| In North America, the Bermuda Railway would have been called an "interurban" line: more than a streetcar system, but not quite a full-fledged railway. With less than 22 miles of single track, the Bermuda Railway could not boast the streamlined express passenger trains of Britain, nor the interminable drag freights of North America. Old "Rattle and Shake", as it was known, catered almost exclusively to passenger traffic, and the typical train was a gasoline-powered motor coach pulling one or two 40-foot coaches. Q&A The original reason for the railway was to serve the growing tourist trade, providing an efficient way for passengers from the cruise ships, which docked at the old capital of St. George's in the east end, to travel to Hamilton and on to Somerset in the west. At the same time it gave Bermudians another means of getting to work, alongside the ferry system, the bicycle and the traditional horse-drawn carriage. |
