This was an excellent five days of special trains which covered all the available track in Jordan - much of which has no regular service of any kind, passenger or freight. It was organised by Iain Scotchman on behalf of the Branch Line Society (BLS), supported by the Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB).
Of course many thanks go to Jordan Hejaz Railway (JHR), Aqaba Railway Corporation (ARC), Aqaba Port Authority and our Jordanian travel agents United Travel Agents of Amman.
For a map of the route and an alternative report please see the BLS website Fixture Report.
The Hejaz Railway was built to alleviate the suffering of the Hajj pilgrims en route to Mecca, avoiding 40 days of trekking through desert wilderness. It opened in stages from Damascus (1901) reaching Medina in 1908, never reaching the intended destination of Mecca. It closed in the mid 1920s but was reinstated in part in the 1950s. The connecting railway to the Red Sea port at Aqaba was opened in 1975 for phosphate traffic.
Of course many thanks go to Jordan Hejaz Railway (JHR), Aqaba Railway Corporation (ARC), Aqaba Port Authority and our Jordanian travel agents United Travel Agents of Amman.
For a map of the route and an alternative report please see the BLS website Fixture Report.
The Hejaz Railway was built to alleviate the suffering of the Hajj pilgrims en route to Mecca, avoiding 40 days of trekking through desert wilderness. It opened in stages from Damascus (1901) reaching Medina in 1908, never reaching the intended destination of Mecca. It closed in the mid 1920s but was reinstated in part in the 1950s. The connecting railway to the Red Sea port at Aqaba was opened in 1975 for phosphate traffic.