'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎619] (688/714)

RAILWAYS
619
which exist in the liills in that quarter; but the line so ex
tended is nowhere to penetrate more than 30 kilometres from the
city, and is to be available for goods traffic only. Simultaneously
the ubiquitous M. Boital has received a concession for a similar
narrow -eauge line, not above 80 kilometres in length, from Teheran
to the Feshend coal mines in the Elburz, about half-way between
the capital and Kazvin. These concessions are relatively insig
nificant, and have so far led to nothing; but in Persia any relaxa
tion of tradition or practice is deserving of welcome.
Persia's second railway, which I have already had occasion to
mention in my chapter upon the Northern Provinces, is positively
the creation of native enterprise and the property of a
abad-Amol native individual. Perhaps this may explain the fact that,
railway f or q ]i practical purposes, it is worthless, and at the time
of my visit could not be otherwise described than as a fiasco.
Teheran is at present approached by two caravan routes from the
Caspian—that from Resht, via Kasvin, which is a ten days' march,
and that from the small port of Meshed-i-Ser, which is only seven
days' march, but crosses a very steep country and offers at present
few facilities for transport. Twenty-four miles west of Meshed-i-Ser
is the roadstead of Mahmudabad, whence a track leads over a flat
countrv to the town of Amol, a distance of twelve miles, fiom which
point commences the ascent into the Elburz range, whose spuis
approach to within six miles of the town. Amol is only six days'
march from Teheran. It occurred to a Persian merchant, who is
Master or Farmer of the Persian Mint, that he might reasonably
swell the profits already derived from debasing the metal currency
bv constructing a light railway from Mahmudabad to Amol, and
thus acquiring the monopoly of the shortest caravan approach to
Teheran, and, as a consequence, of the export and import trade to
and from the Caspian. The idea was praiseworthy, but the execu
tion fell short of the mark. At Mahmudabad he built a magnificent
caravanserai A roadside inn providing accommodation for caravans (groups of travellers). and several shops. He began by employing Belgian
engineers and ordering Belgian rails; but here his enterprise
appears to have become exhausted. He failed to take any steps to
remove the bar at Mahmudabad, or to render it an accessible poit,
he omitted to pay the Belgians, who withdrew in disgust ; he
parted with his German engine-driver on the same grounds. The
line (of 4 ft. 81 in. gauge), left in Persian hands, was badly engi
neered and abominably laid, with rotten sleepers and rickety