#HistoryKeThread: The Lunatic Express 
Why was the Uganda Railway referred to as the Lunatic Express?
A British politician opposed to its construction was the first person to coin the word.
A British politician opposed to its construction was the first person to coin the word.
His name was Henry Labouchère. He joined a chorus of critics who felt that the railway line was being constructed for no meaningful reason than to merely demonstrate British engineering and might.
The Uganda Railway project, they argued, was a complete waste because it cut through hundreds of miles of unoccupied lands (incidentally, the same has been said of the SGR line to Suswa).
Labouchère wrote the poem below that helped popularize the Lunatic Express moniker.
In spite of the criticisms, construction of the railway begun in 1896. By 1901, when it reached Kisumu - or Port Florence as the British called the lakeside town, the railway line had gobbled up £5million of British taxpayers money.
Here’s a picture taken at Kilindini of the ceremony when the first railway line was laid.
Trains used on the line were British-made wood-fueled steam engines called UR-35s. Similar type of engines were used in India.
Along the route, the trains made several stops in order to replenish firewood supplies, as well as refill boilers with water.
This is a circa 1900 photo of Agîkûyû ladies lined up at Limuru station (also pictured) in order to sell firewood to railway authorities.
Famous passengers who rode on the Lunatic Express included Sir Winston Churchill and former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who is seen here (extreme left) riding with others at the front of the steam engine.
From Goa, railway authorities brought in Goans to serve as waiters. It is said that Goans were chosen because they both spoke and understood English better than their Gujarat compatriots. All Goan waiters wore white uniforms.
The menu on the train consisted of meatballs, tinned salmon, fruit and custard. The first course was windsor soup, a popular beef and vegetable soup popular from the English times of King Edward and Queen Victoria.
There is a famous joke that it is this soup that helped build the British empire.
