THE BRITISH OVERSEAS RAILWAYS HISTORICAL TRUST
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Reference Sources for African Railways in General
Following on from the Nigerian reference sources this document is to list reference sources that deal either with Africa in general or cover a specific issue over several countries.
Firstly, a word of warning, there has been a spate in recent years of people finding books that are out of copyright, OCR’ing them and offering the copies for sale. Admittedly they do warn that the copies may not be perfect. The Trust brought a copy of a French book on African Colonial Railways that is extremely rare but found that no more than 25% of the pages were legible.
Some of the titles below are available in the British Library and can be found by searching their catalogue.
Journal articles listed should be available through JSTOR or appropriate online sources.
In producing these research files use has been made of the following reference source: TRANSPORT RESEARCH BIBLIOGRAPHY, Gordon Pirie, African Centre for Cities University of Cape Town December 2018, however much additional material has been added.
Books or Journal Articles on African Railways
Author |
Title |
Date |
Publisher |
Town |
Remarks |
African Development Bank |
Rail Infrastructure in Africa: Financing |
2015 |
African Development Bank |
Abidjan |
|
Ahiable, Anthony |
Air Transportation in the Economic Development of |
1975 |
MSc, Northwestern University |
Evanston, IL |
|
Amin, Mohamed, Willetts, Duncan, and Matheson, Alastair |
Railways |
1986 |
Bodley Head |
London |
|
Anon |
Notes on railway construction |
1912/13 |
Journal of the Royal African |
|
|
Anon |
Railways and harbours in tropical Africa |
1941 |
Royal Engineers |
|
This article contains the only detailed account of the Royal Engineers building the Baro-Kano railway seen. |
Anon |
Road and rail transport links in southern Africa: a selected and |
1987 |
Southern African Update, 2 (1) |
|
|
Arnold, Guy |
The TANZAM railway |
2000 |
In World Strategic Highways, pp. |
London |
|
Arnold, Guy, and Weiss, Ruth |
Strategic Highways of Africa |
1977 |
Julian Friedmann |
London |
|
Ayoola, Tokunbo Aderemi |
Railways |
2008 |
In New Encyclopaedia of Africa, |
Farmington Mills |
|
Baltzer, Franz |
Die Kolonialbahnen mit besonderer Berücksichtigung Afrikas [The Colonial Railways with particular reference to Africa] |
1916 |
Berlin, Leipzig, Göschen: (Reprint: Leipzig 2007: Holzminden Reprint-Verl.). ISBN 9783826202339. |
Berlin |
(in German) |
Beach, DR |
Road and railway organisation and administration in |
1965 |
MA, American University |
|
|
Bergoudian, J |
A Geographical Study of Selected Equatorial and East |
1964 |
MA, Marshall University |
|
|
Brackenbury, RH |
A feeder system of transport for arterial railways in |
1927 |
|
|
|
Carter, Reg |
Kitson Works List |
1997 |
Private. |
Kingston-upon-Thames |
|
Christ, Nannette, and Ferrantino, Michael J |
Land transport for export: |
2011 |
World |
|
|
Christy, C |
The Cape-to-Cairo railway |
1924 |
Scottish Geographical |
|
|
Darwin, Major |
“Railways in Africa” |
1896 |
Geographical Journal 8: p488-501 |
London |
|
Day, John Robert |
Railways of Northern Africa |
1964 |
Arthur Baker |
London |
|
Day, John Robert |
Railways of Southern Africa |
1963 |
Arthur Baker |
London |
|
de Renty, Ernest Amédée |
Les Chemins de Fer Coloniaux en Afrique |
1903 |
De Rudeval |
Paris |
Pt 1 is German, Italian and Portuguese Colonies, Pt 2 the British Colonies and Pt 3 the French Colonies |
Demangeon, A |
The Cape to Cairo dream |
1929 |
The Living Age, 365-368 |
|
|
Due, John F |
The Problems of Rail Transport in Tropical Africa | 1979 |
