Climbing to Devil's Gate
A position not for the faint-hearted; the descent to the valley below with the dry river bed just discernible is at least 1,000 ft from this vantage point, with a potential quick exit down a gully strewn with loose rocks. The Italian construction workers in 1911 most certainly had a head for heights! At almost 7,000 ft above sea level Eritrean Railways 950mm gauge 'Mallet' 0-4-4-0 tank No.442.55 (built by Ansaldo W/No.1365 of 1938) heads mixed freight wagons around the reverse curve from Shegerini station near 'Devil's Gate', heading for Asmara, on 12 December 2014.
Further information on the 'official status' of the railway can be found here: www.eritrea.be/railway.htm
In reality, the whole infrastructure, locos and rolling stock of the 104 km line are sadly lacking in investment and skills, particularly as the core of the longer serving railway staff are gradually retiring or 'expiring' with few experienced personnel to replace them. How much longer facilities to the visitor such as this can be offered remains to be seen, but miracles do sometimes happen. This is not a 'preserved railway', more a railway that has been frozen in time and quite unique in the world today, but is struggling to carry on, despite the good intentions of the railway staff.
© Gordon Edgar - All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without my explicit permission
Climbing to Devil's Gate
A position not for the faint-hearted; the descent to the valley below with the dry river bed just discernible is at least 1,000 ft from this vantage point, with a potential quick exit down a gully strewn with loose rocks. The Italian construction workers in 1911 most certainly had a head for heights! At almost 7,000 ft above sea level Eritrean Railways 950mm gauge 'Mallet' 0-4-4-0 tank No.442.55 (built by Ansaldo W/No.1365 of 1938) heads mixed freight wagons around the reverse curve from Shegerini station near 'Devil's Gate', heading for Asmara, on 12 December 2014.
Further information on the 'official status' of the railway can be found here: www.eritrea.be/railway.htm
In reality, the whole infrastructure, locos and rolling stock of the 104 km line are sadly lacking in investment and skills, particularly as the core of the longer serving railway staff are gradually retiring or 'expiring' with few experienced personnel to replace them. How much longer facilities to the visitor such as this can be offered remains to be seen, but miracles do sometimes happen. This is not a 'preserved railway', more a railway that has been frozen in time and quite unique in the world today, but is struggling to carry on, despite the good intentions of the railway staff.
© Gordon Edgar - All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without my explicit permission