BEFORE the modern Saudi Kingdom was created in 1932, the former Turkish imperial government had built a 1050mm (3ft 5½in) gauge line from Damascus (now Syria) to Medina, reaching there in 1908, although the planned section south from there to the pilgrimage city Mecca was never built.
During the First World War, the line – known as the Hejaz Railway – became a target for Allied Forces, especially those led by ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and his Arab allies to prevent German and Turkish forces from using it. After 1920, the badly damaged line was largely abandoned.
Modern railway construction in Saudi Arabia began in 1947, and the first line in the country, built initially to help the growth of the then new oil industry, opened between Riyadh and Dammam via Haradh in October 1951. Rolling stock made in the USA, including Alco-built RS1 diesel locos and RDC DMUs, were used in the early days – although the line mainly served the interests of the Arabian American Oil Company.
Classic EMD-built
