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Parliamentary train to Heysham Port

Britain’s shortest boat train route must surely be the 4.2 miles from Morecambe to Heysham Port, on which a “Parliamentary” train provides a daily connection with a ferry sailing to and from Douglas operated by the quaintly-named Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.

The once-a-day service, to a station where the Northern Trains timetable curiously uses its original name of Heysham Harbour, used to originate at Leeds and travel over the Bentham Line to Carnforth and Lancaster, before reversing there and at Morecambe.

Special trains and semaphores on Mazey Day

D1935 (47805) and 47614 pass signal PR5 with 1Z64 from Solihull to Penzance

Mazey Day marks the culmination of the two-week Midsummer celebrations in Cornwall known as Golowan and, besides attracting many thousands of visitors to Penzance, this year’s event on 24 June 2023 also brought a couple of special trains from the Midlands to the Royal Duchy.

As semaphore signalling is due to be disappearning from Truro, Par and Lostwithiel in November, this seemed the perfect excuse to pay another visit to the latter two of this trio and capture the two specials as they passed the doomed semaphores.

Favourite photo-spots: Arnside

When it comes to appreciating what remains of mechanical signalling on our national railway network there is no finer survival than the 94½ miles of route around the Cumbrian Coast that extends all the way from Arnside, between Carnforth and Grange-over-Sands, to Wigton, south-west of Carlisle

As I wrote in my book “Britain’s last mechanical signalling” this fascinating and scenic route boasts no less than 17 signal boxes and two gate boxes controlling semaphore signals, most of which are at, or close to, stations and so accessible to the rail-borne traveller.

Spring-time in the Rhodope Mountains

75-004 nears Velingrad on 2 June 2023 with the Maritsa service from Avramovo (14.00)

Bulgaria’s only narrow gauge railway has long been a favourite of mine to travel and photograph, so when my fourth and final Inter-Rail trip took me to Sofia it seemed like the ideal finale to spend a few days in Velingrad and renew my acquaintance with the wonderfully scenic Septemvri-Dobrinishte line.

For those unfamiliar with it, this is a 125km (78 mile) long route which leaves from a junction on the main line from Sofia to Plovdiv and heads up into the Rhodope Mountains, passing Velingrad and the ski resort of Bansko before terminating a few miles further on.

Return of the Pembroke Coast Express

Four years after they last ran, and a year after summer services returned to the resorts of Newquay and Skegness, now it is the turn of Tenby in Pembrokeshire to see the restoration of summer specials, as part of a major expansion of GWR services in West Wales.

Nor only has the timetable introduced on 21 May 2023 seen a substantial increase in the number of direct weekday services between Carmarthen and Paddington rise from one round trip a day to six, but summer Saturdays see a direct service from the capital to Tenby and Pembroke Dock at 08.48, with return services from Pembroke Dock at 10.00 and 15.00.

First Class single from Haslemere to Sofia (via Athens)

A Frecciarossa service departs Bari Centrale for Brindisi and Lecce on 26 May 2023

A final trip using the half-price First Class Inter-Rail ticket bought in last year’s 50^th anniversary sale is also my longest, and takes me from home to Milan, then south through Italy to Bari, before sailing across the Adriatic to Patras and on by bus and train to Athens. From there it is north on the fateful route to Thessaloniki, before finishing in Bulgaria with a visit to the spa town of Velingrad.

Setting off in glorious spring weather on Tuesday, 23 May 2023, I am hoping for some sunny sightseeing along with all the rail journeys, having arranged to spend two days in Bari, Athens and Thessaloniki and then finish up with three days at the apartment I stayed at in Velingrad during a visit in March 2022.

First class single from Haslemere to Podgorica

An hour late and in pouring rain Montenegran Railways Co-Co electric loco 461-029 is about to depart Podgorica on 11 May 2023 with the southbound Lovcen service from Belgrade to Bar

After last month’s enjoyable trip from home to Split via Switzerland and Austria, it is time to head off slightly further afield this time and take an Inter-Rail journey via Stuttgart and Zagreb to the Serbian capital Belgrade, and from there head south to Montenegro on the acclaimed scenic route to Podgorica and the Adriatic Coast at Bar.

For those who may have missed the account of my Split trip, this is the second of my three planned excursions using the first class Inter-Rail pass I bought in the 50^th anniversary half-price sale in May 2022. It is one that will give me a first taste of two European capitals – Belgrade and Podgorica – as well as an overnight journey on one of the newest and most scenic rail routes in Europe.

Czech JHMD NG system awaits a white knight

Nine months after my delightful summer visit (July 2022) and six months after its shock closure, a short break in Prague meant the chance for a day trip to Jindřichův Hradec to see what has become of the Jindřichohradecké místní dráhy (JHMD) narrow gauge system.

Following 25 years in private ownership this wonderful 79km (50-mile) long 760mm (2ft 6in) gauge network had been forced to close on 2 October 2022 after amassing huge debts and its management falling out with the local authority, which financially supported its diesel services.

First class single from Haslemere to Split

The statue of an early female Inter-Railer looks on as a local train from Chur arrives at Thusis

Having foolishly missed out in my student days, last year’s 50^th anniversary half-price offer was enough to tempt me to finally embark on some Inter-Rail adventures, buying a two month first class pass for just €429 (£377.17) and then being faced with the question of where in the whole of Europe I should head for?

After endless scrutiny of my newly-acquired European Rail Timetable I decided to make three single journeys from my home in Haslemere to destinations in Central and Eastern Europe – before flying home each time – that would give me the chance to visit many new places and travel on some of the most scenic stretches of line across Europe.

Full Island Line service resumes at last (well almost)

Returning for a two-day Easter week working trip to the Isle of Wight, it was good to see that the promised half-hourly rail service has at last begun, almost 18 months after the route from Ryde to Shanklin re-opened.

While Ryde Pier will not reopen until at least June, it is good to see significant progress on the new transport interchange since my last visit in early December 2022, which suggests it could be completed in time for the peak summer season.