RENDEL, PALMER & TRITTON, CONSULTING ENGINEERS - photo 1
RENDEL, PALMER & TRITTON, CONSULTING ENGINEERS - photo 2
RENDEL, PALMER & TRITTON, CONSULTING ENGINEERS - photo 3
RENDEL, PALMER & TRITTON, CONSULTING ENGINEERS - photo 4

RENDEL, PALMER & TRITTON, CONSULTING ENGINEERS

Starting price
£ 2 000
Auction dateClassic
14.12.2022 10:30UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 870825
Lot 210 | RENDEL, PALMER & TRITTON, CONSULTING ENGINEERS
RENDEL, PALMER & TRITTON, CONSULTING ENGINEERS

Haifa-Baghdad Railway. Survey 1930-1931. Report and Estimates. London: [1932].

Very rare report by the engineers tasked with surveying possible routes for the proposed Haifa-Baghdad railway, complete with many large folding maps. In the 1920s, the British contemplated building a railway connecting the Mediterranean with the capital of Iraq, ostensibly to shore up imperial rule, support the British-backed Arab government of Iraq, and secure the oil pipeline already running from the Mosul oilfields to Haifa. The British were also aware that, with the development of air warfare, the Suez Canal could be easily attacked in a time of war, and alternative military routes to cross the Middle East to access India were required.



The rail link was no mere pipe-dream concocted within the walls of the Colonial Office; this lot is testament to how serious the British were in their intentions. The survey employed 360 men deployed in 6 camps across the desert, with their motor vehicles covering a total distance of 335,000 miles, costing a total of £22,200, ‘a sum very much in excess of the amount anticipated when the estimates cost of the survey was prepared in 1930’ (p.13).



This report, with its detailed estimates listed in volume 2, covers the geology and seismology of the region, its meteorology and water sources, as well as discussions on the general history and geography of the region, and possible traffic revenues. It concludes that the best route to traverse the most difficult part, that from Haifa, over the Jordan, and then eastwards to the Trans-Jordan plateau, was through the valley of Wadi el Arab, although it required a gradient of 2% (1 in 50) over 30 miles and necessitated the construction of seven tunnels and nine viaducts. The survey concluded that a standard gauge railway could be built for just over £7.7M, or a metre gauge railway (that used by the Hejaz Railway) for £7.3M, with the capital being repaid over a term of 54 years based on estimated traffic and incomes.



However, a series of economic difficulties trumped political and military expediency, and with the outbreak of the Second World War, the dream of a trans-Middle East rail service evaporated.



2 volumes, small folio (331 x 210mm). Vol. I with 10 colour-printed maps, 5 of which very large and folding and bound at end within numbered tabs, the other 5 full-page, one black and white map of the Arabian peninsula showing pilgrim routes in text on p.125, 10 leaves of photographic plates printed on both recto and verso; vol. II with 2 folding tables (both vols in fine condition). Original dark-green cloth, lettered in gilt (extremities faintly rubbed). Provenance: pencil markings on map 6 in vol. I.





Special notice


No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
10.12.2022 – 13.12.2022
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.