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'''Scinde Railway'''  
 
'''Scinde Railway''' also known as the '''Karachi-Kotri (Indus River) Railway'''
<br>– this was the first railway of the railways of the [[Scinde Railway Company|'''Scinde Railway Company''' - ''see separate page for further information on the formation and development of the Company'']]


''Note''
''Note''
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*''Not to be confused with the ‘Sind Light Railway’ which is a separate narrow gauge railway.''
*''Not to be confused with the ‘Sind Light Railway’ which is a separate narrow gauge railway.''


==History==
The '''Scinde Railway Company'''  was first established by deed of settlement in March 1855 and incorporated by the ‘Scinde Railway Act’ of Parliament in July 1855 after which a  contract was entered  with the [[East India Company]] in December 1855. They signed to build a railway from [[Karachi]] to [[Hyderabad]], called the  '''Scinde Railway''' <ref> British Library IOR/L/F/8/10 (853) ‘Contract to build a railway from Kararchee to Hyderabad’, 1855 </ref>.  The company contracted with the Government of India ([[Government of India |GoI]]) to construct the initial section from [[Karachi]] to [[Kotri]]. The company was granted a 5% return on investment up to a maximum of £1 million in order to build the ‘120 mile’ line <ref name=name> [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228649/8330.pdf  H.M. Government “Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report : Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill; April 2012";  pages 134-135, paragraphs 3.78-3.83] Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref>.
The company was involved in a number of additional railway line projects, as well as the establishment of the [[Indus Flotilla]] Company on the river Indus.  The ‘Scinde Railway Act'  of 1857 <ref name=name/> granted it the opportunity to extend its operations.


The '''[[Karachi-Kotri (Indus River) Railway]]'''  work commenced in April 1858 to construct the broad gauge([[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]]) single track railway  <ref name=Gaz344> Sind Gazette British Library Compiled by E H Atkin Bombay Salt Department.  Printed for government at the Steam Press Karachi 1907 Page 344</ref>
==Background==
and on 13 May 1861 succeeded in connecting Karachi to Kotri. This was the first railway line for public traffic between [[Karachi|Karachi City]] and [[Kotri]], a distance of 108 miles (174 km)
The '''[[Scinde Railway Company]]'''  was first established by deed of settlement in March 1855 and incorporated by the ‘Scinde Railway Act’ of Parliament in July 1855 after which a  contract was entered  with the [[East India Company]] in December 1855.
<ref> [http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Scinde_Railway Grace’s Guide “Scinde Railway”] Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref>.  


This was followed by the request by the ‘Scinde Railway Company’ to build the '''[[Punjaub Railway]] ''' from [[Lahore]] to [[Amritsar]] <ref name=Gaz344/>. At this time communication in the area had been mainly through the Indus River, the first Steam Boat was the “Indus” and then the “Planet” and “Satellite” were added when the ‘Scinde Railway Company’ agreed to operate '''[[Indus Flotilla]]'''.  They operated between [[Karachi]] , [[Multan]] and [[Hyderabad ]] in 1870 lasting until the railway was completed. <ref> Sind Gazette British Library Compiled by E H Atkin Bombay Salt Department.  Printed for Government at the Steam Press Karachi 1907 Page 354</ref>.
The Company had been invited to tender in 1855 by the [[Government of India]] to build a railway from [[Karachi|Kararchee(Karachi)]] to [[Hyderabad]], to be called the '''Scinde Railway''' <ref> British Library IOR/L/F/8/10 (853) ‘Contract to build a railway from Kararchee to Hyderabad’, 1855 </ref>, this being a distance of about 120 miles(192km).  The company contracted with the Government of India ([[Government of India |GoI]]) to construct the initial section from [[Karachi]] to [[Kotri]]. The company was granted a 5% return on investment up to a maximum of £1 million in order to build the ‘120 mile’ line <ref name=name> [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228649/8330.pdf  H.M. Government “Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report : Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill; April 2012"; pages 134-135, paragraphs 3.78-3.83] Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref>.


