The Beirut - Riyaq - Damascus narrow gauge line was the first railway line in the Middle East. The very steep incline over the Lebanon mountain range which reached 1500m altitude at Dahr-el-Baydar only 38 km from Beirut necessitated the use of a rack system for about 20 km of the distance to assist the locomotives in the climb.

"The new trace was less circuitous but involved gradients of in 14, and two reversals at Chouit-Araye and Aley, on the rack sections between kilometres 16 and 19 (from Beirut). The summit of 5059 feet was reached at 38km after which the track descended to Rayak (3100ft) before climbing again to 4636ft to cross the Anti-Lebanon range; these two mountain areas, covered with snow for many months each year, made it a very difficult line to operate." (From Hugh Hughes, Middle East Railways, 1981)

   
Hadeth

     
Baabda

     
Jamhour

           
Chouit-Araya

   
Aley

         
Bhamdoun

     
Soufar

Mdeirij

           
Dahr-el-Baydar

           
Mrajatt

 
Jdita-Chtoura

   
Saad-Neyel

 
Maalaqa