The Railroads of Cameroun and Associated Postal History

This publication examines the railroads of Cameroun from when the first rails were laid by the Germans in 1901, during the transition of World War I, through the British and French administrations, and after independence to the present day. Summary:

(1) The plantation railroad networks – their development and demise, plus equipment and rolling stock, with a focus on the locomotive Gouverneur Ebermaier

(2) The mainline railroads – construction and operation, services and schedules, rolling stock, the transition from public to private ownership, and the outlook for future growth and expansion

(3) Other rail lines in the port and the town of Douala

(4) The transport of mail and the railroad postal service – under the German administration, through the Anglo-French occupation of World War I, expansion during the French administration, and into the post-independence period

(5) Railroad postmarks and their recorded dates of use.

Profusely illustrated with 4 maps and 138 photos (including 31 from the archives of the French Ministry of Culture) – rail construction, locomotives and other rolling stock through the years, train stations, railroad bridges, and much more. 32 postal history items – railroad cachets, World War I-related covers, mail postmarked and carried by the railroad postal service, registered railroad mail, censored railroad mail, plus more. Railroad-related Cameroun postage stamps. Extensive appendix with detailed train schedules and sundry official orders and announcements. Thoroughly researched and fully referenced. Grant support provided by The Collectors Club of Michigan and The Stuart Rossiter Trust.

iv + 154 pages