Well, I didn't expect to see any trains while watching the Saudi Tour, but life's full of surprises. This is what popped out of the desert today:
![[Image: image.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/yNh9w9cC/image.png)
A little digging leads us to the 1600km narrow gauge Hijaz Railway, built at the beginning of the 20th century to speed the faithful from Damascus to the holy cities of Medina and Mecca in what was then the Ottoman Empire. It seems we've got Lawrence of Arabia to thank for wrecking it.
There are bits and pieces of it still scattered all along the route:
![[Image: image.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/Bt6yL45M/image.png)
![[Image: image.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/KkrZ1FnZ/image.png)
Sections of the line still operate locally in Jordan, Syria and Palestine, and there are several museums.
There's a good looking book, and the author has his own website which has a wealth of fascinating material, and where you can order the book direct (I have just done so).
A little digging leads us to the 1600km narrow gauge Hijaz Railway, built at the beginning of the 20th century to speed the faithful from Damascus to the holy cities of Medina and Mecca in what was then the Ottoman Empire. It seems we've got Lawrence of Arabia to thank for wrecking it.
There are bits and pieces of it still scattered all along the route:
Sections of the line still operate locally in Jordan, Syria and Palestine, and there are several museums.
There's a good looking book, and the author has his own website which has a wealth of fascinating material, and where you can order the book direct (I have just done so).
![[-]](https://www.blueplastictracks.org/images/collapse.png)