The Journal of Developing Areas |
Nashville |
|
Due, John F |
Some Observations on Rail and Road Transport in |
1977 |
In Transportation Research Paper No. 14. University of Illinois |
Urbana-Champaign |
|
Due, John F |
The economic viability of the railways of tropical Africa |
1980 |
Journal of Development Economics, 7 (2), 263-272 |
|
|
Dumett, Raymond E |
Joseph Chamberlain: imperial finance and |
1975 |
English |
|
|
Durrant, AE; Jorgensen, AA; Lewis, CP |
Steam in Africa |
1981 |
Hamlyn |
London |
|
Farquharson, James Robbie |
The role of railways in developing |
1962 |
Conference on Civil Engineering Problems Overseas |
London |
|
Fox, H Wilson |
The Cape-to-Cairo railway and train ferries: |
1920 |
Geographical |
|
|
FoxLee, Richard William |
The railway gauge problem of tropical Africa |
1948 |
In Conference on Civil Engineering Problems in The Colonies, pp. 61-73. |
|
|
Gautier, EF |
The Trans-Sahara railway |
1925 |
Geographical Review, 15 (1), |
|
|
Girouard, EPC |
The railways of Africa |
1906 |
Scribner's Magazine, 39, 553- |
|
|
Gray, A |
Africa's pressing transport problem: plans to relieve rail and |
1953 |
African World, 15-19 |
|
|
Griffiths, Ieuan L |
'Web of Steel': the development of the railways |
1986 |
Geographical Magazine, 58, 512-517 |
|
|
Haefele, ET and Steinberg, EB |
Government Controls on |
1965 |
Brookings Institution |
Washington, DC. |
|
Hanes, W. Travis |
Railway politics and imperialism in central Africa, |
1991 |
In Railway Imperialism, edited by Clarence B. Davis, Kenneth |
Westport |
|
Harrison-Church, Ronald James |
The evolution of railways in French |
1949 |
Paper presented at the International Geographical |
|
|
Harrison-Church, Ronald James |
The Railways of West Africa: A |
1943 |
PhD, University of London |
|
|
Harrison-Church, Ronald James |
Trans-Saharan railway projects: a |
1951 |
In London Essays in |
|
|
Heffernan, Mike |
Shifting sands: the trans-Saharan Railway |
2011 |
In Engineering Earth: the Impacts of Mega-Engineering Projects, edited by Stanley D. Brunn, pp. 617-626. Springer |
Dordrecht |
|
Honig, ET |
Railway Networks in West Africa. |
1989 |
Röhr Verlag |
Krefeld |
|
Jedwab, Rémi, and Moradi, Alexander |
Transportation Technology and |
2013 |
CSAE Working Paper WPA/2013-17 |
|
|
Johnston, Alex |
Fresh fields for African railways |
1904 |
Journal of the Royal |
|
|
Johnston, HH |
Railway projects in Africa and the Near East |
1912 |
The |
|
|
Laight, JC |
Railway expansion during the post war period |
1957 |
South |
|
|
Lewin, E |
Railways in Africa |
1917 |
United Empire, 8, 23-30; 94-99; 172-178 |
|
|
Lotz, WPN |
A diversity of gauges: obstacle to intra-African rail |
1971 |
South African Journal of African Affairs, 4, 81-90 |
|
|
Lowe, CM |
On the road to recovery: rehabilitating the rails |
1989 |
Africa |
|
|
Maasdorp, Gavin |
A strategy for rail and road transportation in |
1991 |
Africa Insight, 21, 7-13 |
|
|
Maasdorp, Gavin |
Making Southern African railways more competitive |
1995 |
Urban Forum, 6 (2), 79-90 |
|
|
Maggi, Stefano |
The railways of Italian Africa: economic, social and |
1997 |
Journal of Transport History, 18 (1), 54-71 |
|
|
Metcalfe, Charles |
Railway Development of Africa, Present and Future | 1916 |
The Geographical Journal |
London |
|
Morrell, JC |
Advantage of railway communication in Africa as |
1879 |
Journal of the Royal Society of |
|
|
Naval Intelligence Department |
Handbook of Railways in |
1919 |
The Admiralty |
London |
|
Orr, CWJ |
Light Railways for Tropical Africa
|
1911 |
Journal of the Royal African Society |
Oxford |
|
Oyemakinde, Wole |
The railway workers and modernisation in colonial |
