High in the mountains, a symbol of Eritrea's rebirth: printer friendly version High in the mountains, a symbol of Eritrea's rebirth By Don Phillips International Herald Tribune Tuesday, February 15, 2005 ASMARA, Eritrea Climbing through the rugged mountains that shielded a rebel force during 30 years of war is one symbol of Eritrea's rebirth: a spectacular railroad from the Red Sea coast to this capital city 2,394 meters above sea level. With enthusiastic support from the new country's president, old railroaders were called back to work in 1995, two decades after the track was shut down by war with Ethiopia and stripped bare of rails and other hardware. Eritreans patriotically gathered old rail and other equipment that had been used as battle barricades and even housing. Forswearing foreign aid or any foreign expertise, buying no new track or equipment other than bolts and screws, Eritreans themselves completed the rebuilding job in 2003. The railroad became a cherished symbol of the nation's principle of self-reliance. It was featured on the new 10 Nakfa bill in 2003 and in a series of postage stamps. But the railroad has yet to haul a single paid ton of freight, and its only passengers have been a few hundred Europeans and Americans who have paid to charter rugged little 70-year-old Italian locomotives and 93-year-old passenger cars for a dramatic trip into the mountains. Those charters and the occasional work train are all that chug up and down these rails. All regular commercial traffic passes far away on an equally rugged paved highway, where trucks and buses negotiate hairpin turns and heavy grades. "When we have new locomotives, we will start limited train service," said Amanuel Gebreselasie, project manager for the Eritrean Railways Rehabilitation Project. Amanuel said that the 2003 national budget had included funds for locomotives but that the provision had been withdrawn because of other pressing needs. When money will be forthcoming is uncertain, he said. The railroad's one working diesel and an array of Italian steam locomotives are simply too old and inadequate for heavy freight service. But new locomotives are one thing Eritreans cannot build under their program of self-reliance. They must be purchased from Europe or Asia. Mehari Abbe, who for five years has been in charge of rehabilitating the steam locomotives, says he sees the railroad as a future magnet for tourism "and some goods when necessary." He said he looks forward to new groups of railroad enthusiasts from Europe because often someone in those groups has operated steam in regular service or now operates steam on the many preserved lines in England or Germany. A group of about 30 visitors from Germany, England, Spain and the United States chartered the railroad for a week in January. In the group were several locomotive drivers who were allowed to operate the engines. The steep coastal mountains are rugged and beautiful. There seem to be only two directions from the Red Sea to the capital: up and down. The railroad clings to mountainsides and constantly climbs on its twisting path from the sea to a summit that is almost within the Asmara city limits. As the train climbs, vegetation changes from scrub bush and sand near the coast to pine trees near the summit, with prickly pear cactus covering many cliffsides between. The passenger cars have wooden seats and no glass in the windows; passengers pull up wood-slated covers when it rains or when it is cold. Women operate a portable gas stove on one coach floor, selling egg sandwiches, beer, bottled water and soft drinks. You can't keep a clean face on a steam-powered train with numerous tunnels and open windows. Coal smoke with a hint of sulphur blasts from the stack. Smoke inside the cars quickly dissipates when the train emerges from a tunnel, and fogged eyeglasses slowly clear. The Eritrean railway does not have air brakes on the train cars. Each passenger and freight car has a brakeman who cranks down the brakes after whistle signals from the locomotives. On at least two occasions during our trip, experienced railroad men frantically signaled a novice brakeman to hit the brakes when he missed a whistle signal and the train began gathering speed on a downgrade. The railway was built by Italian engineers beginning at the Red Sea coast in 1887, when Italy, like the rest of the Western powers, was competing for colonies in Africa and had taken over what was a part of Ethiopia. By the time the track had reached Asmara in 1911, it had 30 tunnels, 35 bridges and 667 curves over 118 kilometers, about 70 miles. The Italians continued building to the west of Asmara, to Agordat, completing the railroad in 1928. The railroad was a marvel of construction, built for the ages with stone bridges and solid tunnels that survived several wars in good shape. In 1941, as World War II raged, the British kicked the Italians out of Eritrea, less than five years after the railroad had been modernized with new Italian locomotives that were designed for climbing the mountains. The slow-moving, powerful little locomotives managed to haul sufficient freight and passengers for the country's needs. After the war, international politics settled Eritrea's fate. Rather than making it an independent country, the Allies bowed to U.S. wishes that Eritrea become federated to Ethiopia, then an American ally. Less than a decade later, the unnatural alliance between Ethiopia and Eritrea degenerated into war. The railroad was often targeted for attack and sabotage during the 30-year struggle, and by 1975, the Ethiopians decided to shut it down, using as an excuse a monthlong strike by Eritrean workers demanding the right to retire. Eritreans view the railroad not as a symbol of colonialism but as a national treasure. "The social history behind it is absolutely marvelous," said Jennie Street, a British author who is writing a book on the railway. "It's a symbol of what can be done. The commercial reason is secondary." Street said the Eritrean workers had skillfully preserved the railroad's records. Following the shutdown in 1975, the Ethiopian government ordered the railroad's traffic manager, Kifle Tewoloe, to destroy them all, Street said. Pretending to follow orders, he borrowed a truck, loaded tons of records into a shipping container and hid them there for almost 20 years. Among the railroaders today, including Amanuel, the project manager, there is a clear pride in working for the railway, an unshakable faith that everything will work out. The railroad's oldest worker, Negash Woldegioris, head of the foundry workshop, for example, is a strong 96 and tells visitors he has no intention of retiring. Most of the other workers are in their 70s or 80s. Alem Akalu, the travel guide who arranged the hotels and bus services for our group, said we were among a small number of visitors to Eritrea - many tourists think the region may still be too dangerous. The few tourists seem to concentrate on Red Sea diving expeditions and, in growing numbers, the railroad. Alem said that the only potential danger is in the remote backcountry, where land mines still dot the landscape. "It is not dangerous, but people hear things in the mass media," he said. "Maybe if we keep our peace like this, we will make progress." After a week in Eritrea, members of our group agreed that they had felt no danger walking in the capital at any time of the day or night. In the countryside, tourists are often approached by dozens of smiling, shouting children, but their request is almost never for money. "Pen, pen, pen," they chant. Writing material for school classes is scarce, and an education is one of the country's most valued benefits. Trevor Maxted, a switch operator for British railway making the trip, said the "general feel" of Eritrea was friendliness. The main difference between Asmara, say, and the countryside, he noted, is the relative prosperity of urban to rural folk: "I'm thinking here of some of the youngsters we saw visiting coffeehouses and wearing trendy clothes, a bit of a contrast" to life in the country. Jean Gross, who helps in railroad preservation activities in Colorado, said rejuvenating a rail line and locomotives with scrap was an amazing accomplishment. Voicing the thoughts of many, she said, "I wonder what they're going to do with it." See more of the world that matters - click here for home delivery of the International Herald Tribune. < < Back to Start of Article Copyright © 2005 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com