Futwah-Islampur Light Railway
| Futwah-Islampur Light Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Futwah to Islampur | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| 2' 6" NG | 27 miles (1943) | |
| Timeline | ||
| 1922 | Line opened to traffic | |
| 1986 | Nationalised, then closed, converted to broad gauge and re-opened to traffic | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Bengal | |
| Stations | Futwah, Islampur | |
| System agency | ||
| Worked by Martin's Light Railways | ||
| Indian Railways | ||
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
Spelling Note – Futwah was the earlier form of the town – later changed to Fatuha. Modern records refer to this railway as the ‘Fatuha-Islampur Light Railway’.
The Futwah-Islampur Light Railway (FILR) was a short 2ft 6in/762mm narrow gauge(NG) branchline located to the west of Bihar and the east of Patna. The line was authorised for construction in 1915 to connect Futwah to Islampur. [1].
The FILR opened in 1922. As a 2ft 6in NG line with a length of 40 miles (64 km). The railway ran parallel to road for almost its entire route [2].
At Futwah (Fatuha) there was an interchange with the mainline East Indian Railway
The FILR was one of several small narrow gauge concerns constructed, owned and worked by Martin's Light Railways, a management company based in Calcutta.
The Futwah-Islampur Light Railway Company Ltd was incorporated in 1915 [3] and was assisted by the District Board of Patna.
The ‘Statistics of Working’ show the year-by-year financial results from 1913-14 through to 1936-37 [4].
Classification
Indian Railway Classification of 1926 - Class III railway system.
Further Development
The railway operated independently until 1986 when it was taken over by Indian Railways and closed. Subsequently, the line has been converted to broad gauge and connects to the main Delhi line. [5]
Records
Refer to FIBIS Fact File #4: “Research sources for Indian Railways, 1845-1947” - available from the Fibis shop. This Fact File contains invaluable advice on 'Researching ancestors in the UK records of Indian Railways' with particular reference to the India Office Records (IOR) held at the British Library
An on-line search of the IOR records relating to this railway [6] gives the following: -
- L/F/8/20/1709 “Futwah-Islampur Light Railway, Agreement for construction, maintenance and working of a railway from Futwah to Islampur; 1920”
Further Information
References
- ↑ " Administration Report on the Railways in India – corrected up to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; page 227; Retrieved 15 Mar 2019
- ↑ Wikipedia “Fatuha-Islampur Light Railway”; Retrieved 15 Mar 2019
- ↑ India Economics Times, “Futwah-Islampur Light Railway Company Ltd” ; Retrieved 21 June 2020
- ↑ US Archive .org pdf download of ‘History Of Indian Railways, constructed and in progress’, 31 March 1937 by ‘The Government of India - Railway Department’ page 279 pdf 322; Retrieved 1 Aug 2020
- ↑ Wikipedia "Martin's Light Railways"; Retrieved 3 Feb 2016
- ↑ “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - Search; Retrieved 22 Jan 2016