1979 |
Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, 10 (10), 113-124 |
|
|
Palterman Jonathan |
African Railway Album, Vol 1 |
2006 |
|
|
|
Pauling and Co. Ltd |
The Works of Pauling and Co. Ltd |
1930 |
London |
|
|
Pauling, George |
Chronicles of a Contractor |
1926 |
Constable |
London |
Reprinted by Books of Rhodesia in 1970’s |
Penn, P, Lt-Col and Street, Lucie |
Tomorrow’s Continent |
1948 |
Sidgewick & Jackson |
London |
|
Pirie, Gordon H |
The decivilising rails: railways and underdevelopment |
1982 |
Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 73 |
|
|
Prout, HG |
A central African railroad |
1891 |
Journal of the American |
|
|
Ram, KV |
British Government, finance capitalists and the French |
1981 |
Journal of Commonwealth and |
|
|
Ravndal, GB |
The Cape to Cairo railway |
1902 |
Liberia Bulletin, 21, 7-9 |
|
|
Reichardt, M and Duncan, D |
Rail transport and the political |
1990 |
Africa Insight, 20 (2), 100-110 |
|
|
Richardson, Ralph |
British trans-Africa railways |
1910 |
Scottish Geographical |
|
|
Richardson, Ralph |
Railways in Africa |
1906 |
Journal of the Royal African |
|
|
Richardson, Ralph |
The railways of Africa |
1906 |
Scottish Geographical |
|
|
Roberts, Trevor W |
The Trans-Saharan railway and the politics of |
2014 |
Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth |
|
|
Schwarz, EHL |
Railway development in Africa |
1921 |
South African |
|
|
Shepstone, HJ |
Cape to Cairo railroad |
1912 |
Westminster, 21, 83-91 |
|
|
Shepstone, HJ |
Railway building in central Africa |
1913/14 |
Boy's Own |
|
|
Smalley, Rebecca |
AGRICULTURAL GROWTH CORRIDORS |
2017 |
Agricultural Policy Research in Africa |
|
|
Sölch, Werner |
Kap-Kairo |
1985 |
Alba |
Dusseldorf |
|
Spiller, John Wyatt |
Colonial railways 1929-1938: an economic review |
1941 |
Journal of the ICE, 16 (8), 425-430 |
|
|
Stead, William Thomas |
The Cape to Cairo railway |
1899 |
Windsor |
|
|
Sunderland, David |
The departmental system of railway construction in |
2000 |
Journal of Transport History, 23 (2), 87-112 |
|
|
Tabor, George |
The Cape to Cairo Railway and River Routes |
2003 |
Genta |
London |
|
Talbot, E |
Steam from Kenya to the Cape |
1975 |
Continental Railway Circle |
Stafford |
|
Travis, R |
Railways of Africa |
1930 |
Journal of the Institute of Transport, xxx, |
|
|
van Criekinge, Jan |
Historical survey of the railway development in |
1989 |
Afrika Focus, 5 (3), 133-152 |
|
|
van der Meulen; Parker, RD; CJC |
FREIGHT RAILWAYS FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM: AFRICA AS GLOBAL PLAYER? |
1999 |
SOUTH AFRICAN TRANSPORT CONFERENCE.; Road infrastructure and concrete roads; Pretoria, 1999 |
|
|
van der Poel, Jean |
The Railway and Customs Policy of the African |
1929 |
PhD, University of London |
|
|
Varian, HF |
Some African Milestones |
1953 |
George Ronald |
Oxford |
|
Vernon, SP |
Cape to Cairo railway |
1899 |
Liberia Bulletin, 16, 30-40 |
|
|
Weinthal, Leo |
The Story of the Cape to Cairo Railway and River Route, from 1887 to 1922 |
1924 |
The Pioneer Publishing Co. Ltd. |
London |
There are 4 volumes and a map set in total |
Weinthal, Leo, ed. |
The Story of the Cape-to-Cairo Railway and River |
1923 |
Pioneer Publishing |
London |
4 vols. And map set |
Welensky, Roy |
Railway, road and air plans for central Africa |
1955 |
New |
|
|
Wiener, Lionel |
Les Chemins de fer coloniaux de l'Afrique |
1930 |
Goemaere |
Brussels |
|
Williams, Robert |
The Cape to Cairo railway |
1921 |
Journal of the Royal |
|
|
Williams, Robert |
The Cape-to-Cairo railway from the point of view of |
1922 |
Journal of the Central Asian Society, 9 (3), 147-166 |
|
|
