Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway

Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway(SP&DR)

Note

• The spelling of “Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway” is variable. This railway and its constituents were formed in period from 1855 to 1860's and the spelling of the Company names reflect that period.
• "Scinde" and “Punjaub” is the spelling adopted in the legislation of the time - see H.M. Government “Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report : Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill; April 2012"; pages 134-135, paragraphs 3.78-3.83 (pdf pages 141-142)."
• "Sind"and “Punjab” is the spelling adopted in the "Imperial Gazeteer of India" of 1908 which we normally take as the definitive spelling

However in regard to these railways we have adopted the spelling Scinde and Punjaub

The Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway (SP&DR) Company was formed in 1870 from the incorporation of the Scinde Railway Company and their Indus Flotilla Company together with the amalgamation of the Punjaub Railway Company and Delhi Railway Company. This was covered by the ‘Scinde Railway Company's Amalgamation Act‘ of 1869 .

The Company inherited from its constituents the unfortunate reputation as being the worst managed of the early private companies. Given its reputation in the 1860s and 1870s for discord, shady and/or inept contractors and financial irregularities, it is surprising that the SP&DR did not pass into Government of India(GoI) ownership sooner than 31 December 1885. After its purchase, the GoI merged the SP&DR with others to form the North Western Railway(NWR).

History

• 1855, Scinde Railway Company formed. After 11 surveys and 18 months the route was approved .
• 1857, The constitution was modified to extend the undertaking and in 1859 contracts were made to construct another section from Multan to Amritsar, and for working a Steam Flotilla on the Indus connecting the two sections. The chief engineer was John Brunton .
• 1858, commencement of the Karachi-Kotri (Indus River) Railway construction.
• 1861, line opened connecting Karachi to Kotri
• 1862, Amritsar-Attari section completed on the route to Lahore.
• 1863, planned a line between Delhi and Amritsar. The four sections were kept separate under the names of the Scinde Railway, the Indus Flotilla Co, the Punjab Railway, and the Delhi Railway .
• 1865, The Scinde Railway and Punjab Railway lines Multan-Lahore-Amritsar are completed. Works begins on line from Delhi to Amritsar.
• 1868, The Scinde Railway and Punjab Railway lines towards Amritsar from Delhi (Ghaziabad) are open for traffic up to Ambala.
• 1870, Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway (SP&DR) Company formed when it incorporated the Punjab Railway, the Indus Steam Flotilla and the Delhi Railway - this northern section of the SP&DR eventually linked Delhi to Multan via Lahore.
• 1870, SP&DR completes the Amritsar-Saharanpur-Ghaziabad line, linking to the East Indian Railway(EIR) and providing connectivity between Multan and Delhi.
• “1870-71 Annual Report for Indian Railways for the SP&DR “ gives:- ‘Broad Gauge (BG) Line sanctioned 674 miles(1085km), Line opened 1870/71 43 miles(69km), giving total Line length 674 miles(1085km) and nil to be finished’. The Report also details the ‘progress of the railway and the commercial summery’ - see separate pages for Report details.'
• 1886, the contracts expired and responsibility for the SP&DR was transferred entirely to the Government of India(GoI). The GoI amalgamated the Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway with the Indus Valley State Railway (linking Multan to Kotri) and the Punjab Northern State Railway (linking Lahore to Peshawar) to form the North Western State Railway.

Records

An on-line search of the India Office Records (IOR) records held at the British Library relating to this railway gives several entries, the most relevant as follows: -

• L/AG/46/17; “Records of the Scinde, Punjaub, Delhi Railway Company”; 1855-1886
• L/AG/46/17/19-27; “3. Scinde Punjaub Delhi Railway Company”; 1869-86
• L/PWD/2/50-63, 66, 132-1381; "Home and Overseas Correspondence of the Scinde Railway Company"; 1855-1869
• L/PWD/2/139-145; "Scinde, Punjaub, Delhi Railway Company"; 1870-1879

Personnel

India Office Records at the British Library but is not included in the index, Z/L/AG/46.

• L/AG/46/17/12 : Lists of staff, 1868-1869

Thacker's Directories 1872. The following for Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway Personnel are indexed in Grace's Guide.

• S. A. Abbott - Agent
• A. W. Gilbert - Assistant to Agent
• J. Harrison - Chief Engineer
• D. Ross - Traffic Manager
• R. Bocquet - Superintendent Locomotive Department
• J. P. McGarry - Superintendent Telegraph Department

Miscellaneous Records

• Jabez Lightfoot, Auditor SP&DR 1879 ‘Railway Conference’ delegate
• D Ross, Traffic Manager SP&DR 1879 and 1880 ‘Railway Conference’ delegate
• T Cox, Offg. Chief Eng. SP&DR 1880 ‘Railway Conference’ delegate

School

The Fairlawn School was established as Scind, Punjab and Delhi Railway School, Mussoorie in 1877

Further Information

Prior to 1870 see constituents - Scinde Railway; Indus Flotilla; Punjaub Railway; Delhi Railway

After 1886 see North Western Railway

Historical books online

• Opening of the Meerut and Umballa Section of the Delhi Railway, on the 14th of November, 1868 1869 Archive.org