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Cyprus
Government Railways |
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Industrial Archaeology
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Photo
by David A. Pritchard © 2003 |
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The engine no.1 of the last train from Nicosia to Famagusta on 31st December 1951
now rests for display in Polat Paşa Boulevard in
Famagusta |
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In the figure above is a sketch of an old railway engine resting
on a plinth, and placed here as a memorial to the Cyprus Government Railways (C.G.R.), which ran trains from
Famagusta to Nicosia, and beyond to
Güzelyurt (Morphou). The building behind the engine is the old
Famagusta station which was the terminus of the C.G.R. There are
many railway enthusiasts in Britain who worship these old engines
as symbols of the past industrial revolution. There is now a
division of antiquarians who study old engines, old mills, and the
old machinery used one hundred years ago, the subject is Industrial
Archeology.
In 1904, the
railway construction depot was inside the old walls, opposite
the Othello Tower,
and now occupied by Desdemona Gardens. In order to give access
to the docks three archways were driven into the old Venetian
curtain walls and the traces can be seen today. Great care was
shown not to use stone for the railway construction from the
walls and the ancient buildings although there were rumours that
stone was going to be taken from
Bellapais Abbey!
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Rail ticket
for travel
from Famagusta to
Nicosia, 3rd class. |
The railway was 37½ miles long, and there were stations at two
mile intervals, the names being written in three languages,
English, Greek, and Turkish. Speed was from 20 to 30 m.p.h. and
the journey to Nicosia took about two hours.
Two trains per day; the morning train left at 8:35 a.m. arriving
at Nicosia at 10:37 a.m. If you wanted to continue to
Güzelyurt (Morphou) that would be another two hours for the
extra 24 miles.
Coal was the fuel, which came from England to the Famagusta
docks; some even came from the Admiralty yards at Port Said in
Egypt, 284 miles distant. Water had to be softened chemically so
as not to damage the engine boilers and all lighting was with
acetylene lamps. It was a standard railway gauge, the sleepers
were of local timber but the main problem was bridge
maintenance. Rivers in Cyprus are harmless dry beds in summer,
but in winter torrents would sometimes damage the bridges.
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Photos of the engine no.1 of the last train from Nicosia
to Famagusta, in Polat Pasha Boulevard in Famagusta
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We tend to think that railways were built for the benefit of
passengers but this is not so. For the C.G.R. and for all
railways, freight was the economic drive. The Cyprus Mines
Corporation used the C.G.R. for the transport of copper and
chrome ore and asbestos to the Famagusta docks until port
facilities elsewhere in the island were developed. During the
Enosis troubles of 1931, some futile attempts were made to tear
up the track as it was regarded as a symbol of
British Colonial Rule.
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Passengers
waiting for a train
at the railway station |
In 1945, the railway trains were still running to time, but then,
new 6 ton diesel lorries appeared, against which the C.G.R. could
not compete. Road haulage meant the end of the railway, and at that
time the railway was faced with the problem of new engines, new
tracks and carriages, because the whole system was already 40 years
old. In 1935, there was much gossip that the railway was quite
inefficient and that the Ford Motor Company wanted the railway to
close down in order to boost their sales of motor vehicles. Very
difficult to prove, but who knows, it may have been the major reason
for the closure of C.G.R.
The last train left Nicosia for Famagusta on 31st December 1951 and
it was then that the engine no.1 (in the picture) was lifted to its
final resting place, by the Army engineers from Dhekelia using a 20
ton crane. It marked the end of a marvellous episode in the history
of Cyprus and what a fine exercise it would be for secondary school
students to find out the course of the old railway in Nicosia or Famagusta. They could find out where the old bridges and cuttings
were made and there's even a tunnel, which the train used, just by
the mound outside the Land
Gate, in Famagusta. All those interested
in the history of Cyprus Railway should read Lt. Col. Turner's book
on the Cyprus Government Railway; it is a masterpiece of historical
research:
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The Story of the Cyprus Government Railway
by B. S. Turner
Mechanical Engineering Publications,
London, 1979. |
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The writer of this
article showed this book to an old Cypriot now 80 years of age
and he waxed enthusiastic about the excellent photographs in the
book, which he said brought back in him memories of the times
when he went by train from Famagusta to Nicosia and only for a
few pence.
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References |
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Related Resources |
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