Egyptian Delta Light Railways


The Egyptian Delta Light Railways was a gauge Egyptian narrow gauge railway, construction of which began in 1898. The railway consisted of a network of lines throughout the Nile delta region, north of Cairo. The lines were constructed to supplement the network, and not all lines were connected. The railways continued to the post-World War 2 era, but no longer exist.
The first locomotives were 35 W. G. Bagnall 4-4-0T locomotives with the then innovative Baguley valve gear, constructed in 1898; followed by 18 Krauss 2-4-0T and 16 Krauss 0-6-2T in 1900 and 30 Nasmyth, Wilson and Company and North British Locomotive Company 0-6-4T in 1907. Later Bagnall supplied a 2-6-2T which were also supplied to the Kalighat Falta Railway and the Bankura Damodar Railway in India, where they were known as the Delta class. By 1930 the railways had 129 locomotives. About 50 Sentinels were later added to the fleet, and diesel locomotives also first appeared in the 1930s.