African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 367: Chapter 46 Railway

The next day, after a night’s rest, they had a simple meal in the cafeteria of Anka Village and continued on their journey. As the carriage moved on, Anka Village gradually faded from view.

The farmland and plantations slowly came to an abrupt end, transforming again into a desolate savanna landscape. The straight gravel road laid on the vast wilderness seemed particularly incongruous, much like a subway station built in the middle of farmland, giving a sense of loneliness.

After traveling for an indeterminate amount of time, a long strip-shaped object suddenly appeared on the south side of the road. From a distance, it looked like a river lying on the horizon, extending east to west, but it was elevated and very orderly, suggesting it was something man-made.

As the carriage continued to move forward, everyone gradually sensed the unusual nature of the object. It inched closer to the road, growing ever nearer, and seemed to have no end in sight.

When the structure finally ran parallel to the road, they got a clear view of it: two rows of stones laid on the ground formed a ballast about a dozen meters wide, over which thick wooden beams—probably refurbished—were placed. On these beams lay thick iron strips with what appeared to be red rust on them.

The crowd began to discuss: ”What is that thing?”

Aryan began to educate them: ”That’s a railroad.”

”A railroad?”

”Yes, it’s a kind of transportation rail system, similar to roads, that can transport people and goods. However, what’s traveling on it aren’t carriages but locomotives spewing steam, pulling freight cars behind them. You just need to know that it’s a kind of road.”

”Mr. Aryan! The thing opposite us, called a railroad, is the iron strips on it the source of its name? But can vehicles really run on it?”

Aryan: ”Indeed, but those aren’t called iron strips; they’re tracks. You might not be unfamiliar with tracks because they are common in some mines. However, in the past, tracks were made of wood and used to run mining carts carrying minerals. Later, the British were the first to improve these tracks for use on land, giving rise to the railroad. Actually, there are similar principles in the Far East, but those are concave, with the ruts inside (Qin Chidao), while railways are convex, with wheels specially designed to run between two tracks.”

”What’s the purpose of the wooden beams and stones laid beneath the tracks? Can’t they be placed directly on the ground?”

”Those wooden beams are called sleepers, and the stones at the bottom are called ballast. Their purpose is to bear the weight of the tracks because steam locomotives are quite heavy. If there’s nothing underneath for support, the tracks would slice through the dirt like a knife through tofu.”

”I see, now we understand!”

Aryan continued: ”Not only that, but ballast also serves to cushion and dampen, stabilizing the roadbed. It also helps reduce noise and allows for fast drainage.”

”How much pig iron is needed for such a road?”

Aryan: ”I’m not sure, but certainly a lot. Railroads are often measured in kilometers, and many in Europe and America span thousands of kilometers.”

Aryan’s words left everyone gasping in astonishment, unable to imagine how much iron a thing called a railroad would require.

By 1870, the total length of railroads worldwide had exceeded 210,000 kilometers. The United States and Germany were emerging forces in railroad construction, while Britain and France maintained steady development. Even the more lagging Austria-Hungary and Tsarist Russia had seen significant advancements in railroads.

The 60 kilometers of East Africa’s First Railway seemed insignificant on the global scale, even lagging behind many colonies. What’s more, since its completion, the First Railway had not yet been put into operation and had been idle for a while now.

So someone posed the question: ”Mr. Aryan! Why haven’t we seen the steam locomotives you mentioned running on it?”

”I will first ask Mr. Vickers about this.” Aryan then turned and conversed with Vickers in German.

After a while.

”Alright, I’ve got the general situation now. The railroad in the East African Kingdom is technically deficient because its standards differ from most countries in the world. This has resulted in the First Railway, as East Africa calls it, awaiting the development of locomotives since its completion. However, Mr. Alex just informed me that the locomotive prototypes have undergone final testing in Austria and will be shipped to East Africa for trial operation next month.”

Heixinggen Vienna Energy Power Company eventually convinced Ernst to stick to the original plan. After all their hard work, they were nearing an achievement, so why change plans casually?

Where is Austria? No one knew, but according to Aryan, the railroad was currently more show than substance.

”Mr. Aryan, the railroad’s purpose sounds no different from that of roads; why bother constructing railroads when you could build more roads with the spare resources?”

Aryan: ”Then you’re greatly mistaken. The difference between railroads and roads is considerable. Let me put it this way: our carriage relies on horses for power, and horses require feeding, drinking, and resting, consuming energy over the journey and carrying limited loads. However, railroads don’t face these issues. The locomotives running on railroads are powered by steam engines, and I’m sure you’re familiar with how powerful steam engines can be. A steam engine only needs someone to keep feeding coal into its boiler, and it can produce power continuously.”

Everyone had traveled to East Africa by steamship, so they had seen the big smokestacks on steamships.

”Mr. Aryan, was it the big smokestack on the ship back then?”

Aryan: ”Yes, exactly. Like the steam escaping when boiling water blows off a kettle lid, these steamers in an enclosed space form high pressure, repeatedly pushing pistons to move. The pistons drive gears and crankshafts, ultimately causing wheels to turn. If you’ve seen textile factories where steam engines are used for production, you’ll have a more tangible understanding of their working principles.”

Textile factories are indeed the easiest places to encounter steam engines, especially in the Far East. Actually, the Far East’s first railroad was built in 1865 by a British capitalist named Durand, just outside Xuanwu Gate in Beijing. The British tried to impress the Qing Government by ”running a strange little vehicle on the railroad at high speed.” However, instead of praise, this railroad induced fear among Qing Dynasty rulers. Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the Commander of the Infantry to dismantle it, citing reasons like ”losing our barriers, harming our fields and homes, obstructing our feng shui.” Thus, China’s first railroad met an untimely end.

This railroad existed for such a brief period that many people never saw it. Instead, textile factories became more prevalent in the Far East, as these carried less of a shock than railroads.

When people see machines powered by steam engines in factories for the first time, most will exclaim, ”What remarkable skill.” Seeing a steam locomotive for the first time, however, often incites fear. The British writer Dickens had very complex feelings about railroads; he admired their immense power but also feared such uncontrollable forces. In ”Dombey and Son,” Dickens described the transformative destruction caused by the railroad at ”Stagg Garden,” noting, ”Traces of earthquakes can be seen everywhere.” By using the analogy of an ”earthquake,” he vividly depicted the destructive impact of railroad construction, while also hinting at the lasting trauma that’s hard to recover from afterward. By employing negative words like ”precarious,” ”chaotic,” ”jumbled,” and ”desolate,” the author gives readers a sense of the fragmentation and chaos brought by railway construction, delivering a visually and psychologically intense experience.