'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎617] (686/714)

HAIL WAYS
617
One, however, of the Boital group of grants, in itself tlie least
intrinsically important, did eventually struggle into the light of
ghah day. Among the concessions obtained was one for a
Abdul small Decauville railway from Teheran to the famous
railway shrine of Shah Abdul Azim, situated about six miles
south of the city. The remains of this distinguished saint repose
beneath a gilded dome, and are said to be visited by over 300,000
pilgrims yearly from Teheran, the easy distance from which renders
the sanctuary a favourite place of holiday as well as religious re
sort. The Decauville project came to nothing, and some of the rails
are said to be still lying where they were landed at Bushire. The
concession, however, was sold to a Belgian syndicate, under the title
of La Societe des Chemins-de-fer de Perse, who saw in this opening
the starting point of what might possibly becom e the much-talked-
of trunk line of the future from North Persia to the Gulf. The
capital of 2,000,000 francs was subscribed in Belgium, an additional
three millions having since been raised by the issue of bonds in
order to meet the heavy outlay, and to purchase a tramway con
cession ; the engines were built in Brussels, and brought in pieces,
via Batum and Baku ; the rails came partly from Belgium and
partly from Russia, and were transported at a terrific cost (I was
told 4?. for each pair) from the Caspian to Teheran. The station,
platforms, offices, and workshops were constructed on a scale worthy
of the terminus of a possible future main line from the capital to
the south; an eighty-centimetre gauge was adopted, and in July
1888 the line was opened by the Shah.
Its early progress was impeded by an unhappy accident, which
arrayed against it the superstitious hostilities of the native popula-
Its success tion. A Persian leaving the train at Shah Abdul Azim
or failure ^ was s till in motion fell on the rails and was run
over and killed. The crowd immediately attacked the engine-
driver, a Russian, who defended himself with a revolver, but was
savagely knocked about and hurt. The ill-feeling thus aroused has
since been allayed; but the traffic has not answered to the ex
pectations formed of it, and financially the speculation is believed
to be a failure. There is, of course, no goods traffic whatever on
the line, while the distance is too short to render its advantages
for passenger traffic obligatory, the Persian pilgrim or holiday-
maker who has the entire day at his disposal preferring to take
things leisurely and to ride to and from the shrine on his donkey.