The tribes who lived in this region resisted the construction of the railway.
By the time the Nandi gave up arms thousands of them were dead.
The railway began at a time when European powers were madly scrambling for a piece of Africa.
Besides, controlling the Nile had a big commercial advantage.
Directly west of Mombasa lay avast waterless regionthat most caravans avoided.
The final 150 km to the lakes shore was a soggy marshland.
Warehouses were constructed, accommodation for the workers built, repair shops and workshops opened.
The sleepy coastal town of Mombasa was rapidly transformed into a modern port.
Nearly all the workers involved on the construction of the line came from British India.
Within the first year, half the workforce was immobilized by malaria, dysentery, and other tropical diseases.
The heat crippled and dust storms gagged the workers.
Off loading of locomotive boilers at Kilindini harbour, Mombasa.
Photo credit: Thee Agora
A locomotive being unloaded at Mombasa.
A pair ofman-eating lionsstalked the campsite, dragging away workers while they slept in their tents at night.
The attack continued for ten months, during which more than a hundred victims, allegedly, were claimed.
Hundreds of workers fled from Tsavo, and the construction came almost to a halt.
The lions were killed eventually after days of careful stalking and baiting.
Some 2,500 workers died during the construction of the railwayfour for each mile of track laid.
About 6,700 decided to stay behind, creating the first community of Indians in Kenya.
The rest returned home.
Even before construction started, there were many who opposed the idea.
Yet, others called it the most courageous railway in the world.
Before the railway, Nairobi was an uninhabited swamp.
Here, Whitehouse decided to build a half-way house with a store depot and a shunting ground.
Today, Nairobi is the largest city of Kenya with a population of over 3 million.
Team of railway workers at a cutting near Voi.
Photo credit: Thee Agora
Train leaving the Nairobi Station 1900.
Photo credit: Thee Agora
Building of the Tsavo bridge.
Photo credit: Thee Agora
Tsavo railway station.
Photo credit: Thee Agora
Interior of the upper class buffet wagon.
Photo credit: Thee Agora
Breakfast on the Lunatic Express.