Wills, JT |
The Cape to Cairo, the Bulawayo - Tanganyika and other |
1899 |
Contemporary Review, 75, 159-168 |
|
|
Wyse, Akintola GJ |
The 1926 railway strike and Anglo-Krio relations: |
1981 |
International Journal of African Historical Studies, 14 (1), |
|
|
Yates, BA |
Railroads and waterways of Africa |
1961 |
Journal of Geography, |
|
|
Books or journal articles written by either serving or former members of Nigerian Railways, but not necessarily on Nigerian Railways but are of general interest
Author |
Title |
Date |
Publisher |
Town |
Remarks |
BULKELEY, George Vicary Owen |
Mechanical Appliances for Handling Railway Traffic. |
1921 |
Railway Gazette |
London |
General Manager Nigerian Railways in 1933 |
BULKELEY, George Vicary Owen |
Railway and Seaport Freight Movement. With examples of British and American practice, etc. |
1930 |
C. Lockwood & Son |
London |
|
BULKELEY, George Vicary Owen |
Some considerations regarding locos. for colonial railways. |
1947 |
London |
|
|
BULKELEY, George Vicary Owen |
The 4-8-0 locomotive on Colonial railways |
1947 |
London |
|
|
BULKELEY, George Vicary Owen |
Transport Administration in Tropical Dependencies |
1946 |
Railway Gazette |
London |
|
Books on Steam Locomotives
Author |
Title |
Date |
Publisher |
Town |
Remarks |
Carling, D Rock |
4-8-0 Tender Locomotives |
1971 |
David and Charles |
Newton Abbot |
The quintessential African steam engine |
Durrant, AE |
The Garratt locomotive |
1969 |
David and Charles |
Newton Abbot |
|
Durrant, AE |
Garratt locomotives of the world |
1981 |
David and Charles |
Newton Abbot |
|
Tourret, R |
Allied Military Locomotives of the Second World War |
1995 |
Tourret Publishing |
Abingdon |
|
Wiener, Lionel |
Articulated locomotives |
1930 |
Constable |
London |
|
Pattison, RG |
The Cape Seventh Class Locomotives |
1997 |
Railway History Group of Southern Africa |
Kennilworth |
|
Holland, DF |
Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways |
1971 |
David and Charles |
Newton Abbot |
2 Volumes |
Books on the Locomotive and Rolling Stock Builders
The history of the locomotive builders is reasonably well covered, but much less so on the rolling stock builders. We have concentrated on British builders and include foreign builders if relevant.
Author |
Title |
Date |
Publisher |
Town |
Remarks |
Alexander, Colin |
The Vulcan Foundry : 150 years of engineering |
2017 |
Amberley |
Stroud |
|
Alexander, Colin; Siton, Alon |
The North British Locomotive Company |
2018 |
Amberley Publishing |
Stroud |
|
Anon |
Henschel Lieferliste 1848-1998 |
1999 |
Lok Report |
Munster |
|
Anon |
R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. Ltd., Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
1910 |
Mawson, Swan & Morgan, printers |
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
|
Anon |
R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Co., Ltd : shipbuilders and marine engine builders |
1955 |
R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Co., Ltd. |
Newcastle upon Tyne |
|
Anon |
Short history of R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Ltd, locomotive manufacturers |
1920 |
R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Co., Ltd. |
Newcastle upon Tyne |
|
Bailey, MR |
Built in Britain, The Independent Locomotive Manufacturing Industry in the Nineteenth Century |
2021 |
Railway and Canal Historical Society |
Market Drayton |
|
Baker, Allan C & Allen Civil, TD |
Bagnalls of Stafford, builders of locomotives for the world's railways : a history of the firm and & its folk |
2008 |
Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Railway Trust |
High Halden |
|
Baker, Allan C and Allen Civil, TD |