On 23 June 1863, The ‘Scinde Railway Company’ raised £2.5 million pounds to build a railway from [[Amristar]] to [[Delhi]] to be called the '''Delhi Railway'''. The railway was to start at or near the terminal at [[Amritsar]] and to or near [[Delhi]] to carry goods as fast as practicable. <ref> British Library  IOR/L/F/8/10/845 (855) “Contract to build a railway” 1863 </ref>.
[[File:Scinde Railway Company - Lines.png|thumb|File:Scinde Railway Company - Lines]]
The 'Scinde Railway'  was  one part of a communication link developed by the '[[Scinde Railway Company]]' constructed primarily to reduce the journey time on the final stage of long haul from Britain to [[Delhi]] and [[Calcutta]]. The line from [[Karachi]] to [[Kotri]] could move cargo and passengers to [[Kotri]] instead of [[Karachi]], saving approx  250km of circuitous journey through Indus River delta. At [[Kotri]] the line linked to the [[Indus Flotilla|’Indus Flotilla’]] Company steamers, also owned by the  [[Scinde Railway Company]] which operated upstream to [[Multan]]
<ref name=Mughal>[http://pakistaniat.com/2009/09/17/karachi-to-kotri-the-story-of-first-railways-in-pakistan/ All Things Pakistan “Karachi to Kotri - The first railways in Pakistan” by Owais Mughal, Posted on September 17, 2009]; Retrieved on 23 Feb 2018</ref>.
From [[Multan]] the ‘[[Punjaub Railway ]]’ ran to [[Amritsar]] where it became the ‘[[Delhi Railway]]’, both owned by the  [[Scinde Railway Company]], connected to the [[East Indian Railway]] at  [[Ghaziabad]](just  east of [[Delhi]]), thus providing a connection between [[Karachi]] and  [[Delhi]] and onward to [[Calcutta]].


In 1870, the Scinde Railway Company was amalgamated with the  [[Punjab Railway]] and [[Delhi Railway]] Companies and renamed as  the '''[[Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway|Scinde, Punjaub and Delhi Railway]]''' Company. This was covered by the ‘Scinde Railway Company's Amalgamation Act‘  of 1869<ref name=name/>. ''See Footnote''
==Construction==
The work commenced in April 1858 to construct the broad gauge([[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]]) single track railway  <ref name=Gaz344> Sind Gazette British Library Compiled by E H Atkin Bombay Salt Department.  Printed for government at the Steam Press Karachi 1907 Page 344</ref> and on 13 May 1861 succeeded in connecting the port town of [[Karachi]] to [[Kotri]] on the Indus River, the first railway line for public traffic between these towns
<ref> [http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Scinde_Railway Grace’s Guide “Scinde Railway”] Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref>.  


In 1886, the contracts expired and responsibility for the railway was transferred entirely to the Government of India([[Government of India |GoI]]). The GoI merged the [[Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway]] with other smaller state-owned railways to create the [[North Western Railway]]
The challenges faced during the construction were considerable as described in the article “Karachi to Kotri - The first railways in Pakistan” by Owais Mughal <ref name=Mughal/]], which shows maps and describes many of the problems encountered by the Chief Engineer [[John Brunton]].


''Footnote''
‘Bahrun River Railway Viaduct’  The route involved construction a large stone viaduct, the heaviest piece of masonry upon the line with a length of 1,728 feet(527 metres), work commenced 1859 and completed in Jan 1861. In addition there were 19 bridges of 48 arches each of 20ft spans; 1 bridge of 3 arches each of 30ft spans; 2 bridges of 10 arches of 40ft spans and 2 bridges of 4 arches of 45ft spans.  
*''The spelling of Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway is variable. Scinde and Punjaub are the spellings adopted in the legislation - see "Government Statute Law Repeals 2012" pages 134-135, paragraphs 3.78-3.83'' <ref name=name/>


‘Mulleer Railway Viaduct’ this was the longest of 6 viaducts using 80 feet clear span Iron Girders – this longest the  being 21 spans <ref>[https://books.google.fr/books?id=1WsEAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Google Books ‘The Line and Works of the Scinde Railway’ by [[John Brunton]], Institution of Civil Engineers, 1862-63 Page 23 ]; Retrieved  19 Feb 2018</ref>


