"Steam in Africa" (Lewis & Jorgensen) was published in the 1970's and "Far Wheels" (C.S. Small) even earlier. They're both contain valuable historical accounts of the railway but this is a railway which has had more than its fair share of history and change over the past 30 years or so since they were published! In brief, and at the risk of repetition, the railway was closed down in the 1970's during the period when Eritrea had been annexed by Ethiopia and was fighting the independence war which led to it becoming an independant country in the early 1990's. The close took place as the Ethiopians removed significant parts of the track to line their army's trenches. After independence the new government invited cost consultants to advise on the railway's reinstatement - but even the cost of obtaining the advice was beyond the impoverished country's means and no international support was forthcoming. Their solution was to use their demobilised soldiers to scour the country's battlefields, to retrieve the old rail and ties and to rebuild the railway using their own resources. At the same time the country's old skilled mechanical staff, by then often in the 70's or even older, came out of retirement to rebuild the old workshops and then to refurbish the locos and stock. The railway reopened in stages, opening throughout from Massawa on the coast to Asmara, the capital in the mountains, in 2004. It's a really refreshing story of what people can do without outside support when the will is there to succeed!
There has never yet been any regular traffic, either passenger or freight. For the enthusiast this is in many ways a blessing in disguise. You can't just turn up to ride the train as it probably won't be running. On the other hand the numerous tour groups which run from many parts of the world have unlimited freedom to organise their runpasts etc without the need to accommodate other railway traffic. That said there are public excursions from time to time, particularly over the higher section of the line near Asmara which is the most scenic.
Much the best modern book about the railway is "Red Sea Railway", co-authored by Jennie Street, a British writer, and Amanual Ghebreselassie who is the railway's general manager. It was privately published two years or so ago after difficulty in getting any mainstream publisher to take it on. It sold out almost immediately, mostly to the many enthusiasts who have come to know and to love the country and the railway. However it's now available on Amazon's Kindle - details at [
83.170.122.74]. The best internet reports from many past trips there are probably those at [
www.internationalsteam.co.uk].
The country receives several groups of visiting enthusiasts each year. For those who prefer English-language groups Enthusiast Holidays (http://www.enthusiasthols.com go there most years in the autumn (fall)) as does the Railway Touring Company (http://www.railwaytouring.net/train-tours/eritrea) whose trips tend to be more expensive but are intended more for the general traveller rather than just the enthusiast photographer. I think they both use Travel House International (www.travelhouseeritrea.com), based in Asmara, to make their arrangements with the railway. Anyone wanting to make their own arrangements there would do vey well to get in touch with Tedros Kebbede at the company who knows the railway and the needs of enthusiasts well, is a very helpful person and speaks excellent English.
