Railways of Iraq

RMweb has some discussion of models which could be used to represent Iraqi Republic Railways locos.

Three or four years ago I went to a model railway show in Sutton, south London, where someone was selling imported Czech resin bodyshells for building models of various Czech(-oslovakian) locomotives. At least one of the bodies on show was suitable for an Iraqi loco - perhaps a T669. Unfortunately I didn’t buy one at the time, and I didn’t take the details of where they were made and who imported them. Does this sound familar to anyone? I could be tempted to acquire one now if anyone knows who the supplier is!

Anyway, an RMweb poster called Fosterboy has identified some possible candidates for conversion into models of IRR locos.

IRR DEM2200 loco.


Piko SNCF BB 567590 model.

IRR DEM2700 loco

Bachmann Chinese DF4D model

IRR DEM2800 I think you need the cabs of ??? and the body of ???
Unfortunately the links from RMweb to the Roco website have got mangled, and I can’t figure out a way to reverse engineer them, but this class has been described as “the body of a TE109, the front ends of a M62 and the roof fixtures of a 2TE121″, which could help pin down suitable models (why are so many model manufacturers’ websites so appallingly bad?).

The DES3100 is available as a brass kit

DK-Model brass T669 locomotive kit

More suggestions would be very welcome.

The Phantasrail website has been updated with some new photos of freight operations on the Aqaba Railway in Jordan.

Aqaba Railway Corp’s 300 km freight-only system carries phosphate ore from the mines to the port at Aqaba. There are approximately seven train loads from the mines to docks each day.

A news story from last Friday (June 13) was that a Bahrain-based investor has bought UK-based freight operator Freightliner.

Which indirectly raises the question of whether there are any railways in Bahrain? As far as I know there aren’t, but rather bizarrely thay have an ex-British Rail Mark I coach in use as a restaurant!

According to the Southern Electric Group, buffet car 69338 from 4Big unit 2206/7054 is the station restaurant for the Gulf Corporation in Bahrain.

Photos by David Kelso, March 2003

What the future holds, an article by Munawar Shariff of LOG Middle East about railway plans for the region.

Another press story from the US military. This one was dated 18 March 2008.

Workers with the Iraqi republic railways clear debris, March 12, from the tracks on Camp Taji, Iraq. It has been four years since the tracks were last used and as a result they have fallen into disrepair. The yard at Taji is an important part of the railway’s future.

Cleanup Gets Rails Back on Track

By Staff Sgt. Bryant Maude
1st Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – It has been four years since a train powered its way onto Camp Taji, Iraq, and at least that long since any care or attention has been paid to the rail yard. As a result, a crew of ten Iraqi Republic Railway’s workers started the rigorous task of cleaning and repairing the neglected tracks.

Today they are repairing switches, placing derailed train cars back onto the tracks, and clearing debris,” said Staff Sgt. Gilbert Torress, a native of Fresno, Calif., and the sergeant of the guard with Detachment 1, 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery, a California National Guard unit attached to the 1st Sustainment Brigade. After this they will load containers on cars and test the tracks.”

These tracks are currently being renovated as part of an initiative to rebuild the railroad and it’s capabilities to move large volumes of cargo.

The trains pulling in here will carry mostly containers and Iraqi army materials bound for the maintenance facilities under the Taji National Depot,” said Maj. Ira Baldwin, a Laurinburg, N.C., native and mobility chief for the 1st Sustainment Brigade.

Every track cleaned and switch repaired is a step closer to a fully functioning railroad and the eventual creation of good paying jobs for Iraqi people.