Benin's train journey back in time

A larger than life Frenchman has restored a 1920s train to carry guests between his small chain of hotels up and down Benin. Tim E White and Flora King climb aboard for a unique African journey

Read about Flora's journey and how to book the train here

Mon 19 Sep 2011 08.21 BST First published on Mon 19 Sep 2011 08.21 BST

  • Three years ago Frenchman Guy Catherine purchased three 1920s railway coaches and refurbished them so that guests could travel from Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, to Parakou, 300 miles north

  • The "Train d’Ebene" (Ebony Train) was born. It travels on a single narrow gauge track, stopping at sights and villages along the way

  • The fishing village of Ganvié on Lake Nokoué was established in the 16th century by the Tofinu tribe, fleeing their slave-trading Dahomeyan neighboursPhotograph: Flora King

  • Grand Popo, a fishing village near the Mono estuary and the Togo border, is in the heart of voodoo country. Local Fa diviners are very active here

  • As the train passes through rainforest and rural villages, children run to the trackside to wave

  • A mother and kids at the trackside at Ouagbo station

  • Dassa Zoumé station. A short walk north of the town, sacred hills are dotted with shrines to voodoo divinities. Strangely, Dassa Zoumé is also home to the largest Christian pilgrimage site in west Africa

  • At top speed the train reaches 50kph. Safety measures consist of a conductor with good eyesight watching out for freight trains hurtling the other way

  • Due to underfunding and lack of demand, passenger rail travel has as good as ceased in Benin. In ramshackle 1920s stations, the billetterie is forever fermé

  • The end of the line
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