Steam around the World: The African Archives

Rails all the way from Cape to Cairo were once the dream of Victorian pioneer Cecil Rhodes. In 1965 and 1970, the dying years of the Age of Steam, Harry Dodge visited and recorded this incredible African legacy. Throughout Central and Southern Africa, the uncompromising terrain spawned some spectacular feats of engineering. Many of these, including the famous Victoria Falls bridge, are captured when huge fleets of Garratts still ruled supreme. Malawi Railway, Rhodesian Railways and Franco-Ethiopian Railways are all featured, as well as the steam trains of South Africa, Mozambique, Angola and the Sudan. This rare archive steam footage was lovingly captured on 16mm film by the famous American railroad enthusiast, Harry P. Dodge. Along with the rest of the series, it provides the unique and incredible story of the world's railways in the '60s and early '70s.