Bayard: Not quite Italy’s First

Built by R B Longridge & Co. for the Royal Neapolitan Railway, “Bayard“ has been long considered to be the first locomotive to operate in Italy. This misconception, however, is thanks to a replica built in 1939 for centenary celebrations. In fact, the first locomotive in Italy was its twin, the “Vesuvio“ but no drawings could be traced in 1939 whilst they could for “Bayard“ and the confusion has continued ever since. You can follow Rail Story on Twitter @Railstory Find me on Facebook Support Rail Story on Patreon to get early access to Channel content: Go on, buy me a coffee ( you know you want to)