Shire Highlands Railway Company

After problems with routing and finance, a South African 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge railway was constructed between 1903 and 1907, and extended in 1908 to a Nsanje, a distance of 113 miles (182 km) as water levels in the Shire River fell.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, the land-locked Nyasaland protectorate lacked railways and could only be reached from the nearest Indian Ocean ports, some 200 miles (320 km) away, through the Zambezi and Shire rivers, which were too shallow for large vessels.

The protectorate’s main settlements and its areas of economic activity were some way from the Shire River ports, and transport to and from these was by inefficient and costly head porterage.

[1] Between 1896 and 1934, low water levels in Lake Nyasa reduced the water flow in the Shire River, and the main river port was moved downstream to Chiromo further from the main settlements below a steep escarpment, from where steamers carrying 100 tons or less had to negotiate Lower Shire marshes and low-water hazards in the Zambezi and its delta to reach the small, poorly equipped coastal port of Chinde.

[2] The difficulties and cost of river transport provoked the idea of a rail link to the Indian Ocean and, as early as 1895, Harry Johnston the Commissioner and Consul-General of the protectorate suggested a line from its main commercial town, Blantyre, to Quelimane in Mozambique.

[3] However, most of this proposed route ran through Portuguese territory, and Quelimane was only suitable for small ships with a draught of less than 5 metres until redeveloped after 1958.

Although Johnston the accepted the Blantyre to Chiromo route and urged the Foreign Office to finance this railway, it declined to do so.

As Sharrer had acquired much of the land over which the proposed railway was to run, there was disagreement over the route, particularly from the African Lakes Corporation.

The Nyasaland government agreed support the line to Chindio financially for ten years, and paid on average £20,000 until 1924.

2 and they served on the Shire Highlands and Central Africa railways mainly on shunting and construction work for many years.