==Records==
==Records==
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==Personnel==
==Personnel==
*[[John Brunton]]; 1857, Appointed Chief Resident Engineer of Scinde Railway (Sind Railway) <ref name=Hughes>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=C-pzUWrCU5sC&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=description+of+the+line+and+works+of+the+Scinde+Railway&source=bl&ots=DTW2uSH2hD&sig=_JCaeiJ6FfK1irALjNQRIr_RF-8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiypcPWoKfNAhUFIMAKHbSaBOYQ6AEIJDAC#v=onepage&q=description%20of%20the%20line%20and%20works%20of%20the%20Scinde%20Railway&f=false Google Books "The Archaeology of an Early Railway System: The Brecon Forest Tramroads" by Stephen Hughes, page 126]; Retrieved 14 Jun 2016</ref>; 1858-62, 'Supervised the construction of the 108 miles(174km) of the Scinde Railway between [[Karachi]] and [[Kotri]] until its completion in 1862. His detailed "Description of the line and works of the Scinde Railway" <ref>[http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/abs/10.1680/imotp.1863.23344?src=recsys Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Volume 22,  January 1863, pages 451-"Description of the line and works of the Scinde Railway"  by John Brunton]; Retrieved 14 Jun 2016</ref> itemise the problems of building in the tropics.'
*[[John Brunton]]; 1857, Appointed Chief Resident Engineer of Scinde Railway (Sind Railway) <ref name=Hughes>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=C-pzUWrCU5sC&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=description+of+the+line+and+works+of+the+Scinde+Railway&source=bl&ots=DTW2uSH2hD&sig=_JCaeiJ6FfK1irALjNQRIr_RF-8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiypcPWoKfNAhUFIMAKHbSaBOYQ6AEIJDAC#v=onepage&q=description%20of%20the%20line%20and%20works%20of%20the%20Scinde%20Railway&f=false Google Books "The Archaeology of an Early Railway System: The Brecon Forest Tramroads" by Stephen Hughes, page 126]; Retrieved 14 Jun 2016</ref>; 1858-62, 'Supervised the construction of the 108 miles(174km) of the Scinde Railway between [[Karachi]] and [[Kotri]] until its completion in 1862. His detailed "Description of the line and works of the Scinde Railway" <ref>[http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/abs/10.1680/imotp.1863.23344?src=recsys Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Volume 22,  January 1863, pages 451-"Description of the line and works of the Scinde Railway"  by John Brunton]; Retrieved 14 Jun 2016</ref> itemise the problems of building in the tropics.'
*[[William Arthur Brunton]], the son of the above; 1857 at age 17, Assistant Engineer; then Area Surveyor on the Scinde Railway (Sind Railway) and the [[Indus Valley State Railway|Indus Valley Railway]]; 1859-1961, responsible for the erection of the thirty-two 45 foot (13.7M) spans of the Bahrun Valley Viaduct <ref name=Hughes/>. This is the longest bridge on the [[Karachi-Kotri (Indus  River) Railway|Karachi-Kotri]] section and is a viaduct across the Bahrun River. Construction on this bridge was started on 5 March 1859 and completed on 26 January 1861 <ref>[http://pakistaniat.com/2009/09/17/karachi-to-kotri-the-story-of-first-railways-in-pakistan/ "Karachi to Kotri: The First Railways in Pakistan" by Owais Mughal, 2009]; Retrieved 14 Jun 2016</ref>.
*[[William Arthur Brunton]], the son of the above; 1857 at age 17, Assistant Engineer; then Area Surveyor on the Scinde Railway; 1859-1961, responsible for the erection of the thirty-two 45 foot (13.7M) spans of the 'Bahrun Valley Viaduct' <ref name=Hughes/>. This is the longest bridge on the [[Karachi]]-[[Kotri]] section and is a viaduct across the Bahrun River. Construction on this bridge was started on 5 March 1859 and completed on 26 January 1861 <ref name=Mughal/>
*[[Willoughby Charles Furnivall]] District Engineer in charge of construction under [[John Brunton]] c.1860-7 <ref name=biog>[http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/abs/10.1680/bdoceigbai.58347.222 Institution of Civil Engineers "Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland - Furnivall, Willoughby Charles"]; Retrieved on 21 Jul 2016</ref>.
*[[Willoughby Charles Furnivall]] District Engineer in charge of construction under [[John Brunton]] c.1860-7 <ref name=biog>[http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/abs/10.1680/bdoceigbai.58347.222 Institution of Civil Engineers "Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland - Furnivall, Willoughby Charles"]; Retrieved on 21 Jul 2016</ref>.
Other staff of the Scinde Railway involved during the construction are acknowledged:-
*J E Hartley; c.1859-c.1861, ‘Scinde Railway’ Resident Engineer supervising the 'Mulleer Railway Viaduct' construction <ref>[https://books.google.fr/books?id=1WsEAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Google Books ‘The Line and Works of the Scinde Railway’ by [[John Brunton]], Institution of Civil Engineers, 1862-63 Page 23 ]; Retrieved  19 Feb 2018</ref>
*W T Warren <ref name=Bruntonp25>[https://books.google.fr/books?id=1WsEAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Google Books ‘The Line and Works of the Scinde Railway’ by [[John Brunton]], Institution of Civil Engineers, 1862-63 Page 25 ]; Retrieved  19 Feb 2018</ref>
*Mr Thomas Warren <ref name=Bruntonp25/>
*Mr J Pinder <ref name=Bruntonp25/>


