Zambezi Book Company
Publications
To The Banks of the Zambezi and Beyond
Railway Construction from the Cape to the Congo (1893-1910)
A detailed study of railway construction from the southern Cape into the interior, focussing on the development of the line to Bulawayo, north to the Victoria Falls and beyond into the Congo - hailed at the time as the southern section of the envisaged, but eventually unrealised, Cape to Cairo Railway linking the length of the continent. The story of the construction of the railway line is brought to life with contemporary reports and accounts. Fully referenced and illustrated with over 90 archive photographs. [Second Edition published April 2023, 252 pages, over 80,000 words]
To The Banks of the Zambezi and Beyond -
Railway Construction from the Cape to the Congo (1893-1910)
The first steps in the development of a railway system in the southern Cape looked no further than serving the immediate need of local industries and ports. The discovery of diamonds and subsequent development of the Kimberley mines would not only be the lure that drew the development of a line into the interior, but also provided the great financial wealth that would stimulate further development and the beginning of a grand dream of a railway connecting the length of the great African continent, from Cape to Cairo.
Deka Bridge Construction, Rhodesia (1908)
Over a period of two decades, either side of the beginning of the twentieth century, discoveries of vast coal reserves on the route to the Zambezi and rich copper deposits north of the river resulted in a series of extensions which would see the railway penetrate over two thousand miles into the interior, traversing the Zambezi river immediately below the natural wonder of the Victoria Falls and continuing deep into the Congo.
Following the story of railway construction from the Cape into the interior, the key events and people involved in its inception and realization are described and brought to life through contemporary accounts and interviews, and presented alongside many archive photographs, some previously unpublished.
Now available to order through Amazon UK/US sites.
The author can order copies for overseas orders outside of these areas (and with discounts for multiple copies) - please see the Contact Us page)
Read more on features and extracts from the story of the railway construction in our feature section.
