Saudi Arabia Railroad A COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND DOCUMENTS, MOSTLY 1951-1953 (WITH ADDITIONAL MATERIAL TO 1959) 57 loose silver prints (30: 100 x 130mm.; 25: 200 x 250mm.; 2: 210 x 210mm.); 'Rules for the Government of the Operating Department' of the Saudi Government Railroad (August 15, 1953), small folio, 67 page mimeographed typescript, dark green card binder; 'Dammam Port Information', with rules and tariffs, 19 page mimeographed typescript, stapled wrappers; carbon copy journalistic notes on the new railroad by Ida Hansen; 37 mimeographed typed pages of project notes and memoranda, some labelled 'Confidential', on Aramco's project and budget development for electronic data processing, materials and infrastructure projects for 1959; together with 2 folding maps of Aramco's senior staff camp at Dharan (May 1958), and a 1961 Lebanese issued International driver's licence authorised for use in Saudi Arabia A RARE ARCHIVE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND DOCUMENTS ABOUT THE INAUGURATION OF THE SAUDI GOVERNMENT RAILROAD IN 1951, including photographs of King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud and his son, Crown Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz. This was the first modern railway in the Arabian peninsula, after the Hejaz Railway which operated between 1908 and 1915. The railway was built to transport goods for Aramco between ports on the Arabian Gulf coast to warehouses in Dhahran, and the railway was soon extended to Riyadh. Construction by the Bechtel Company started in October 1947, and Veteran American railroad engineer James H. Gildea was hired to oversee the project. The photographs show the arrival, by ship, of the streamlined lightweight stainless steel Diesel and passenger cars built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, their unloading, and the railroad's inauguration by Their Royal Highnesses King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud and his son, Crown Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz. The images document the formal reception by the Royal family, their ride in the special Royal carriage, the Saudi military's guard of honour, and the close interaction between the U.S. officials and Saudi dignitaries. As Hansen's journalist wife Ida writes in her feature "Doings at Dammam", composed for the Aramco weekly "Arabian Sun and Flare", the 88 mph trains "streak along the tracks like a silver comet and offer the most in luxury and smooth riding comfort with their wide picture windows and comfortably upholstered seats in maroon and blue leather. One car has been set aside for the exclusive use of The Royal Family. This car is beautifully appointed with high back plush seats finished in needle point in a dusty rose and sponge rubber cushions for greater riding comfort [...]" (quoted from the original manuscript, present here). Also included with the set is Hansen's personal, inscribed copy of the Saudi Railroad's "Rules for the Government of the Operating Department", effective as of August 15, 1953, issued by the General Manager, J. H. Gildea. An unpretentious illustrated typescript, the manual contains the full official regulations for timetables, signals, service, inspection, engineering, and operation in general. Along with the additional technical Saudi Railroad and Aramco material, this fascinating trove offers a window into a time of astonishingly rapid transition on the Gulf coast, effected by the close cooperation of two of the century's principal industrial players.
Saudi Arabia Railroad A COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND DOCUMENTS, MOSTLY 1951-1953 (WITH ADDITIONAL MATERIAL TO 1959) 57 loose silver prints (30: 100 x 130mm.; 25: 200 x 250mm.; 2: 210 x 210mm.); 'Rules for the Government of the Operating Department' of the Saudi Government Railroad (August 15, 1953), small folio, 67 page mimeographed typescript, dark green card binder; 'Dammam Port Information', with rules and tariffs, 19 page mimeographed typescript, stapled wrappers; carbon copy journalistic notes on the new railroad by Ida Hansen; 37 mimeographed typed pages of project notes and memoranda, some labelled 'Confidential', on Aramco's project and budget development for electronic data processing, materials and infrastructure projects for 1959; together with 2 folding maps of Aramco's senior staff camp at Dharan (May 1958), and a 1961 Lebanese issued International driver's licence authorised for use in Saudi Arabia A RARE ARCHIVE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND DOCUMENTS ABOUT THE INAUGURATION OF THE SAUDI GOVERNMENT RAILROAD IN 1951, including photographs of King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud and his son, Crown Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz. This was the first modern railway in the Arabian peninsula, after the Hejaz Railway which operated between 1908 and 1915. The railway was built to transport goods for Aramco between ports on the Arabian Gulf coast to warehouses in Dhahran, and the railway was soon extended to Riyadh. Construction by the Bechtel Company started in October 1947, and Veteran American railroad engineer James H. Gildea was hired to oversee the project. The photographs show the arrival, by ship, of the streamlined lightweight stainless steel Diesel and passenger cars built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, their unloading, and the railroad's inauguration by Their Royal Highnesses King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud and his son, Crown Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz. The images document the formal reception by the Royal family, their ride in the special Royal carriage, the Saudi military's guard of honour, and the close interaction between the U.S. officials and Saudi dignitaries. As Hansen's journalist wife Ida writes in her feature "Doings at Dammam", composed for the Aramco weekly "Arabian Sun and Flare", the 88 mph trains "streak along the tracks like a silver comet and offer the most in luxury and smooth riding comfort with their wide picture windows and comfortably upholstered seats in maroon and blue leather. One car has been set aside for the exclusive use of The Royal Family. This car is beautifully appointed with high back plush seats finished in needle point in a dusty rose and sponge rubber cushions for greater riding comfort [...]" (quoted from the original manuscript, present here). Also included with the set is Hansen's personal, inscribed copy of the Saudi Railroad's "Rules for the Government of the Operating Department", effective as of August 15, 1953, issued by the General Manager, J. H. Gildea. An unpretentious illustrated typescript, the manual contains the full official regulations for timetables, signals, service, inspection, engineering, and operation in general. Along with the additional technical Saudi Railroad and Aramco material, this fascinating trove offers a window into a time of astonishingly rapid transition on the Gulf coast, effected by the close cooperation of two of the century's principal industrial players.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
