Aden Port Trust Tramway
Aden Port Trust Tramway
'Aden Port Trust' was established in 1889 to take over the running of the Aden Port, which was previously carried out by the militiary authorities and private companies [1]
By 1896-97 it was decided to lay a 'Tramway' from the head of the Maala Pier to the Kerosine and other godowns on the Maala Road. Tenders were received from a number of companies for just less than one mile (1.5km) of track and wagons. The board decided that before any tender was accepted an experimental line should be laid along the length of the Pier, abouut 500 feet(150 mtrs), some old rails and sleepers were obtained from the Aden Public Works Department(PWD), this was obviously a success as the 2ft/610mm narrow gauge(NG) Tramway was sanctioned in 1897-98 [2].
In 1907-08 Maala Pier collapsed and required completely rebuilding. In 1911-12 2,000 feet(610 mtrs) of 2ft/610mm narrow gauge(NG) Tramway, and other railway equipment, was purchased to to link the Tramway to two new sheds trhat were built as part of the Pier. In 1916 the Aden Railway laid a siding to Maala Pier and new tramway wagons were ordered in 1919-20. The Tramway was still in use when Aden became the responsibility of the British Colonial Office in 1937 [2].
References
- ↑ Google Books "Aden Under British Rule, 1839-1967" by R. J. Gavin, page 184; Retrieved 20 Dec 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 “Industrial Railways and Locomotives of India and South Asia” compiled by Simon Darvill. Published by ‘The Industrial Railway Society’ 2013. ISBN 978 1 901556 82-7. Available at http://irsshop.co.uk/India. Reference: Entry IA36 page ....