The little bridge over Wied ta San Martin, at the edge of the hamlet of Ta’ San Gakbu, was a picturesque rural spot that caught the attention of a Victorian photographer. In capturing the scene he also recorded a unique view of the Malta Railway crossing at Guard Hut No.14. With the familiar silhouette of Mdina on the horizon, it’s a shame that no one took the opportunity to capture a train passing through the scene; it could perhaps have become one of the most evocative images of the railway.

Not wanting to waste the potential of this viewpoint, I’ve carefully inserted one of the Beyer Peacock engines and several carriages from other sources. Appling a series of filters, colour treatments, and edits too numerous for me to recollect in detail, I’ve produced an impression of the scene as it might have appeared at the turn of the 20th Century and pinned it to the top of this post. This is not intended to deceive or pretend to be an historic photo, but evoke the charm of trains passing through the remote rural landscape on their journey to the Citta Vecchia.

The scene today remains rural, but has sadly lost the wayside cross that perhaps gave the valley its name, and, of course, you’d be waiting a very long time for a train to pass by. The guard hut has also ben demolished, but the two small cottages in the original view survive to help identify the location.