Lycaon pictus
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Can we have, by 1900, an international railway service that goes from Paris to a city in China or Southeast Asia? If so, how? (Bonus points if it goes all the way to Beijing.)
AHC: An Orient Express to… "the Orient"
- Thread starter Lycaon pictus
- Start date
Well, the Trans-Siberian railway went from Moscow to Vladivostok and Korea, and it also connected to the South Manchurian Railway. And there were *definitely* railroads that connected Paris to Moscow, so it would've been hypothetically possible to establish a Paris-Berlin-Warsaw-Moscow-Dalian "Orient Express" in OTL.
Yabbut not by 1900. The Trans-Siberian was still unfinished in 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War.
Though I suppose it could have been finished sooner.
Cadiz to Pusan?
Lycaon pictus
Donor
For the purposes of this challenge, I think a railroad to Korea would be good enough.
EDIT: Of course, what would be really cool is a luxury train going over a spectacular bridge and through the Ottoman Empire, Persia, India and the Himalayas… but a train going through Germany, Poland, Russia, Siberia, Siberia and ye gods more Siberia is a lot more realistic.
EDIT: Of course, what would be really cool is a luxury train going over a spectacular bridge and through the Ottoman Empire, Persia, India and the Himalayas… but a train going through Germany, Poland, Russia, Siberia, Siberia and ye gods more Siberia is a lot more realistic.
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Alex Richards
Donor
Perhaps have the British build a Delhi-Tehran railroad as part of efforts to bring Persia into their sphere of influence, followed by linking Calcutta to Mandalay and Rangoon to secure rule in Burma.
All you need then is for the Germans to, as OTL, fund an Instanbul-Baghdad line and for a period of peace to produce the Baghdad-Tehran link and you're basically there.
All you need then is for the Germans to, as OTL, fund an Instanbul-Baghdad line and for a period of peace to produce the Baghdad-Tehran link and you're basically there.
Bring Korea into the Russian orbit definitively, and you could extend the Trans-Siberian down to Pusan. You won't get it by 1900, but that really would be an 'Orient Express'. You could even branch it into China, if there's enough Russian influence there.
The problem with any railway passing through central or southern Asia is that it would have to pass through multiple countries, often antagonistic to eachother, and multiple spheres of influence. An Orient express reaching the Pacific in OTL would need to go through the Ottoman Empire, Persia, British India, Burma, and China. You're looking at majorly unstable political situations, as well as some extremely difficult terrain.
I don't think it can be done by 1900.
Now, here's an idea: with a comprehensive Napoleonic victory, and French hegemony in Europe, you bring the German states and Austria into France's orbit. If the Ottomans and Persians can be loosely roped into the bargain (a big if), conceivably a railway could reach the Arabian Sea.
The stumbling block in such a scenario would be British India. However, assuming that the Punjab is still independent at this point, it might well welcome the development as a counterbalance to Britain's influence. This would bring the railway as far east as Lahore.
From there, though, the railway has nowhere to go. It can only turn north into Tibet, and some of the most inhospitable, mountainous, snowbound terrain in the world, or south into British India, which will hold very little attraction for the British Government as it wouldn't serve their geopolitical needs, only those of Napoleonic France (the enemy).
I very much doubt that crossing the Himalayas can be done before 1900.
And, of course, all of the above presumes the existence of masses and masses of spare money. And that nobody can think of anything better to spend it on (*cough* Suez *cough*)
The problem with any railway passing through central or southern Asia is that it would have to pass through multiple countries, often antagonistic to eachother, and multiple spheres of influence. An Orient express reaching the Pacific in OTL would need to go through the Ottoman Empire, Persia, British India, Burma, and China. You're looking at majorly unstable political situations, as well as some extremely difficult terrain.
I don't think it can be done by 1900.
Now, here's an idea: with a comprehensive Napoleonic victory, and French hegemony in Europe, you bring the German states and Austria into France's orbit. If the Ottomans and Persians can be loosely roped into the bargain (a big if), conceivably a railway could reach the Arabian Sea.
The stumbling block in such a scenario would be British India. However, assuming that the Punjab is still independent at this point, it might well welcome the development as a counterbalance to Britain's influence. This would bring the railway as far east as Lahore.
From there, though, the railway has nowhere to go. It can only turn north into Tibet, and some of the most inhospitable, mountainous, snowbound terrain in the world, or south into British India, which will hold very little attraction for the British Government as it wouldn't serve their geopolitical needs, only those of Napoleonic France (the enemy).
I very much doubt that crossing the Himalayas can be done before 1900.
And, of course, all of the above presumes the existence of masses and masses of spare money. And that nobody can think of anything better to spend it on (*cough* Suez *cough*)
More wars and unrest have governments decide that they need a better infrastructure to transport troops as rebellions and conflicts arise. Also have conflict create naval blockages to have the only viable option for trade be over land.