Great Southern of India Railway
| Great Southern of India Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Negapatam to Erode | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| Broad gauge | ||
| Timeline | ||
| 1858 | Formed as Guaranteed railway | |
| 1872 | Merged to form South Indian Railway | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Madras | |
| Stations | Trichinopoly | |
| System agency | ||
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
The Great Southern of India Railway (GSIR) was formed in 1858 for "the construction and working of a railway from Negapatam to Trichinopoly, with branches to Salem and Tuticorin - total, about 300 miles. Capital 500,000l. (for the works at present authorized to be proceeded with, - viz., the line from Negapatam to Trichinopoly). Rate of Interest Guaranteed - 5 per cent." (1)
History
The line from Negapatam to Trichinopoly was completed by March 1862 to broad gauge standards and opened to traffic.
In 1864 November Frederick Lewis Dibblee, on his arrival in Madras, was engaged as Engineer-in-Charge on the GISR, then District Engineer and later Chief Engineer, a position he continued to hold until August 1868, when he retired and transferred to the Carnatic Railway.
In 1868, the GSIR line reached Erode, connecting to the Madras Railway. In 1872, the GSIR merged with with the Carnatic Railway, built to metre gauge, to form the South Indian Railway.
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 [1] gives 46 references. The most important being:-
- L /AG/46/13 “Records of the Great Southern of India Railway Company; 1859-1874”
Unfortunately, there are no GSIR staff records held in the India Office Records at the British Library.
Notes
(1) "Money Market and City Intelligence", The Times, Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a.
External link
Frederick Dibblee, MICE, District (later Chief) Engineer, GSIR (1864-1868).
References
- ↑ British Library “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - Search; Retrieved 22 Jan 2016