Hejaz Railway - website with lots of pics/maps etc

[Guest Pete Wood]

From the website:

On 1 September 1908 the railway officially opened, and by the year 1912 it was transporting 30,000 pilgrims a year. As word spread that the pilgrimage had just become easier, business boomed, and by 1914 the annual load had soared to 300,000 passengers. Not only were pilgrims transported to Madinah, but the Turkish army began to use the railway as its chief mode of transport for troops and supplies. This was to be the railway's undoing, as it was severely damaged during the First World War (1914-1918), by Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt. The old Arab tribes that guided and guarded pilgrims now had the oportunity to turn their vengence on the railway. While many claim that it was not their intention to destroy the railway, but rather attack the supply lines of the retreating Turkish army, the railway was destroyed anyway.

After the First World War, and until as recently as 1971, several attempts were made to revive the railway, but the scheme proved too difficult and too expensive. Road transport was soon established and, by the 1970's aviation had made rapid progress. The railway was soon abandoned and the huge old steam locomotives sat and rusted. But the romance of the railway remains alive.

In actuality, parts of the Hejaz Railway still exist, and some of the sections are still functioning. It is possible to travel from Damascus to Amman Jordan, on the old original rail line. Recently a Nabataea.net reader took the trip and documented it with pictures. Click here to take the virtual trip! Today, in 2003, the train still runs twice a week, taking all day to travel the same distance that it takes a car to travel 4 hours. The route south from Amman has been destroyed, but the train still runs from Wadi Hissa to Aqaba, transporting phosphates from the mines to the port. The line south into Saudi Arabia is no longer functioning, but railway enthusiasts still visit sites in Saudi, where there are a number of abandoned stations, round houses and rusting locomatives and cars.

Here is link to the Hejaz Railway website

Check out the maps and pictures or rusting rolling stock.

[Guest Pete Wood]

From: Jacob Rosen in Jerusalem

The only operational chunk of the railway today is between Damascus and Amman. Until a few years ago there was twice a week service on that line. There is still a workshop in Damascus which maintains some of the line's locomotives. Sometimes there are special trips from Amman to Al-Jizah and Al-Dab'ah stations about 8 miles south of Amman.

Plans for the future are limitless, including restoration of service between Haifa and Der'ah (an extension of the Hijazi Railway which passes over the Yarmuk River bridges that TEL tried to attack).

[Nick]

Thanks for the pointer, racing teapots, there are some excellent photos on this site

[Chris Caul]

About four years ago I spent one of my holidays cycling (alone) from Amman to sharm el sheikh. I cycled alongside the railway between Wadi Rum and Aqaba. Visited some of the sites connected with Lawrence during the holiday.

[michaeldr]

Plans for the future are limitless, including restoration of service between Haifa and Der'ah (an extension of the Hijazi Railway which passes over the Yarmuk River bridges that TEL tried to attack).

I drove past one of these Yarmuk bridges a couple of weeks ago; a spectacular ruin in a river gorge near the El Hamma hot springs. At Samakh there are also a couple of buildings that could well be what is left of the old station where the fighting took place in 1918. This was a family weekend away, including an 86 year old, so I regret that there was no time to fit in either extra photography or investigation; I have however promised myself to make allowances for this on any future trip.

Regards

Michael D.R.

[michaeldr]

The aprox site refered to above [from a guide book]

El Hamma, the Yarmuk river and one of the railway bridges

[JulianB]

Having spent much of the late 70s early 80s in nr east, I spent a lot of time looking at the HR (incl the sites in saudi). there is a lot of literatue on the subject - I'd start withTouret, the HR. by a copincidence I gave a lecture on the HR last week ! incidentally, TEL was (personally) only responsible for very limited areas of destruction.

[michaeldr]

Regarding others, apart from TEL, who may have had a hand in railway destruction along the Yarmuk, the following is from von Sanders’ ‘Five Years in Turkey’

“Samach was of special importance as the turning point of the Tiberias front and of the Yarmuk valley front. On the afternoon of the 21st [sept ‘18] it was learnt that an apprehensive officer had blown up the railway bridge at El Hammi, the next railroad station east of Samakh, without orders from above. Temporary repairs were ordered.”

Regards

Michael D.R.