Chen Melling

Well, for starters, Israel has such a diverse population genetics-wise, no face really (or dress-code!) really stands out here. I, myself, am a mixture of 25% (gentile) Mancunian, 25% (Jewish) Egyptian and 50% various central and Eastern european nations, though 100% born and raised here. Palestine Railways had 3 main types of SG 0-6-0s, though one of them, the LSWR Adams 0395, did not survive long enough to meet 8Fs in action. The two others are a quartet of former Inland Waterways & Docks Dept. (IWD) Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST '17" Specials' left from WWI, and 11 Nasmyth Wilson 0-6-0Ts purchased in several batches in the second half of the 1930s. The USA tanks, which you may know from the Southern Railway, were mostly operated by the British Army, but a couple were hired to PR and later purchased by them. These are available in OO from Bachmann: http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/p/60094/KMR-101-Bachmann-USA-0-6-0T-Steam-Locomotive-number-1968 (and also in H0, from Ree Models) Below are representative photos of each main 1940s shunter type and a corresponding (early 1950s) weight diagram. We have more pictures, of course, and should you wish to model the Nasmyth tanks, we have the entire original engineering drawings set.

Some of the LMS Stanier 8Fs brought to Palestine by the War Department during WW2 were hired by the Palestine Railways, and later sold to them, 23 eventually entering Israel Railways stock in 1948. Here they rubbed shoulders with PR locos as well as various other types brought by the military authorities, of which you may be familiar with the "ROD" O4 2-8-0 type and "USA" 0-6-0T shunters. Below are two 1940s photos by K.R.M. Cameron, one showing an 8F entering Jaffa Station, where a military locomotive workshop was established, and an ROD at the nearby Tel Aviv station. By the way, both these locations are, in my opinion, worthy of modelling, the latter named being my personal favourite.

LMS Bess, There is actually quite a lot of information available on the Palestine Railways, whether in published or archival form. I suppose it won't be very helpful to suggest that you come visit the Israel Railway Museum, of which I am currently the head, and peruse our extensive archives and library. However, I would be very glad to share any information available, whether on these pages or directly by email: museum@rail.co.il I also collect information about Egyptian and other Near-East railways, but there is much less published or even archival information available. I suppose you already heard of Rabbi Dr. Walter Rothschild and his magazine HaRakevet (mostly available online here: http://www.harakevetmagazine.com/), who also wrote the most relevant PhD. Other English language books include: The Railways of Palestine and Israel by Paul Cotterell (Tourret Publishing, 1984) Make Straight the Way by Paul Cotterell (Israel Railways, 2009) Middle East Railways by Hugh Hughes (Continental Railway Circle, 1981) Allied military locomotives of the Second World War by R. Tourret (Tourret Publishing, 1995) I personally have been dreaming of modelling local subjects since childhood, but have been daunted not only by relative-scarcity of RTR models and kits but also by the H0/OO conundrum. This is because for most of the 20th century the railways of this country had a mixture of British, American and Continental rolling stock. The 13t opens are of the standard MoS / WD (War Department) WWII 5-plank type - the picture below, taken at Tel Aviv Station in June, 1944 shows a rake of opens, apparently loaded with ballast. The 7-plank ones lettered PR are of the WWI MoM / WD 12t type, of which c. 1000 examples entered PR ownership, being around half the total stock at the time. (Photo by Zoltan Kluger There were indeed quite a few rail-served quarries and various other industries and construction sites in Palestine during the Mandate period. The only stndard-gauge operations with its own locomotives before WWII were the Haifa Harbour Works Dperatment and the related Jaffa Port upgrade project (which was isolated from the railways but had an internal SG line). The HHWD opened large qurries in Athlit and shipped the stone to Haifa by rail. The below photo (from the Library of Congress' Matson Collection) shows one of the HHWD group of Hunslet 14" 0-6-0ST, this one being No. 6 of the outside-cylindered batch. Some of these were later sold to the War Depratment and operated some of their many rail-served depots in the region during WWII.

