{"product_id":"the-two-foot-gauge-enigma-9781871980349","title":"The Two Foot Gauge Enigma","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Beira Railway, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 1998, was one of the most ambitious 2ft gauge railways in Africa... indeed the whole world. At its fullest extent it connected the port of Beira, on the Mozambique coast, with Umtali, Rhodesia, and provided the British colony with a vital lifeline to the ocean. The choice of 2ft gauge for a railway 222 miles long is remarkable - and the clouded history of the line earns it the sobriquet of 'the two foot gauge enigma'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDriven through unexplored bush and unhealthy swamps in the short space of six years, the railway extracted a terrible toll in human life. Sixty percent of the white staff perished from fever, and it was said that one Indian or Chinese labourer died for every sleeper laid. As well as a hostile climate, the pioneers had to cope with the depredations of lions, elephants and crocodiles. Despite this, the line reached the Rhodesia border in October 1897, and full opening to Umtali took place on February 4th 1898. Freight was the line's staple traffic, but passenger trains also ran taking two days for the journey. Motive power was provided by classic \"Colonial\" style 4-4-0's and 0-6-0's from Falcon Engineering and the Glasgow Engineering Company.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rapid development of southern Africa soon overwhelmed the capacity of the 2ft gauge, and in 1900 the line was relaid to the 'Cape' gauge of 3ft 6in. The 2ft gauge locomotives were scrapped or dispersed to other public railways or sugar plantations in Africa, where some enjoyed a further half-century of useful service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTony Baxter has researched the full story of the Beira Railway largely from 'primary' sources. An ex Rhodesia Railways officer, he has obtained unrivalled access to 'official' archives and has amassed numerous, previously unpublished, photographs of the line in its 2ft gauge days. So read this book and marvel at the untold saga that drove Governments and men to quarrel, and thousands of men to die, as the ten years of the 'two foot gauge enigma' at last find their true place of honour in railway history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSoftback, 17x23cm, 64 pages, black \u0026amp; white photographs\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition: Good\/Very Good, fading around spine\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plateway Press","offers":[{"title":"Secondhand (282)","offer_id":57503320375679,"sku":"9781871980349","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1910\/7111\/files\/9781871980349.jpg?v=1778599536","url":"https:\/\/rail-books.co.uk\/products\/the-two-foot-gauge-enigma-9781871980349","provider":"Rail Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}