reconstruction of Eritrea's railways

Eritrea is a small country that probably not many people have heard of (let alone know where it is), except perhaps in connnection with the war of liberation from Ethiopia which lasted from circa 1976 to 1991.

The country's railways (originally developed under Italian colonisation until 1942 and a little more over the next 10 years under the British) were in a sorry state after the war, particularly since the retreating Ethiopians had destroyed much equipment.

The country decided to rebuild its railways in 1994 and this photo reportage by Stockholmer Richard Grönstedt depicts the state of the 118 km of open line - in 950 mm gauge - in 2008. Needless to say, it looks pretty much like a big museum operation and that is probably where the charm is for the railway enthusiast, particularly since there are several operational steam locomotives, shown here in action, and the terrain is rugged and scenic in its own way.

The author of this book is a well-known Swedish transport entrepreneur and preservationist, and his grandfather was a missionary to Eritrea. The book is expensively produced with every photo in colour (except a few historic ones) and they have all been UV over-glossed. The complete text is in both English and Swedish. 128 pages in 290 x 250 mm landscape format, approximately 200 photographs, hardcover.