This photo was taken in the 1930s at Haifa Station (later Haifa East, today Haifa Mizrah) of Palestine Railways (PR), where the standard gauge Main Line from Egypt of the Palestine Railway (note singular) met the 105cm gauge Haifa Branch of the Hijaz Railway (HR), which by now was the system's busiest part. The RAF Fairey Gordon, probably 14 Sqn, is on an HR low-sided bogie vehicle, with its drop-side doors removed. It is probably being taken from the RAF Amman base in Transjordan to repairs in Palestine or Egypt, thus it would be transshiped in Haifa to standard-gauge rolling stock, along with accompanying crates. The wagon is not missing its buffers. It has the standard Hijaz Railway central-buffer arrangment with surrounded by two coupling. The buffer housing is just visible on the left, but the buffer head is obscured by the adjacent wagon.

Apologies, I hope this time it works:

Anyone interested in the railways of Egypt - standard or narrow gauge - is welcome to contact me either through these pages or by email - museum@rail.co.il. While not an expert on this subject, I have been collection information for a long time, and am more than happy to share, e.g. the attached scanned pages from the official book about the railways of Egypt, by Wiener, published in French in 1932. This PDF containes the chapter concerned with the Egyptian Delta Light Railway. Wiener - EDLR.pdf

This is terrific Don - Thanks! Probably the best livery description of any steam locomotive to have run in this country (Israel), and actually only a few exist altogether, the others being Baldwin products.

Hi to all, Can anyone please advise on the likely livery of the Huslet 14in locos for Haifa? Following are a few photos of both IC and OC varieties with appears to be the same livery. 1: Brand new HHWD No. 1 at Haifa Harbour construction site (2 photos) - c. 10/1929, Central Zionist Archives 2: A brand new IC example front view, probably taken in the harbour construction location: 3: Bunker view of an IC Hunslet on the harbour constructin access line with Mount Carmel headland in the background: 4: A partial front view of OC example with similar/same livery at the Athlit quarry: 5: Broadside view of HHWD No. 6, from the Matson Collection in The Library of Congress: (( a hi-res version of this can be dowloaded here: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/matpc.15386/ )) Other and later photos of such engines in Haifa and those transferred in the mid-1930s for work on the Jaffa Harbour upgrade works don't show the lining/

Type 40 (Baldwin 4-6-0) - Please find attached a diagram eminating from the Palestine Railways' Mechanichal Branch with a diagram, which curiously shows the version sent to Belgium (WD Nos. 801-870) rather the one brought to the Middle East (Nos. 871-920) which a different cab profile. The Israel Railways Museum has in its collection a large proportion of the engineereing drawings related to this type, and while they mostly relate to the second batch, they still might be of use to you.

Firstly I too want to congratulate Bachmann on a worthy assortment of new offerings. The one that caught my eye was the Ambulance Train pack. Ambulance Train no. 40 was the 16-carriage set sent to Egypt and the Palestine Front (though Lacy & Dow say Salonika in the "Midland Railway Carriages" books), its coaches later being converted back to passenger use and serving successively the Palestine Military Railway, Palestine Railways and Israel Railways, some surviving in service, albeit with newly-built bodies, until the 1960s. As such, it probably never had the chance of being pulled by a 3700 Class. There are great works photo shots of AT40 at the NRM (DY10735 - DY 10752) including one which is of approximately of the same perspective as the Bachmann graphic. This shows that the Bachmann coaches are probably of the wrong type, which makes sense, as Bachmann have no MR 54ft. clerestory carriages, of the type which were converted with semi-elliptical roofs to be used in AT 40 and the other such MR-built trains. AT 40 was photographed new at Derby in mid-November 1917, but was already reported on the PMR in Feb. 1918. Below is a picture of AT 40 arriving at Lydda station in then-Palestine (opened Feb. 1918) led by an Egyptian State Railways 0-6-0. Chen Melling Manager The Israel Railway Museum