Page 78 - A Hand Book of Arabia Vol 2_Neat

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WESTERN ROUTES (Nos. 17-39)

Over-all Age, Maker or type.
Contents. Length. years.

ra. m.
10x2-36x0-4 10-98 12 Baume et Marpenfc.
lOx 2-36x 0-4 10-98 10 Haine St. Pierre.
10x2-36x0-39 10-98 10 Roeulx.
10 X 2-42 x 0-4 11-0 8 Gotha.
10x2-36x0-4 10-98 12 Haine St. Pierre.
10x2-36x0-4 10-98 10 Haine St, Pierre.
10x2-36x0-4 10-98 11 Haine St. Pierre.
10x2-36x0-39 10-98 10 Roeulx.

It was customary to change engines, and leave an intermediate
at each of these points. A relay of drivers was carried. There­
fore, on the peace system, to maintain a daily service of one train
each way would need about 15 locomotives. However good the
present management, it will be found hard to economize on the
old figure, since, apart from the unreliability of the machines, there
will be interruptions by Arab raids, which may even make running
by night inadvisable.
The gauge being 105 m., the carrying capacity of the railway
was never great. It is now working on wood-fuel, which has to be
carried down from Damascus. A single train, during the 2,610 km.
of the round trip, will burn nearly 50 tons of wood, which is a serious
item in the gross load of the line. The average length of train was
13 trucks : the sidings are capable of 20, but even under present
exigencies this limit is not likely to be reached, as the experience
of the Syrian railways on wood-fuel seems to have compelled the
management to run light trains. It has been customary sometimes
in summer to take four tank-wagons on the train, for the machines
and passengers, and to supply the waterless guard-posts and
stations along the line. If the threat of Arab raids necessitates
increasing these local garrisons and patrols, the net delivery of the
line at Medina will be still further reduced.
Supplies. Water is obtainable at the stations, but at most it only
suffices for the requirements of the railway ; it is fairly abundant
at Ma'an, Dhat el-Hajj, Tebuk, Qal'at el-Akhdhar, and El-'Ala. The
most suitable places for rest camps would be Ma‘an, Tebuk, and
' '^a! but supplies in any quantity are not available en route.

Route No. 18, from Akaba to Jauf via Ma'an, is a portion of
* auPP°sed ancient trade route between Egypt and the Persian