Shahdara-Saharanpur Light Railway
| Shahdara-Saharanpur Light Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Shahdara (Delhi) to Saharanpur | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| 2' 6" NG | 92½ miles (1943) | |
| Timeline | ||
| 1907 | Line opened to traffic | |
| 1970 | Closed; later re-opened after conversion to broad gauge | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Bengal | |
| Stations | Shahdara (Delhi), Saharanpur | |
| System agency | ||
| Worked by Martin's Light Railways | ||
| 1970 | Taken over by Indian Railways | |
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
The Shahdara-Saharanpur Light Railway (SSLR) was a 2ft 6in/762mm narrow gauge(NG) privately owned railway with a length of line of 92½ miles(149km) when completed in 1907. The Shahdara(Delhi)-Saharanpur Light Railway Company had been formed in 1905. [1]
Spelling note - we have named this town ‘Shahdara (Delhi)’ to differentiate from Shahdara Bagh near Lahore
The line, which ran north from Shahdara (Delhi), one of the north-eastern suburbs of Delhi, to Saharanpur, a junction on the Meerut to Umballa section of the North Western Railway with the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway. The SSLR was distinguished as the first and only narrow gauge line to originate from Delhi. The SSLR was one of several small narrow gauge concerns owned and worked by Martin's Light Railways, a management company based in Calcutta.
The ‘Statistics of Working’ show the year-by-year financial results from 1913-14 through to 1936-37 [2].
Proposed Branch Line
The 1909 map (shown here) indicates the ‘Shahdara-Saharanpur’ narrow gauge line.
The map shows a narrow gauge(NG) branch line about 25 miles(40km) from Shahdara, this would be near the town of Baraut, and running to Meerut, where there would be an interchange with the broad gauge(BG) ‘North Western Railway’
There is no evidence this branch line was constructed.
Classification
Indian Railway Classification of 1926 - Class III railway system.
Later Development
According to IRFCA, the line closed in 1970 but was later taken over by Indian Railways, the line being converted to broad gauge and re-opened to traffic.
External links
"Martin's Light Railways" Wikipedia.
"Non-IR Railways in India" Indian Railways Fan Club.
"History of Railway construction" Indian Railways Service of Engineers [see "Martin & Co" in table].
Further Information
See page Martin's Light Railways
References
- ↑ " Administration Report on the Railways in India – corrected up to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; page236; Retrieved 21 Dec 2015
- ↑ US Archive .org pdf download of ‘History Of Indian Railways, constructed and in progress’, 31 March 1937 by ‘The Government of India - Railway Department’ page 256, pdf 299; Retrieved 23 Aug 2020