1878 and is based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina with regional offices in Sarajevo, Tuzla, Mostar, Zenica, and Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This nice cover was thanks to Ella My friend.

Railways – The Beauty & the Beast

These two cards came to me from Ruth in Germany who sent me the Beast (;-)) and Nora from Taiwan who sent me the Beauty.

The Great Western Railway (GWR) 2800 Class is a class of steam locomotive designed by G.J. Churchward for heavy freight work. They were the first 2-8-0 class in Great Britain. The prototype, originally numbered 97 but later renumbered 2800, appeared in 1903. Construction of the production series commenced in 1905 and continued until 1919. The 2884 Class which appeared in 1938–1942 was developed from the 2800 class and is sometimes classified with it.

Taiwan High Speed Rail is a high-speed rail line that runs along the west coast of Taiwan. It is approximately 345 km (214 mi) long and runs from Taipei to Kaohsiung. Construction was managed by a private company, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC), which also operates the line. The project had a total cost of US$18 billion and is one of the largest privately-managed and funded transport schemes to date. For most of its length, THSR runs on viaducts or in tunnels. THSR's technology is based mainly on Japan's Shinkansen system, mixed with European standards and system components. The Taiwan High Speed 700T train is a variant of the 700 Series Shinkansen and was built by a consortium of Japanese rolling stock builders. THSR began service on January 5, 2007. Trains with a service top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) travel from Taipei to Kaohsiung in as fast as 90 minutes, compared to over four hours for a train on the conventional Western Line of the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA). Tickets are more expensive than on normal trains or express buses, but cheaper than on airplanes. Most intermediate stations are outside the cities served, with rapid transit connections constructed only after the opening of the line. Ridership missed forecasts, but grew from under forty thousand passengers a day in the first few months to over a hundred thousand passengers a day in 2010. THSR took away passengers from airlines on parallel routes almost completely, and also impacted road traffic.

Ukraine – 100 yrs of the Electric Tram in Odessa

Stan sent me this lovely card commemorating One Hundred Years of the First Electric Tramcar in Odessa. The four pretty stamps almost depict the evolutionary trend in Railway engines.

Malaysia - Trains

This very nice first day cover is from Malaysia. The stamps depict the evolution of the Railway train Service in Malaysia. Details of the stamps are on the displayed info sheets. Please click to see an enlarged picture. For any more details please send me an e-mail. Budin My Good friend sent it to me.

Switzerland – 100 years of The Gottard Rail Tunnel

This nice set of stamps was issued in 1982 to commemorate 100 years of The Gottard Rail Tunnel. The Gotthard Rail Tunnel, is a 15-kilometre (9 mi) long railway tunnel and forms the summit of the Gotthard Railway in Switzerland. It connects Göschenen with Airolo and was the first tunnel through the Gotthard massif. It is built as one double-track, standard gauge tunnel. The tunnel rises from the northern portal at Göschenen (1106 metres / 3650 ft) and the highest point (1151 metres, or 3800 ft) is reached after approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi). After two more kilometers, the border between the cantons of Uri (Remember William Tell?) and Ticino is passed; after another 5 kilometres (3 mi), the tunnel ends at the southern portal near to Airolo (1142 metres, or 3770 ft). The trip takes about seven to eight minutes by train. Services are operated by the Swiss national railway company SBB-CFF-FFS. Thank you MGIFS.

Mountain Railways

Two maximum cards were issued in Switzerland on 6^th May, 2010. These are shown on the right. On the left is an information sheet, which explains it all. These are once again contributions from MGIFS.

Switzerland – Stately Simplon celebrates centenary

These maxi cards were sent to me by MGIFS. The Simplon Tunnel is an Alpine railway tunnel that connects the Swiss town of Brig with Domodossola in Italy, though its relatively straight trajectory does not run under Simplon Pass itself. It actually consists of two single-track tunnels built nearly 20 years apart. It was the longest railway tunnel in the world until the opening of the Seikan Tunnel in 1988.

Work on the first tube of the Simplon tunnel commenced in 1898. The Italian king Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and the president of the Swiss National Council Ludwig Forrer opened the tunnel at Brig on 10 May 1906. The builders of the tunnel were Hermann Häustler and Hugo von Kager and the tunnel is 19,700 meters (64,633 ft) long. Work on the second tube of the tunnel started in 1912 and it was opened in 1921; it is 19,824 meters (65,039 ft) long. The Simplon rail tunnel linking Switzerland and Italy can look back on 100 years as a vital artery of the railways, with next year signalling a busy future ahead. Officially inaugurated on May 19, 1906, it was for many years the longest in the world but it has never caught the spotlight as much as another major alpine tunnel – the Gotthard.

Rack & Pinion Railway

The Maxi card with the 80c stamp features the rack and pinion railway system developed by the Basle engineer Niklaus Riggenbach (1817 – 1899). The smooth functioning of his invention was demonstrated when Europe’s first rack railway, from Vitznau up to Rigi, was opened in 1871. Riggenbach’s technical principle i.e. the locking of a cogwheel into a toothed track ensured the highest possible degree of safety, even at gradients of 1 in 4. The stamp shows one of the first cogwheel steam locomotives on the Vitznau – Rigi Railway, now at the Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne. This interesting card was sent to me by My Generous Indian Friend in Switzerland (MGIFS)

Nantes Railway Station in France

This Maxim card was issued in 2001 to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the arrival of the first train at Nantes Railway Station in France. This card is kind courtesy of My friend Marie in Nantes.

USSR - Transport - Railways

I will get back to sports in the near future. The non-sporting enthusiasts have been sending ‘not so subtle’ hints, that they have had a bit too many sports posts for the time being, and that all play and no work does make Jack a dull boy. So, where do I go next? I don’t know where, but I do know how I may get there. By, land sea or air transportation. So, that’s what we will look at next. Transport. And transport during the Soviet days, if you please. I will display one frame per post, so that the thematic collectors could study them in detail, and in peace.

These stamps portray locomotives from 1833. One of the stamps has a picture of the famous Moscow Metro. The beauty of this underground transport system is not just its efficiency, but also the magnificence of the stations. They are like museums, with marble flooring and gorgeous chandeliers winking at one from the ceilings, with sculptures and paintings making a visit to these stations most pleasurable, as personally experienced by yours truly during my transit through that great city.

(As usual click to enlarge)