The Lunatic Express
During the January term of 1991 I boarded the night train that took me and several other St. Olaf students from the central Kenyan capital of Nairobi to the coastal city of Mombasa. I can still smell the thick humid air from when I stuck my head out the window as the train crept along among the palm trees. What I was not aware of at the time was how many men had lost their lives building this railroad…to man-eating lions! I was riding the Lunatic Express.
The story is excitingly told in the 1996 movie, The Ghost and the Darkness, starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. This is no documentary. They say it’s a fictionalized account of what really happened, but it’s a worthwhile movie if you haven’t seen it.
The Lunatic Express, as it was first referred to by the London magazine Truth in 1896, is the railroad from Mombasa to Kisumu on the shore of Lake Victoria. It’s purpose was to link the coast with the interior of Kenya and Uganda (hence it’s original name, The Uganda Railway). One of the difficulties of building the 660 mile track was the infamous man-eating lions of Tsavo. Supposedly a pair of male maneless lions would make their way into workers’ carriages at night, pull them out and eat them. It’s said these lions stalked and killed at least 28 African and Indian workers. By the time the railroad was finished in 1901, more than 2400 men had lost their lives to the lions, malaria, and dysentery while over five million British Pounds had been spent.
It was this unfinished slow-moving train that brought AIM’s first team of missionaries halfway to Nairobi. Phil Dow tells us that the team’s leader, Charles Hurlburt, would join the conductor walking alongside the train taking aim at the African wildlife.
Another interesting fact from this story is that it helps explain why there is such a large population of Indians (from India) in Kenya. Of the 32,000 workers brought in from British India, over 6,700 of those that survived after the railroad was complete decided to stay and settle in the country.
By the way, if you plan on visiting Kenya anytime soon and plan on riding the Lunatic Express, be prepared for a slow ride. What was a twelve hour night trip in the 90’s now takes close to twenty-four hours with many planned and unplanned stops. But good news – it’s reportedly being updated with better tracks and a faster train!