==Historical books online==
==Historical books online==
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*Brunton, John, "Description of the Line and Works of the Scinde Railway". 1863. Available in  [http://books.google.com/books?id=1WsEAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1 Full View Google Books] or [http://www.panhwar.com/rarebooks/Description%20of%20the%20Line%20and%20%20Works%20of%20the%20Scinde%20Railway.pdf pdf] from Panhwar.com
*Brunton, John, "Description of the Line and Works of the Scinde Railway". 1863. Available in  [http://books.google.com/books?id=1WsEAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1 Full View Google Books] or [http://www.panhwar.com/rarebooks/Description%20of%20the%20Line%20and%20%20Works%20of%20the%20Scinde%20Railway.pdf pdf] from Panhwar.com


==External links==
== Further Information ==
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20130122163146/http://pakistaniat.com/2009/09/17/karachi-to-kotri-the-story-of-first-railways-in-pakistan/ "Karachi to Kotri: The First Railways in Pakistan"]. 17/09/2009. All things Pakistan, now an archived website
See '''[[Scinde Railway Company]]''', '''[[Indus Flotilla]]''', '''[[Punjaub Railway ]]''' and  '''[[Delhi Railway]]'''
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_Pakistan "History of Rail Transport in Pakistan"] wikipedia


== Further Information ==
and  '''[[Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway]]''' following amalgamation in 1870 until 1886
See '''[[Karachi-Kotri (Indus River) Railway]]''' for period up to 1861.


and '''[[Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway]]''' following amalgamation in 1885.
and '''[[North Western Railway]]''' from 1886 when the line became part of the ‘NWR Mainline’


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 09:49, 23 February 2018

Scinde Railway also known as the Karachi-Kotri (Indus River) Railway
– this was the first railway of the railways of the Scinde Railway Company - see separate page for further information on the formation and development of the Company

Note

  • Some documents and references refer to the ‘Sind Railway’ which is not the correct spelling.'
  • Not to be confused with the ‘Sind Light Railway’ which is a separate narrow gauge railway.


Background

The Scinde Railway Company was first established by deed of settlement in March 1855 and incorporated by the ‘Scinde Railway Act’ of Parliament in July 1855 after which a contract was entered with the East India Company in December 1855.

The Company had been invited to tender in 1855 by the Government of India to build a railway from Kararchee(Karachi) to Hyderabad, to be called the Scinde Railway [1], this being a distance of about 120 miles(192km). The company contracted with the Government of India (GoI) to construct the initial section from Karachi to Kotri. The company was granted a 5% return on investment up to a maximum of £1 million in order to build the ‘120 mile’ line [2].

File:Scinde Railway Company - Lines

The 'Scinde Railway' was one part of a communication link developed by the 'Scinde Railway Company' constructed primarily to reduce the journey time on the final stage of long haul from Britain to Delhi and Calcutta. The line from Karachi to Kotri could move cargo and passengers to Kotri instead of Karachi, saving approx 250km of circuitous journey through Indus River delta. At Kotri the line linked to the ’Indus Flotilla’ Company steamers, also owned by the Scinde Railway Company which operated upstream to Multan [3]. From Multan the ‘Punjaub Railway ’ ran to Amritsar where it became the ‘Delhi Railway’, both owned by the Scinde Railway Company, connected to the East Indian Railway at Ghaziabad(just east of Delhi), thus providing a connection between Karachi and Delhi and onward to Calcutta.

