Notes:

Cecil John Rhodes, one foot on Cape Town, the other on Cairo, holding telegraph lines. This symbolized Britain's imperial ambitions in Africa, as well as his plan to build a railroad between the titular cities.

British colonies were split by Belgian Congo and German Tanganyika, prompting plans to seize Rwanda and Burundi after the Casement Report revealed the atrocities of the Congo Free State. This never came to pass, but the British were able to seize Tanganyika after World War I. Unfortunately, the monetary losses during the War, followed by the Great Depression, brought construction of the railroad to a halt, as did World War II. When all was said and done, the British Empire was collapsing, and the African colonies were seeking independence, shelving plans for the railroad indefinitely and leaving several sections incomplete.