German East Africa, Circa 1905-1907

Class — Carton: 28

Identifier: 28

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

A unique collection of photographs illustrating various stages in the construction of the railway; includes images of surveying and rail-laying, railway stations, both completed and under construction, work crews, derailed trains.

Dates

Circa 1905-1907

Creator

From the Collection: Winterton, Humphrey (Person)

Language of Materials

German

Conditions Governing Access

To inquire about access to this collection, please contact the Herskovits Library at africana@northwestern.edu.

Historic Notes

The building of a railway line from Dar es Salaam to Tabora was first conceived in 1895 but delays in implementation occurred and it was not until February 1905 that construction started. The contract for the first section was awarded to Phillip Holzmann & Co. of Frankfurt-am-Main. The line to Morogoro was opened to traffic on December 16th, 1907, seven months ahead of the contractual requirement. Work on the section from Morogoro to Tabora began in June 1908 and the line reached Tabora on February 24th, 1912. By February 1914 it had been extended to Kigoma, a port on Lake Tanganyika, the distance from Dar es Salaam being 1,248 kilometres, with extensive realignments of the initial section to Morogoro having been carried out in 1912.

Extent

4 albums

Additional Description

Abstract

Group of 4 albums containing 541 original photographs, many recording the building of the railway from Dar es Salaam to Tabora. Unidentified photographers, circa 1905-1907.