King Farouk’s ‘Royal Diesel’ restored to its glory

CAIRO – 13 June 2022: The Egyptian Railways Authority completed the restoration of the royal train dating back to the era of King Farouk and restored it to its initial condition, while preserving its ancient archaeological character and historical form.

The authority also operated the train to Alexandria via the Cairo/Alexandria railway line.

The King Farouk train dates back to 1950. It was built by the Italian company "Fiat" specifically for him and was called the "Royal Diesel". It is the first diesel express train in the Middle East, and consists of two cars; the first was divided into two parts. The first part was dedicated to the Royal Guard and the second to the escorts from the Royal Court, in addition to the wheelhouse, which has a private toilet for the train driver.

The second carriage was also divided into two parts. The first contained the royal salon, which consisted of the king's chair, four chairs for guests, and a table that accommodates four people for meetings. The second section contained a music booth with a radio and a gramophone, a private bathroom for the king, an electric kitchen, 10 telephones connected to Cairo and Alexandria centrals, radio equipment, and a wireless device for reception and transmission.

The train's lighting systems are comprised of fluorescent lights and a special type of glass that allows vision from the inside only. The train is also armored against bullets and equipped with an automatic stopping system in the event of any harm to the drivers. At that time, King Farouk established a royal train station at Qasr al-Qubba to facilitate the arrival of important figures from Cairo station or from Alexandria directly to the palace.

The Royal Diesel functioned for only 2 years, as it stopped being used in 1952 with the end of the monarchy in Egypt. Since then, the train was neglected and turned with time into scrap on the Egyptian railways.