We’re hugely grateful to Howard Sprenger of Kestrel Railway Books for sending us a previously unknown photo of the Malta Railway (above). It’s a lovely alternative angle on Valletta station scanned from a glass lantern slide, with some important detail that helps date it.

A train is just pulling into the recently extended station platform on it’s ascent from Floriana. Smoke and steam billow from the tunnel as one of the Beyer Peacock engines, unmistakable by its profile, draws the train into the terminus. By the fall of the shadows, this was, perhaps, the 9:15 service from Museum scheduled to arrive at Valletta at 9:42.

The photographer has just descended the ramp tunnelled downhill from from Strada Reale and emerged into the city ditch. Above the scene stands the Downs and Johnson Motor Garage still in construction. Thanks to Timmy Zammit who helped establish the dates of this building, it being erected in 1912 and helpfully pinning the photo down in time.

An interesting detail is the design of the parapet wall above the ditch which is set back from the edge immediately above the tunnel entrance, probably to protect people from hot smoke and gasses, but would also have helped prevent things being dropped down onto the tracks.