Italian Libya Railways

The five railways in Italian Libya.

Italian Libya Railways was a group of small railways built in the Italian colony of Libya between the two World Wars.

History

The Kingdom of Italy built in Italian Libya nearly 400 km of railways with 950 mm (3 ft 1 ³⁄₈ in) gauge.^[1]

Projects

The Italian authorities decided to give priority to the construction of roads in Libya when Benito Mussolini took control of the Italian colonies. After 1926 no more railways were made in Libya, but during World War II the need of railways transport to the front during the war in the frontier with British Egypt changed this approach.

In spring 1941 the Italian government started the construction of a new railway between Tripoli and Benghazi, but by the end of 1942 all was stopped because of the Italian defeat in north Africa: only 18 km were done in Cirenaica.^[2]

Equipment

In Libya the first locomotives were the steam locomotives R.401 and R.301, but the most successful were the R.302 produced in northern Italy.

Railways

There were only five small railways:

1) Tripoli-Zuara (118 km):

2) Bengazi-Barce (108 km):

3) Tripoli-Garian (90 km):

4) Bengasi-Soluch (56 km):

5) Tripoli-Tagiura (21 km):

Gallery

• 

  Tripoli Railway Station in 1940

• 

  Benghazi Railway Station in 1930

• 

  Barce Railway station in 1930

• 

  Italian Benghazi with port railways

• 

  Fiat "Littorina" passing in Cirenaica

• 

  Fiat train at Tripoli Station

• 

  Old steam train at Tripoli Station in 1920

• 

  Destruction of Benghazi station in 1943

References

1. ↑ "Orsomax OEA villaggi". Orsomax.com. Retrieved 2011-10-20. 
2. ↑ Le ferrovie coloniali italiane in Libia (in Italian)

See also

• Railway stations in Libya
• History of Libya as Italian colony
• Italian Libya
• Eritrean Railway

Italian Libya Governors Italo Balbo Rodolfo Graziani Italo Gariboldi Ettore Bastico Giovanni Messe General History Italian invasion of Libya History of Libya as Italian colony Italian Libya Pacification of Libya Western Desert Campaign North African Campaign Allied occupation of Libya 1945 Tripoli pogrom Italian refugees from Libya Provinces Tripoli Province Misurata Province Benghazi Province Derna Province Military Territory of the South Related articles Italian settlers Italian Tripolitania Italian Cyrenaica Imperial Italy Italian North Africa Italian Libya Railways Railway stations in Libya History of Italian colonial railways Tripoli-Castel Benito Airport Italian Tripoli Italian Benghazi Via Balbia Via della Vittoria Arch of the Fileni Tripoli Grand Prix Tripoli International Fair Linea dell'Impero Postage stamps of Italian Libya Frontier Wire (Libya) Italo-Turkish War Sciara Sciatt massacre Muslim Association of the Lictor Fort Capuzzo Auto-Saharan Company Fourth Shore Colonial troops Italian Libyan Colonial Division 1st Libyan Division "Sibelle" 2nd Libyan Division "Pescatori" Maletti Group Ascari del Cielo Paratroops Italian Africa Police Bands Zaptié Savari Spahis Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali