Uganda Railways -Metre Gauge

[RogerFarnworth]

I anticipate that this is the final post in this series about Uganda Railway and its successors. I trust that you have enjoyed these posts. If you have, then I have been posting about metre-gauge lines in France and you might wish to look at those posts in due course!

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com...k-1895-to-2018

Metre-Gauge Railways in East Africa - Rolling Stock

This post provides a short survey of carriages, goods wagons and brake vans/cabooses on the network in Kenya and Uganda from the inception of the Uganda Railway in the 19th Century to through the demise of the East African Railways Corporation in 1977 on to 2018 when this post is being written. The approach is eclectic rather than structured and the post includes some interesting vehicles.

[RogerFarnworth]

Over Christmas 2018, I have taken some time to look through older Railway Magazines which have been waiting for my attention for months. I have enjoyed looking at copies of The Railway Magazine from 1950 and found a complete copy of an article about the Kenya-Uganda Railway in the April 1950 edition of the magazine.

I thought the full article may be of interest here. Please follow this link:

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/12/2...950-april-1950

[RogerFarnworth]

Continuing to read through the 1950 editions of The Railway Magazine, I came across this article in the June issue:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/01/01...1950-june-1950

[RogerFarnworth]

It is a while since I completed this thread about The Uganda Railway. Or at least thought I had completed it.

In the autumn of 2020, someone kindly pointed out that I had not referenced the official history of the line which was published in 1949.

At the end of 2020 I acquired copies of the 2 volume series compiled by M.F.Hill entitled 'Permanent Way'. These two books were produced for the East African Railways and Harbours, Nairobi, Kenya and, while being focussed on the Uganda Railway were as much a social and economic history of East Africa.

This link will take you to some preliminary reflections which come from reading Hill's book and which I hope are not seen as being too far off topic:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/12/18...uganda-railway

In order to provide the context for the construction of the Uganda Railway, M.F. Hill saw it as imperative in his book to provide a social and economic history of the East African region. It is impossible for me to judge the veracity of what he writes, but it clearly is written from a British Colonial perspective. In addition to covering the strife between the European powers who sought to increase their influence in the Great Lakes region of the continent of Africa, Hill provides extensive quotes from leading British figures in the region about the Uganda that they knew before the coming of the railway.

[RogerFarnworth]

The Uganda Railway at the beginning of 20th century.

Further reflections on the Uganda Railway and the book, "Permanent Way" written by M.F. Hill.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/12/26...f-20th-century

[RogerFarnworth]

The Uganda Railway during the Great War. ...

"The Uganda Railway" was essential to the sustenance of the East Africa Protectorate and the Uganda Protectorate during WW1. It suffered greatly from lack of maintenance during those critical years:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/12/28...irst-world-war

[RogerFarnworth]

The Uganda Railway after WW1. .....

In the years immediately after WW1, further European settlement was encouraged and 'European' electoral areas were set up. By 1921, the Census revealed the European population of the EAP to be 9,651 and the Indian population to be 22,822. ..........

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2021/01/08...er-world-war-1

[RogerFarnworth]

The Uganda Railway and it's Gilded Years - 1924-1929

The railway saw significant increases in turnover and working profit in the years prior to the Great Depression

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2021/02/06...ears-1924-1928

[hereward]

Isn’t that an amazing amount of profit. I recall when a kid an uncle (more of a brother) worked on the railway, he said they were recruiting staff in East Africa; he talked about us going and the exotic birds we could watch, he was just dreaming, I think.

[RogerFarnworth]

Hi, yes, large working profits in the years 1924 to 1929 made up for gross underfunding over many years. All of the working profit was plugged back into the railway and Harbours.

The story in the following years was of dramatic reductions from these levels. Christian Felling was an excellent manager, his early death in 1929 was a great loss to the railway.