The Kabul–Darulaman Tramway was a
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
railway in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. It was constructed after Emir
Amanullah Amanullah or Amanallah is a male Muslim given name ( ar , أمان الله ) meaning the trust or protection of God. It may refer to:
*Amānullāh Khān (1892–1960), ruler of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929
* Amanullah Khan (disambiguation), seve ...
gave the order in 1923, and was long, running from
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
to the planned city of
Darulaman
Darulaman ( fa, دارالامان) is a locality in the south-western fringes of Kabul, Afghanistan, forming part of District 6. The suburb was a planned city built in the 1920s under King Amanullah Khan. Amanullah Khan sought to turn Darulaman i ...
.
Historical accounts
The December 1922 issue of ''The Locomotive'' magazine mentions ''"Travellers from Afghanistan state a railway is being laid down for a distance of some six miles from Kabul to the site of the new city of Darulaman, and also that some of the rolling stock for it is being manufactured in the Kabul workshops."'' The August 1928 issue of ''The Locomotive'' mentions ''"the only railway at present in Afghanistan is five miles long, between
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
and Darulaman."'' Three small steam locomotives were acquired from
Henschel
Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting v ...
of Kassel in Germany.
Closure
The tramway closed (date unknown), and was dismantled in the 1940s, but the locomotives are preserved at the
National Museum of Afghanistan
The National Museum of Afghanistan (Dari: موزیم ملی افغانستان, ''Mūzīyam-e mellī-ye Afghānestān''; ps, د افغانستان ملی موزیم, ''Də Afghānistān Millī Mūzīyəm''), also known as the Kabul Museum, is a ...
in Darulaman.
[Kabul to Darulaman railway](_blank)
Railways of Afghanistan
Locomotives
There were three small
Henschel
Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting v ...
steam locomotives, all three of which survive in a museum in Kabul.
[Hughes, Hugh 1994 ''Indian Locomotives Pt. 3, Narrow Gauge 1863-1940''. Continental Railway Circle.] However the third locomotive (Henschel 19691 of 1923) might possibly be a different gauge and thus from a different railway all together.
The other two locomotives (Henchel 19680 and 19681 of 1923) were originally found in the former engine shed of the Kabul and Darulaman Railway and show green paint (although heavily faded and largely gone). The most intact locomotive being Henchel 19681 and is displayed on a special built length of track under cover. Under a separate covered area are the other two locomotives along with parts from the coaches used on the railway such as bogies and frames.
See also
*
Rail transport in Afghanistan
Afghanistan has three railway lines in the north of the country. The first is between Mazar-i-Sharif and the border town of Hairatan in Balkh province, which then connects with Uzbek Railways of Uzbekistan (opened 2011). The second links Torghu ...
References
2 ft 6 in gauge railways in Afghanistan
Transport in Kabul
{{Asia-rail-transport-stub