Jessore-Jhenidah Railway
The Jessore-Jhenidah Railway was a 2ft 6in/762mm narrow gauge(NG) line that opened in 1913 linking Jessore to Jhenidah, a line length of 29 miles (46km). The Kotchandpur Branch opened at the same time and gave a total line length of 36 miles (57km). Owned and worked by the Jessore-Jhenidah Railway Company, a private company supported by the District Board of Jessore [1].
The railway developed a reputation for being poorly managed, an official report in 1915 states that staff could not nominate one person as their manager [2].
It is possible, but not proven, that the management of the Jessore-Jhenidah Railway was later being undertaken by McLeod's Light Railways (McLR) [3]. It has not been possible to confirm this information. An examination of the 1930 Contract with the Jhenidah Railway Syndicate Limited, see Records L/F/8/20/1761, may throw light on the operation of this railway.
The Jessore-Jhenidah Railway was dismantled in 1969[2].
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 [4] gives the following: -
- L/F/8/17/1334 “Jessore Jhenidah Railway Company Limited, Indenture; 1913”
- L/F/8/20/1761 “Jhenidah Railway Syndicate Limited, Contract for the management, maintenance and working of the Jessore-Jhenidah Railway; 1930”
References
- ↑ "Administration Report on the Railways in India – corrected up to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; page 230; Retrieved 28 Feb 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wikipedia "Jessore-Jhenidah Light Railway"; Retrieved 28 Feb 2016
- ↑ “Indian Railways History 1913” IRFCA Indian Railways Fan Club; Retrieved 28 Feb 2016
- ↑ “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - Search; Retrieved 24 Jan 2016