Construction

The work commenced in April 1858 to construct the broad gauge(BG) single track railway [4] and on 13 May 1861 succeeded in connecting the port town of Karachi to Kotri on the Indus River, the first railway line for public traffic between these towns [5].

The challenges faced during the construction were considerable as described in the article “Karachi to Kotri - The first railways in Pakistan” by Owais Mughal Cite error: Invalid parameter in <ref> tag

Records

An on-line search of the India Office Records (IOR) records held at the British Library relating to this railway [6] gives the following:-

  • Z/E/4/25/I53; “Indus River, Railway line to be constructed from Karachi to a point on.”; 1854-55
  • Z/E/4/25/R766; “Rivers, Indus, Railway line to be constructed from Karachi to a point on.”; 1854-55
  • L/AG/46/17/1-13; “1. Scinde Railway Company”; 1855-1878

Personnel

  • John Brunton; 1857, Appointed Chief Resident Engineer of Scinde Railway (Sind Railway) [7]; 1858-62, 'Supervised the construction of the 108 miles(174km) of the Scinde Railway between Karachi and Kotri until its completion in 1862. His detailed "Description of the line and works of the Scinde Railway" [8] itemise the problems of building in the tropics.'
  • William Arthur Brunton, the son of the above; 1857 at age 17, Assistant Engineer; then Area Surveyor on the Scinde Railway; 1859-1961, responsible for the erection of the thirty-two 45 foot (13.7M) spans of the 'Bahrun Valley Viaduct' [7]. This is the longest bridge on the Karachi-Kotri section and is a viaduct across the Bahrun River. Construction on this bridge was started on 5 March 1859 and completed on 26 January 1861 [3]
  • Willoughby Charles Furnivall District Engineer in charge of construction under John Brunton c.1860-7 [9].

Other staff of the Scinde Railway involved during the construction are acknowledged:-

  • J E Hartley; c.1859-c.1861, ‘Scinde Railway’ Resident Engineer supervising the 'Mulleer Railway Viaduct' construction [10]
  • W T Warren [11]
  • Mr Thomas Warren [11]
  • Mr J Pinder [11]

Historical books online

Further Information

See Scinde Railway Company, Indus Flotilla, Punjaub Railway and Delhi Railway

and Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway following amalgamation in 1870 until 1886

and North Western Railway from 1886 when the line became part of the ‘NWR Mainline’

References

  1. ↑ British Library IOR/L/F/8/10 (853) ‘Contract to build a railway from Kararchee to Hyderabad’, 1855
  2. ↑ H.M. Government “Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report : Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill; April 2012"; pages 134-135, paragraphs 3.78-3.83 Retrieved on 2 January 2016
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 All Things Pakistan “Karachi to Kotri - The first railways in Pakistan” by Owais Mughal, Posted on September 17, 2009; Retrieved on 23 Feb 2018
  4. ↑ Sind Gazette British Library Compiled by E H Atkin Bombay Salt Department. Printed for government at the Steam Press Karachi 1907 Page 344
  5. ↑ Grace’s Guide “Scinde Railway” Retrieved on 2 January 2016
  6. ↑ “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - Search; Retrieved 8 Apr 2016
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Google Books "The Archaeology of an Early Railway System: The Brecon Forest Tramroads" by Stephen Hughes, page 126; Retrieved 14 Jun 2016
  8. ↑ Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Volume 22, January 1863, pages 451-"Description of the line and works of the Scinde Railway" by John Brunton; Retrieved 14 Jun 2016
  9. ↑ Institution of Civil Engineers "Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland - Furnivall, Willoughby Charles"; Retrieved on 21 Jul 2016
  10. ↑ Google Books ‘The Line and Works of the Scinde Railway’ by John Brunton, Institution of Civil Engineers, 1862-63 Page 23 ; Retrieved 19 Feb 2018
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Google Books ‘The Line and Works of the Scinde Railway’ by John Brunton, Institution of Civil Engineers, 1862-63 Page 25 ; Retrieved 19 Feb 2018

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