Early Chinese railways focus of Belgian exhibition

THE Belgian national railway museum, Train World, located next to Brussels Schaarbeek station has opened a major exhibition looking at the history of early railways in China. The first 1,214km main line connecting Beijing with Wuhan (then known as Hankou) was built by Belgian and

French companies, led by Belgian engineer Jean Jadot between 1898 and 1905. Multiple firms in both Belgium and France (including Cockerill, La Brugeoise, Franco-Belge and Fives-Lille) supplied locos and rolling stock.

The exhibition is open until October 10. More information is available online at www.trainworld. be/en in English. An illustrated book about the first Chinese line to accompany the exhibition (in French) is available at the museum and online from the museum’s ‘fanshop’.