Latest updates

The most recent updates from my various webpages. To keep up-to-date on the topics covered, follow @andrew_grantham on Twitter for railways (and other things which interest me), and @ConcreteEar for sound mirrors and suchlike.

Railways of Afghanistan

If you thought Afghanistan was bereft of railroads, read on for a story of international intrigue, invasion plans, the Great Game, and powers imperial and hydro-electric.

  • 25 October 2020Aqina – Andkhoy railway construction
    Construction of the 30 km railway extension to Andkhoy from Aqina on Afghanistan’s border with Turkmenistan. د افغانستان د اوسپنې پټلۍ خپلواکې ادارې د آقینې- اندخوی اوسپنې پټلۍ پروژې لپاره د اړتیا وړ …
  • 3 September 2020King Amanullah crossing the Polish-Soviet border
    The border between between Poland and the USSR decorated with a banner saying “Hello Shah of Afghanistan” when King Amanullah of Afghanistan passed through by train on his way between Warsaw and Mosco …
  • 14 August 2020August freight traffic
    The Afghan Railways says 3,000 tonnes of goods have been imported to Afghanistan in the past two weeks.#Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/nrw5oSkDDA — Hazratosman Noori (@HazratosmanN) August 14, 2020
  • 24 July 2020Map of the country between Sind and Candahar showing the course of the proposed Railway
    Map Treasures from The Pamir Archive.Extract No 4221880 Richard Temple 'The Highway from the Indus to Candahar': "Map of the country between Sind and Candahar showing the course of the …
  • 7 July 2020International connections
    Afghanistan is almost connected with #Iran via Herat- Khaf railwys. Also Afghanistan will be connected with #Chabahar port through railways. pic.twitter.com/ywNl6YkEUw — Waheed Faizi (@Imwaheedfaizi) …

Sound mirrors

Follow @ConcreteEar on Twitter for sound mirror news and updates.

  • 2 September 2020Sound mirror talk and exhibition in Ramsgate
    Sonic reflections 09/09/2020 | 5 p.m. East Cliff Bandstand, Wellington Crescent, Ramsgate This talk will see guest speakers discussing their experience in researching the history & archaeology of …
  • 1 September 2020Exploratorium sound mirrors
    San Francisco sound mirrors: They have a pair of sound mirrors facing each other @exploratorium. Students always look happy trying them out. I can't help but think of those who spent many lonely …
  • 23 August 2020Kilnsea and Redcar
    A WW1 acoustic mirror lovingly preserved in the middle of a modern housing estate in Redcar, Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/BmtPkGoTL2 — KThomas O (@soullessparty) August 22, 2020
  • 30 July 2020Sound mirrors at the Ramsgate Festival of Sound 2020
    The East Kent Coast Discovery Programme has received Arts Council funding to host an exhibition and installation on sound mirrors as part of the Ramsgate Festival of Sound. Echoes explores the archaeo …
  • 4 September 2019Re)collecting (f)ears sound mirror art events
    re)collecting (f)ears is a series of site-specific performances at fallen sound mirrors across the Kent coast. The project will culminate with a publication produced by Well Projects and an exhibition …

Railways of Iraq

  • 25 June 2018PC class streamlined loco photo
  • 29 November 2016Pictures of Baghdad Central station
    BBC report In pictures: The crown jewel of Iraq’s railway. See if you can spot the steam loco in the second and the last photos.
  • 13 April 2015Mobile friendly
    I have changed this website’s WordPress theme, so hopefully it should now be more mobile device friendly. Let me know if anything doesn’t work. Meanwhile, I would recommend following “Historical Railw …
  • 16 January 2015New coaches for Iraqi Republic Railways
    Tüvasaş has built 14 coaches for Iraqi Republic Railways, including 2 sleeping, 4 couchette and 2 restaurant cars pic.twitter.com/CM4IdLrKvC — Railway Gazette (@railwaygazette) January 14, 2015
  • 29 September 2014Derailment response vehicle for IRR
    One of 7 Zagro derailment response vehicles ordered by Iraqi Republic Railways, on show at #InnoTrans pic.twitter.com/J0HmL5iUER — Railway Gazette (@railwaygazette) September 26, 2014

Other – travel and similar

If God had intended us to fly, He would never have given us the railways.