A Snapshot From the Holy Land

摘要

There are not many old photographs of the Hedjaz Railway in Palestine. This is a baldly absolute statement and one which applies equally to neighbouring countries through which the HR ran or still runs. Just try looking for shots of working steam locos in Saudi Arabia. This, I admit, is an extreme example since nothing seems to have steamed there from about the mid 1920s, and not much moved before then either. In fact, and perversely attempting to make my opening statement more relative than absolute, I daresay that the Hedjaz Railway in Palestine was more comprehensively recorded on film than elsewhere. This is mainly due to allied servicemen/enthusiasts who were posted there in both world wars. They concentrated on the standard gauge lines of Palestine Railways, doubtless out of necessity according to where they were stationed and how they could best take advantage of their leave periods - there were, after all, lots of other quite important sights to be seen and the folks back home would be expecting first-hand accounts. And then there were all the hassles of photography in far from ideal conditions with equipment that probably left much to be desired. On second thoughts', it is amazing that so many old photos were taken!