South Indian Railway
| South Indian Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| Metre gauge | 1123 miles (1905) | |
| Timeline | ||
| 1872 | Formed from merger of Carnatic Railway and Great Southern of India Railway | |
| 1874 | Renamed South Indian Railway | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Madras | |
| Stations | Trichinopoly | |
| System agency | ||
| Worked by South Indian Railway Company | ||
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
| South Indian Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
 South Indian Railway device | ||
| System timeline | ||
| 1891 | SIR re-formed to work line now owned by State | |
| 1944 | Management of system taken over by State | |
| Constituent companies / lines | ||
| 1891 | South Indian Railway | |
| Karaikkal-Peralam Railway | ||
| Pondicherry Railway | ||
| Tanjore District Board Railway | ||
| Tinnevelly-Quilon Railway | ||
| Key locations | ||
| Headquarters | Trichinopoly | |
| Workshops | Golden Rock | |
| Major Stations | ||
| Successor system / organisation | ||
| 1951 | Southern Railway (IR zone) | |
| System mileage | ||
| Broad gauge | 559 miles (1943) | |
| Metre gauge | 1353 miles (1905) 1483 miles (1943) | |
| Associated auxiliary force | ||
| South Indian Railway Battalion | ||
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
The South Indian Railway (SIR) was the new name applied in 1874 to the merged undetakings of the Carnatic Railway and the Great Southern of India Railway.
History
In 1872, the Carnatic Railway merged with the Great Southern of India Railway. In 1874, the merged companies were renamed the South Indian Railway. During the 1870s the existing broad gauge lines were converted to metre gauge.
Ownership of the SIR and other lines passed to the Government of India (GoI) on 31 December 1890 and a new company was formed to work the system so created under contract. The contract was extended in 1909.
This contract was determined on 1 April 1944 and the GoI assumed direct control.
In 1951, the SIR became a constituent part of Southern Railway, a zone of Indian Railways.
Records
The following are held in the India Office Records at the British Library:
- L/AG/46/18/1-4 : contracts of employment, 1891-1940 (index not complete).
The above is indexed in:
- Z/L/AG/46 : Index to UK Appointments to Indian Railways, 1849-1925.