The St Kitts Railway

by Jim Horsford

Price £9.95

Softback, 64 pages, (48 pages are in full colour) over 130 photos, 17 track diagrams, 8 maps.

ISBN 1-900340-18-6

The Caribbean island of St. Kitts has been a producer of sugar since around 1640 and the 2'6" gauge railway was created to connect the sugar estates with a central sugar factory. The railway has used steam and diesel traction over the years and has recently seen the introduction of tourist trains using double-decker carriages hauled by 760mm gauge diesels obtained from a sugar-beet line in Poland.

Jim Horsford has written a thoroughly researched history of the railway and sugar factory. The route of the railway, including several branches, is described, mapped and profusely illustrated (it runs round the island like a Hornby train set!) as are the locomotives and rolling stock.

Engineer Derek Horn has assisted with technical matters concerning the fleet of diesel locomotives and Scenic Railway manager Steve Hites has contributed regarding the Scenic Train, making available a set of drawings for the double-decker coaches.

Modellers of the narrow gauge will find much inspiration here, including bridges, level crossings, train loading and unloading facilities, track plans of the loading stations and sugar factory and maps of branches to the port, the beach and a cable-hauled incline.