Paul Steane's Photography Pages

Thursday 5th October 2023 Today was Day 2 of the two-day Branch Line Society "Sahara Explorer" railtour. This was a specially adapted version of the "Oriental Desert Express" that runs occasionally between Oujda and Bouarfa. The Bouarfa line is around 300 km long and serves mines near Bouarfa, though there is no such traffic at present. The "Desert Express" has featured in TV programmes by Michael Portillo and Chris Tarrant, and also appeared in the James Bond film "Spectre". Several photo stops were made, and one session of blown sand clearance was needed after Tendrara. Lunch was provided from the "restaurant car" (the generator car with added facilities) and an evening meal was had at a location near the mines, which we got to by private minibus. Return from Bouarfa to Oujda was overnight, with most of the participants in couchette berths.
The line to Bouarfa was built in stages between 1928 and 1931 and closed to passengers in 1995. A line from Bouarfa to Béchar in Algeria opened in 1942 but closed in 1962.
See trip report for the full itinerary, traction details and notes.