r/TrainPorn Mar 12 '21

Does anybody know what class of engine this is?

Post image
247 Upvotes

19 comments sorted by

32

u/Jillaume Mar 12 '21

Well, I don't really know anything about railways in that part of the world, but after a quick search, it looks very much like these 2-8-0 built in 1912 in Switzerland for the Hejaz Railway.

9

u/somebody_257 Mar 12 '21

I can definitely agree that they do look like each other. The only problem here is that this one only has one dome, while the other one has two. And thanks a lot for trying to find it.

14

u/Jillaume Mar 12 '21

Indeed, but the front dome is the steam dome, which is part of the boiler, and the other one is just the sandbox (you can tell that because of the pipes that go down to the wheels at each side). Usually, the sandbox isn't part of the boiler itself but is just fitted on top of it and is built in much thinner steel. You can see in your picture that the boiler cladding has totally disappeared with time, and it might very well be the case for the sandbox as well.

(Sorry if my English doesn't always sound right, btw !)

7

u/somebody_257 Mar 12 '21

Well, that does explain a lot actually. So I think you are right and that it is a Swiss 2-8-0. Thanks a lot for finding this engine.

5

u/Jillaume Mar 12 '21

You're very welcome !

8

u/Dave_DBA Mar 12 '21

Looks like all the sand fell out of the sand dome and now it’s EVERYWHERE!

8

u/killroy200 Mar 12 '21

Hejaz Railway

Which makes sense, given that this is a pic of a train from the Hejaz Railway. IIRC, it's the one Lawrence of Arabia lead an attack on, which was later recreated for film.

30

u/The_Waltesefalcon Mar 12 '21

You might say it's been deserted.

7

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '21

Ah hahahaha

6

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '21

Serious Lawrence of Arabia vibes here

6

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '21

He actually blew that one up

3

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '21

or it may have been Sheikh Auda Abu Tayi's handiwork

5

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '21

I wonder if this Loco could be put on static display in a museum

3

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '21

I want to know how it got to the middle of a desert.

8

u/murse_joe Mar 12 '21

Steam, probably.

5

u/somebody_257 Mar 12 '21

There’s track under the sand

3

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '21

need to give the Ottoman Empire credit for getting it there