Chapter 356: The Railway
The next morning, after a night's rest, the group had a simple breakfast at Anka Village's canteen before continuing their journey. As the carriage set off, Anka gradually disappeared from view.
Soon, the rice fields and plantations came to an abrupt end, replaced once more by the desolate savanna landscape. In the vast wilderness, the straight gravel road looked strangely out of place—like a metro station built in the middle of farmland. Isolated and surreal.
After traveling for some time, a long, strip-like structure suddenly appeared on the southern side of the road. From a distance, it looked like a river stretching along the horizon from east to west. But it clearly rose above the ground and was too uniform—it had to be manmade.
As the carriage got closer, the group began to sense that the structure wasn't ordinary. It slowly angled toward the road, getting nearer and nearer, and it seemed to stretch on endlessly.
When the structure finally ran parallel to the highway, they could clearly see it: two strips of crushed stone laid side by side, each topped with thick, neatly cut wooden beams. On top of the beams were large iron rails, stained red with rust.
Everyone began to murmur: "What is that?"
Yalian explained, "That's a railway."
"A railway?"
"Yes. It's a kind of transportation system, like a road, used to move people and goods. But instead of carriages, it carries steam locomotives that pull freight cars. Just think of it as another kind of road."
"Mr. Yalian, is that what gives the railway its name—the iron bars? Can vehicles really run on those?"
Yalian smiled. "They're not iron bars—they're called rails. You might have seen something similar in mines—wooden tracks for ore carts. The British were the first to refine this idea and lay the tracks on land, which gave rise to the railway. In fact, the Far East has had a similar concept: recessed roads called chidao (rutted imperial roads), where carriage wheels fit into grooves. The railway is just the opposite—it has raised tracks. The wheels are specially designed to lock into the rails."
"And what about those wooden beams and stones underneath the rails? Why not lay the rails directly on the road?"
"The wooden beams are called sleepers, and the crushed stones are called ballast. Their purpose is to absorb the pressure of the rails. Steam locomotives are extremely heavy, and without a proper base, the rails would sink into the soil like a knife into tofu."
"Ah, now it makes sense!"
Yalian continued, "The ballast also helps absorb shock, stabilize the foundation, reduce noise, and drain water quickly."
"How much iron does it take to build one of these?"
"I don't know exactly," said Yalian. "But it's a lot. Railways are measured in kilometers, and many in Europe and America stretch for thousands."
His words left the group in awe. They couldn't imagine how much iron was needed for something like this.
By 1870, the world's total railway length had surpassed 210,000 kilometers. The U.S. and Germany were emerging as leaders in railway construction, while Britain and France remained steady builders. Even Austria-Hungary and Russia, though lagging behind, had made considerable progress.
East Africa's first railway, only 60 kilometers long, was minuscule by comparison. In fact, it lagged behind many other colonies. And despite being finished, it hadn't yet opened. Since completion, it had remained unused for some time.
Someone asked, "Mr. Yalian, why haven't we seen any steam locomotives on the tracks?"
"Good question," said Yalian. "Let me ask Mr. Wilichs."
He turned and began speaking with Wilichs in German.
After a few minutes, he turned back and said, "I've got the answer. East Africa's railway uses a different standard than most of the world, which has caused some technical delays. This line is called the 'First Railway.' It's been completed, but the locomotives weren't ready. However, Mr. Wilichs told me the finished engine has just passed final testing in Austria and will be shipped to East Africa for trial runs next month."
Hechingen Vienna Energy and Power Company had convinced Ernst to stick with the original plan. After all, they were close to success—why abandon it now?
"Austria?" someone asked. No one really knew where that was. According to Yalian, though, the railway looked impressive but still wasn't usable.
"Mr. Yalian," someone said, "this railway sounds no different from a road. Why build something so costly when you could just build more highways?"
"That's where you're mistaken," Yalian replied. "There's a huge difference between roads and railways. Let me explain: we're now riding in a carriage powered by a horse. Horses eat grain, need rest, and get tired. They can't pull much. But railways use steam engines for power. You've seen steam power before, right?"
"Like the smokestack on the ship we came on?"
"Exactly. Think of it like boiling water—the steam lifts the lid. In a sealed space, steam creates high pressure, which moves pistons. The pistons turn gears and axles, and that turns the wheels. If you've seen textile factories, the steam engines there might help you picture it better."
In the Far East, textile factories were the most common places to see steam engines. The first railway in China was built in 1865 by the British near Xuanwumen, Beijing. They used a strange little vehicle that ran fast on rails, hoping to impress the Qing government. Instead, the court was alarmed. Empress Dowager Cixi ordered it dismantled, citing reasons like disturbing feng shui and harming the fields.
That railway was short-lived, so most people had never seen one. But textile machines powered by steam were common enough to awe factory workers. Still, seeing a steam locomotive for the first time could provoke fear.
British author Charles Dickens had mixed feelings about railroads. In Dombey and Son, he described the destructive force of the railroad as "earthquake-like," showing how deeply it could disturb both the land and the soul.
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