Bagnalls of Stafford, locomotive builders and railway engineers ... 1875-1972 |
1973 |
Oakwood Press |
Lingfield |
|
Beddoes, Keith; Wheeler, Colin; Wheeler, Stephen |
Metro-Cammell : 150 years of craftsmanship |
1999 |
Runpast |
Cheltenham |
|
Carter, Reg |
Kitson Works List |
1997 |
Private |
Kingston-upon-Thames |
|
Clark, Edwin Kitson |
Kitsons of Leeds, 1837-1937 : a firm and its folk by one of them, Edwin Kitson Clark |
1938 |
The Locomotive Publishing Company, Ltd |
London |
|
Clarke, Joseph Finbar |
Power on land and sea : 160 years of industrial enterprise on Tyneside : a history of R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ltd, engineers and shipbuilder |
1979 |
Northumberland Engine Works |
Wallsend |
|
Court, JH |
North British steam locomotives built 1857-1956 for railways overseas |
1978 |
Bradford Barton |
Truro |
|
Gudgin, Douglas Stuart Edward |
Vulcan foundry locomotives 1832-1956 |
1976 |
Bradford Barton |
Truro |
|
Hills RL and Patrick, D |
Beyer, Peacock : locomotive builders to the world |
1998 |
Venture |
Glossop |
|
Hills, RL |
Beyer Peacock : locomotive builders of Gorton : a short history |
1985 |
North Western Museum of Science and Industry |
Manchester |
|
Hills, RL |
Beyer, Peacock |
1972 |
North Western Museum of Science and Industry |
Manchester |
|
Hypher, John; Wheeler, Colin; Wheeler, Stephen |
Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company : a century of achievement, 1855-1963, in pictures and words |
1995 |
Runpast |
Cheltenham |
|
Marconi |
The Vulcan Locomotive Works, 1830-1930 |
2003 |
P & D Riley |
Cheshire |
|
Marconi |
Vulcan steam locomotives : a collection of steam trains produced at the famous locomotive works in Lancashire, England |
2003 |
P & D Riley |
Cheshire |
Previous ed. published as: Vulcan locomotives. Newton-le-Willows : Vulcan Foundry Ltd. 1955. |
Nicolson, Murdoch |
Glasgow : locomotive builder to Britain |
1998 |
Glasgow City Libraries and Archives |
Glasgow |
|
Redman, RN |
The Railway Foundry, Leeds : Hudswell Clarke & Co Ltd : the diesel era |
2015 |
The Industrial Railway Society, |
Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire |
|
Redman, RN |
The Railway Foundry, Leeds, 1839-1969: E. B. Wilson-Hudswell Clarke & Co. |
1972 |
Goose & Son |
Norwich |
|
Rodger P. Bradley |
Giants of steam : the full story of the North British Locomotive Co. Ltd |
1995 |
Oxford Publishing |
Oxford |
|
Rolt, LTC |
A Hunslet hundred; one hundred years of locomotive building by the Hunslet Engine Company |
1964 |
David and Charles |
Dawlish |
|
Townsley, Don |
The Hunslet Engine works : over a century and a half of locomotive building |
1998 |
Plateway Press |
East Harling |
|
Vernon, Tony |
Yorkshire Engine Company : Sheffield's locomotive manufacturer |
2008 |
History |
Stroud |
|
VULCAN FOUNDRY LTD. |
The Vulcan Locomotive Works, 1830-1930 |
1930 |
Locomotive Publishing Co. Ltd. |
London |
I only know of 2 copies, one in BL and I have the other. I will look to see what it has of relevance |
VULCAN FOUNDRY LTD. |
Vulcan Locomotives [With illustrations] |
1955 |
VULCAN FOUNDRY LTD. |
Newton-le-Willows |
|
WARREN, James GH |
A Century of Locomotive Building by Robert Stephenson & Co., 1823-1923 |
1923 |
A. Reid & Co. |
Newcastle-on-Tyne |
See also A century of locomotive building by Robert Stephenson & Co., 1823-1923. A reprint with a new introduction, by David and Charles 1970 |
Wear, Russell |
Barclay 150 : a brief history of Andrew Barclay, Sons & Co. Ltd. and Hunslet-Barclay Ltd., Kilmarnock from 1840-1990 |
1990 |
Hunslet-Barclay Ltd., 1990 |
Kilmarnock, Scotland |
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