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The  '''Holkar State Railway''' opened  1874 as a  metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]) line from [[Khandwa]] reaching  [[Indore]] in 1876, a line length of 69½ miles(111km). The line was financed by the Maharaja of Holkar of [[Indore]] and was owned by the [[Princely states|Princely ]][[Indore State]] and initially operated as the [[Holkar & Scindia-Neemuch Railway]].  
The  '''Holkar State Railway''' opened  1874 as a  metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]) line from [[Khandwa]] reaching  [[Indore]] in 1876, a line length of 69½ miles(111km). The line was financed by the Maharaja of Holkar of [[Indore]] and was owned by the [[Princely states|Princely ]][[Indore State]] and initially operated as the [[Holkar & Scindia-Neemuch Railway]].  


Some early records describe this railway as the '''Indore State Railway'''.
Some early records describe this railway as the '''Indore State Railway''' and also the '''Indore-Khundwa Railway'''
 
[[Category:Railways]]
[[Category:Indian States Railways]]
 
[[Category:Railways]]
[[Category:Indian States Railways]].


'''Note.'''
'''Note.'''

Revision as of 06:02, 20 April 2018

The Holkar State Railway opened 1874 as a metre gauge(MG) line from Khandwa reaching Indore in 1876, a line length of 69½ miles(111km). The line was financed by the Maharaja of Holkar of Indore and was owned by the Princely Indore State and initially operated as the Holkar & Scindia-Neemuch Railway.

Some early records describe this railway as the Indore State Railway and also the Indore-Khundwa Railway.

Note.

  • ‘Holkar State’ does not exist, it was only the name given to the railway, the correct name is ’Indore State’[1]
  • Narmada (Nerbudda) River – Narmada is the later name. The Imperial Gazetteer uses both [2]

Early History

The Government of India accepted payment from the Maharaja Holkar of Indore towards the construction of a railway from the Great Indian Peninsula Railway(GIPR) station at Khandwa to his capital city of Indore and in March 1870 preliminary Surveys were started [3].
Particular attention was given to the crossing of the Narmada (Nerbudda) River (see spelling note). The result was a route from Khandwa via Sanawad to Kheri Ghat , crossing the Nerbudda; then ascending the Chorul Valley on to the Malwa plateau onward to Mhow and Indore. The Government was not happy with this route through the Chorul Valley. The final route was for a metre gauge(MG) line 69½ miles long.
The Holkar Railway required very heavy works due to very steep gradients(upto 1 in 40) on the Vindhya Ghats. It also involved digging of 4 tunnels, deep cuttings and heavy retaining walls. The River Narmada was crossed by a bridge of 14 spans, 197 feet each and piers 80 feet above low water level. There are 14 other large bridges with high piers, the highest pier being 152 feet above the bottom of the ravine.
The first section Khandwa-Sanawad was opened for traffic in Dec 1874. The Narmada Bridge was opened for traffic on Oct 1876; it was named the ‘Holkar-Narmada Bridge’ [3]

Amalgamation

In 1881-82, the Rajputana-Malwa State Railway (RMSR) was created, joining under single management, existing State Railways:-

All these railways were worked by the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway(BB&CIR).

In 1900 the RMSR was merged into the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway(BB&CIR), becoming the latter's Metre Gauge(MG) section; known as Ratlam Division of BB&CIR.

Personnel

No Staff Records for the Holkar State Railway (or the Indore State Railway) have been found.

The following have been identified from various sources:-

Records

An on-line search of the India Office Records (IOR) records held at the British Library relating to this railway [8] gives the following:-

  • V/24/3585; "Public Works Department: Administration report on the Holkar State Railway, 1874/75"
  • V/24/3590; "Public Works Department: Railways" which contains "Administration report on the Holkar State Railway, 1878/79"

Further Information

See Rajputana-Malwa State Railway and Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway

References

  1. Wikipedia "Indore State"; Retrieved 11 Dec 2015
  2. “Imperial Gazetteer of India”, v. 2, p. 220; Retrieved 22 Dec 2017
  3. 3.0 3.1 British Library IOR/V/24/3590 ; "Public Works Department: Railways" which contains "Administration report on the Holkar State Railway, 1878/79"
  4. Google Books " India List and India Office List, 1905" page 442 Retrieved on 19 Feb 2018
  5. Grace's Guide "James Rhind" Retrieved on 25 Jul 2016
  6. Grace's Guide "Henry Dangerfield" Retrieved on 25 Jul 2016
  7. Google Books " India List and India Office List, 1905" page 465 (pdf page 428) Retrieved on 23 May 2016
  8. “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - Search; Retrieved 7 Apr 2016