A Slight Divergence.

The theme of the blog has always been jigsaw puzzles and steam trains, with an emphasis on Great Britain's Railways or railways including Britsh built steam locomotives. This blog, 9th October 2025, diverts from this theme by including a French railway scene from 1877. Everyone knows of the Rain Wind and Speed - The Great Western Railway painting of Joseph Mallord William Turner c1844, showing a broad gauge locomotive of the Firefly class hauling a train over the Maidenhead Bridge, struggling against inclement weather. Claude Monet was a leading exponent of impressionism in painting, and in 1877, produced a series of 12 paintings, from different angles, of the Paris Saint Lazare, one of the seven large mainline railway station terminals in Paris, France. It was the first railway station built in Paris, opening in 1837. This jigsaw is of 500 pieces available from several internet sources. I think that Monet was important in railway art and deserved a place on this blog. I will soon add the jigsaw showing the Turner painting c1844.