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| The '''Iraqi Narrow-gauge railways''' operated in the ] during the ] and were laid using ] in today's ]. | The '''Iraqi Narrow-gauge railways''' operated in the ] during and briefly after the ] and were laid using ] in today's ]. | ||
| ] | |||
| ==Decauville railway Baghdad-Mufraz== | ==Decauville railway Baghdad-Mufraz== | ||
| The ] Railway Baghdad–Mufraz ran from Baghdad in a southwesterly direction to Mufraz. On March 11, 1917, British forces occupied Baghdad. Shortly afterward, Turkish troops who had fled north destroyed the ] on the ], flooding an area south of Baghdad through which the first {{Convert|17.7|km|mi}} of the light railway ran. From March 30, 1917, to April 13, 1917, British soldiers dismantled the line |
The ] Railway Baghdad–Mufraz ran from ] in a southwesterly direction to ]. On March 11, 1917, British forces occupied Baghdad. Shortly afterward, Turkish troops who had fled north destroyed the ] on the ], flooding an area south of Baghdad through which the first {{Convert|17.7|km|mi}} of the light railway ran. From March 30, 1917, to April 13, 1917, British soldiers dismantled the line laid with portable tracks and laid it on a new route by April 25, 1917. During the day, the sun's rays made the rails so hot that the soldiers could only touch them if they protected their hands with empty sandbags. Since no ] were available, the tracks experienced a lot of ] in some sections due to the extreme heat and had to be re-laid in the second half of April 1917.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Murland |first=Lieutenant-Colonel H. F. |url=https://books.google.de/books?id=BB2-BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA222&lpg=PA222&dq=Decauville+baghdad&source=bl&ots=ptQDOpmS7E&sig=ACfU3U1oXe2rKENTPWLCajH4BpatLAML9g&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqnc7x2fPhAhVCLVAKHd_qCeIQ6AEwBnoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q=Decauville%20baghdad&f=false |title=Baillie-Ki-Paltan: Being a History of the 2nd Battalion, Madras Pioneers 1759–1930. |date=2012-02-01 |publisher=Andrew UK Limited |pages=222,223,564 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Martin |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.de/books?id=QMaJ0_cfKS0C&pg=PA92&lpg=PA92&dq=Decauville+baghdad&source=bl&ots=qaMANz-1yv&sig=ACfU3U0m6bS4a0VqclBfGq9Fh99kbzsjNw&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqnc7x2fPhAhVCLVAKHd_qCeIQ6AEwCHoECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=Decauville%20baghdad&f=false |title=The Baghdad Railway Club |date=2012-06-05 |publisher=] |pages=92 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
| ] | |||
| ==Decauville railway Baghdad-Ridhwaniya== | ==Decauville railway Baghdad-Ridhwaniya== | ||
| The ] 600mm-gauge railway line from ] to Baghdad connected the Euphrates with Baghdad. It ran south of the old caravan route from Aleppo via Falluja to Baghdad. It began near the mouth of the ] and led to Baghdad via ], ] and the Baghdad suburb of ]. In May 1916, the wagons were still pushed by hand. | The ] 600mm-gauge railway line from ] to Baghdad connected the Euphrates with Baghdad.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/gdc/scd0001/2009/20090723002ha/20090723002ha.pdf |title=Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol.II. 1917 |year=1917 |pages=370 |language=en}}</ref> It ran south of the old caravan route from ] via ] to Baghdad.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://memory.loc.gov/service/gdc/scd0001/2009/20090723003ha/20090723003ha.pdf |title=Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. III. 1917 |year=1917 |pages=11 |language=en}}</ref> It began near the mouth of the ] and led to Baghdad via ], ] and the Baghdad suburb of ]. In May 1916, the wagons were still pushed by hand.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Army of Great Britain |first=Mediterranean Expeditionary Force |author-link=Army of Great Britain |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/162863432?q&versionId=177490086 |title=Iraq topographic map T.C. 103(C): Ridhwaniyah Post. Compiled by Survey Party M.E.F. |publisher=Mediterranean Expeditionary Force |year=1918-1919 |location=Egypt |language=en |via=Trove}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> | ||
| On the night of April 24th to 25th, 1917, a dam that had held back the Euphrates floods broke, whereupon the road to Falluja and the Decauville railway from Ridhwaniya to Baghdad were flooded and became impassable. In the area where the dam broke, the floodwater was {{Convert|4.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} m deep and flowed through the narrow passage at high speeds, making it difficult to repair the dam. To bring sandbags to the dam break, a temporary route made of Decauville ] and ] was quickly laid there, along which trains with up to 6 ] loaded with sandbags could be pushed by hand. After the work was completed, the floodwater dropped to below {{Convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}}. | On the night of April 24th to 25th, 1917, a dam that had held back the Euphrates floods broke, whereupon the road to Falluja and the Decauville railway from ] to Baghdad were flooded and became impassable. In the area where the dam broke, the floodwater was {{Convert|4.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} m deep and flowed through the narrow passage at high speeds, making it difficult to repair the dam. To bring sandbags to the dam break, a temporary route made of Decauville ] and ] was quickly laid there, along which trains with up to 6 ] loaded with ] could be pushed by hand. After the work was completed, the floodwater dropped to below {{Convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
| ] | |||
| ==Light railway Baghdad-Diyala== | ==Light railway Baghdad-Diyala== | ||
| In May 1917, construction began on a light railway line from Baghdad to the Diyala Front. Due to a lack of ] material, it was built with a track width of 762 mm from material |
