Franklin Prestage

Franklin Prestage Following generaly based on “Eminent Railwaymen of Yesteryears” by R R Bhandari, July 2008

• Early 1870's; Eastern Bengal Railway (EBR). Franklin Prestage was Agent for the (EBR). In its original contract of EBR with the Secretary of State for India, this Guaranteed Railway company was to open up a rail-line to Darjeeling. However the Government of India took a decision to stop expansion of rail-lines by Guaranteed companies in new areas and instead decided to construct and manage rail-lines as State Railways. Northern Bengal State Railway (NBR) was formed as a State Railway for construction of rail-lines from the northern bank of Ganges river at Sara and built a metre gauge line unto Siliguri. NBR had no plans to take the rail-line to Darjeeling as the mountain railway was considered a formidable sphere. Where EBR and NBR failed as corporate organisations, Prestage succeeded as an individual entrepreneur.
• 1878; Prestage submitted a detailed scheme to the Government of Bengal, which was sanctioned by the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Ashely Eden. Despite the fact that the Viceroy Lord Lytton himself was also a share holder, the Public Works Department of the Indian Government felt that Bengal had exceeded its powers in terms of the concessions granted, and insisted on cancellation of the contract.
• 1879, 10 Feb ‘Railway Conference’, Calcutta. Delegate as Agent for the EBR
• 1880 , 6-13 Jan ‘Railway Conference’, Calcutta. Delegate as Agent EBR .
• 1879; Darjeeling Steam Tramway Co. was formed by Prestage and a new Contract was drawn up under revised terms and forcing Prestage to settle for a 2ft/610mm narrow gauge(NG) line.
• 1881; Darjeeling-Himalayan_Railway Co. ( DHR) became the new title of the company and remained effective until the line was taken over by the Indian Government in 1948.