In May 1917, construction began on a light railway line from Baghdad to the Diyala Front. Due to a lack of ] material, it was built with a track width of 762 mm from material from the dismantled Sheikh Saad-Sinn line and the abandoned Qurna-Amara line. The route was opened to traffic on July 13, 1917 to Baquba. It was later extended to ], 105 km from Baghdad. Between Baquba and Table Mountain, a 6.5 km long branch line opened in 1917, connecting ] and ] on the ], one of the main tributaries of the Tigris.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Military Light Railways |url=https://theodora.com/encyclopedia/l2/military_light_railways.html |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> | ||
| ===Baghdad-Quretu railway=== | ===Baghdad-Quretu railway=== | ||
| {{main|IRR Eastern Line}} | {{main|IRR Eastern Line}} | ||
| Later, a new meter gauge line was laid alongside the existing narrow-gauge line. The Baghdad–Baquba section was opened in November 1917, and the Baquba–Table Mountain section in June 1918. The line initially ran on a wooden bridge over the |
Later, a new meter gauge line was laid alongside the existing narrow-gauge line. The Baghdad–Baquba section was opened in November 1917, and the Baquba–Table Mountain section in June 1918. The line initially ran on a wooden bridge over the Diyala River at Baquba. At the end of 1918, the ] was replaced by a permanent structure consisting of four 30 m spans and two 23 m spans on ]. Towards the end of 1918, an extension of this line to ] on the Persian border was completed. The line was later extended to ], 210 km from Baghdad.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://redirecter.toolforge.org/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.memory.loc.gov%2Fservice%2Fgdc%2Fscd0001%2F2009%2F20090723001ha%2F20090723001ha.pdf |title=Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol.1. |date=November 1918 |pages=15 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216174145/http://www.memory.loc.gov/service/gdc/scd0001/2009/20090723001ha/20090723001ha.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-16}}</ref> | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 18:01, 1 January 2025
The Iraqi Narrow-gauge railways operated in the Ottoman Empire during and briefly after the First World War and were laid using portable track in today's Iraq.
Decauville railway Baghdad-Mufraz
The Decauville Railway Baghdad–Mufraz ran from Baghdad in a southwesterly direction to Mufraz. On March 11, 1917, British forces occupied Baghdad. Shortly afterward, Turkish troops who had fled north destroyed the Sakhlawiya Dam on the Euphrates, flooding an area south of Baghdad through which the first 17.7 kilometres (11.0 mi) of the light railway ran. From March 30, 1917, to April 13, 1917, British soldiers dismantled the line laid with portable tracks and laid it on a new route by April 25, 1917. During the day, the sun's rays made the rails so hot that the soldiers could only touch them if they protected their hands with empty sandbags. Since no expansion joints were available, the tracks experienced a lot of buckling in some sections due to the extreme heat and had to be re-laid in the second half of April 1917.
Decauville railway Baghdad-Ridhwaniya
The hand-operated 600mm-gauge railway line from Ridhwaniya to Baghdad connected the Euphrates with Baghdad. It ran south of the old caravan route from Aleppo via Falluja to Baghdad. It began near the mouth of the Ridhwaniya Canal and led to Baghdad via Abu Thubba, Tel Aswad and the Baghdad suburb of Kharr. In May 1916, the wagons were still pushed by hand.
On the night of April 24th to 25th, 1917, a dam that had held back the Euphrates floods broke, whereupon the road to Falluja and the Decauville railway from Ridhwaniya to Baghdad were flooded and became impassable. In the area where the dam broke, the floodwater was 4.5 m (15 ft) m deep and flowed through the narrow passage at high speeds, making it difficult to repair the dam. To bring sandbags to the dam break, a temporary route made of Decauville yokes and climbing switches was quickly laid there, along which trains with up to 6 tipping wagons loaded with sandbags could be pushed by hand. After the work was completed, the floodwater dropped to below 1 m (3.3 ft).
Light railway Baghdad-Diyala
In May 1917, construction began on a light railway line from Baghdad to the Diyala Front. Due to a lack of metre-gauge material, it was built with a track width of 762 mm from material from the dismantled Sheikh Saad-Sinn line and the abandoned Qurna-Amara line. The route was opened to traffic on July 13, 1917 to Baquba. It was later extended to Table Mountain, 105 km from Baghdad. Between Baquba and Table Mountain, a 6.5 km long branch line opened in 1917, connecting Abu Jezra and Abu Saida on the Diyala River, one of the main tributaries of the Tigris.
Baghdad-Quretu railway
Main article: IRR Eastern LineLater, a new meter gauge line was laid alongside the existing narrow-gauge line. The Baghdad–Baquba section was opened in November 1917, and the Baquba–Table Mountain section in June 1918. The line initially ran on a wooden bridge over the Diyala River at Baquba. At the end of 1918, the pile bridge was replaced by a permanent structure consisting of four 30 m spans and two 23 m spans on caisson piers. Towards the end of 1918, an extension of this line to Khanaqin on the Persian border was completed. The line was later extended to Quretu, 210 km from Baghdad.
See also
- ^ Murland, Lieutenant-Colonel H. F. (2012-02-01). Baillie-Ki-Paltan: Being a History of the 2nd Battalion, Madras Pioneers 1759–1930. Andrew UK Limited. pp. 222, 223, 564.
- Martin, Andrew (2012-06-05). The Baghdad Railway Club. Faber & Faber. p. 92.
- ^ Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol.II. 1917 (PDF). 1917. p. 370.
- Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. III. 1917 (PDF). 1917. p. 11.
- Army of Great Britain, Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (1918–1919). Iraq topographic map T.C. 103(C): Ridhwaniyah Post. Compiled by Survey Party M.E.F. Egypt: Mediterranean Expeditionary Force – via Trove.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ "Military Light Railways". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol.1 (PDF). November 1918. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-16.