Mysore State Railway
| Mysore State Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Mysore to Bangalore Bangalore to Harihar | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| Metre gauge | 296 miles (1905) | |
| Timeline | ||
| 1887 | Leased to Southern Mahratta Railway | |
| 1919 | Mysore-Bangalore section reverted to State | |
| 1938 | Bangalore-Harihar section reverted to State | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Madras | |
| Stations | Bangalore, Birur, Harihar, Kadur, Maddur, Mysore, Seringapatam, Tumkur | |
| System agency | ||
| 1882 | Worked by Southern Mahratta Railway | |
| 1938 | Reverted to Mysore State Railway control | |
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
| Mysore State Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| System timeline | ||
| 1887 | First system leased to Southern Mahratta Railway | |
| 1912 | System re-formed by State of Mysore | |
| 1919 | Reversion of some lines | |
| 1938 | Lease terminated and lines reverted to full State of Mysore control | |
| Constituent companies / lines | ||
| 1919 & 1938 | Mysore State Railway | |
| 1938 | Anandapuram-Sagara Railway | |
| 1919 | Birur-Shimoga Railway | |
| 1916 | Bowringpet-Chikballapur Railway | |
| 1921 | Chickjajur-Chitaldrug Railway | |
| 1918 | Chikballapur-Bangalore City Railway | |
| 1918 | Mysore-Arsikere Railway | |
| 1919 | Mysore-Nanjangud Railway | |
| 1926 | Nanjangud-Chamrajnagar Railway | |
| 1934 | Shimoga-Anandapuram Railway | |
| 1921 | Tadassa-Hebbe Tramway | |
| 1917 | Tarikere-Narasimharajapura Tramway | |
| Key locations | ||
| Headquarters | Mysore | |
| Workshops | Bangalore | |
| Major Stations | Arsikere, Birur, Bowringpet, Chamrajnagar, Chikballapur, Chitaldrug, Harihar, Hassan, Hindupur, Kadur, Maddur, Nanjangud, Seringapatam, Shimoga, Tumkur | |
| Successor system / organisation | ||
| 1950 | Nationalised | |
| 1951 | Southern Railway (IR zone) | |
| System mileage | ||
| Metre gauge | 600 miles (1940) | |
| 2' 6" NG | 102 miles (1940) | |
| 2' 0" | 36 miles (1940) | |
| Associated auxiliary force | ||
| n/a | ||
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
The name, Mysore State Railway (MSR), originally referred to the metre gauge(MG) line which connected the State capital, Mysore, to Bangalore. Later, MSR, or Mysore Railway as it was sometimes known in this context, was the name applied to a network of disjointed metre gauge(MG) branch lines owned by the Mysore Durbar.
History
Following the disastrous famine of 1876-1877, the original sections of the MSR were planned and built by the State of Mysore, opening to traffic during 1881-1882. In 1887, in order to eradicate its "famine debt", the State of Mysore leased the MSR to the Southern Mahratta Railway (SMR) for a period of 45 years.
In 1907, the SMR transformed itself into the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway (M&SMR), with the lease following. At this time, the Railway Department of the State of Mysore was defunct.
From 1912, the State of Mysore again became actively involved in the promotion and construction of railway lines within its boundaries, and, between 1916 and 1918, opened 232 miles of railway to traffic. In 1919, the State succesfully sought the reversion of the Mysore to Bangalore section and two branch lines, the Birur-Shimoga and the Mysore-Nanjangud Railways. Further construction, chiefly between 1921 and 1934, added 105 miles of new track.
From 1 January 1938, the lines leased to M&SMR reverted to the control of the State of Mysore, creating a homogenous railway of just under 740 miles. In 1950, MSR was nationalised and in 1951 became part of Southern Railway, one of the then newly formed zones of Indian Railways.
Lines worked by MSR at some time
- Bangalore Harihar Railway, opened 1919. Worked by Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway(M&SMR) until 1919, then MSR.
- Birur-Shimoga Railway, opened 1899. Worked by M&SMR until 1919, then by MSR
- Anandapuram-Sagara Railway, opened 1938. Further extension of Birur-Shimoga Railway; worked by MSR.
- Sagara-Talaguppe Railway, opened 1940. Opened as extension to Birur-Shimoga Railway; worked by MSR.
- Shimoga-Anandapuram Railway, opened 1934. Opened 1934 as extension to Birur-Shimoga Railway; worked by MSR)
- Bowringpet-Chikballapur Railway, opened 1916. Narrow Gauge Railway; worked by MSR.
- Chickjajur-Chitaldrug Railway, opened 1921. A short MG branch line, worked by MSR.
- Kolar and Mysore District Board, owners of two NG Narrow Gauge Railways, both worked by MSR
- Chikballapur-Bangalore City Railway, opened 1918
- Yelahaka-Bangarpet Railway, opened 1913 and extended 1918.
- Mysore-Arsikere Railway, opened 1918. Worked by MSR.
- Mysore-Nanjangud Railway, opened 1891. Worked by M&SMR until 1919; then by MSR.
- Najangud-Chamrajnagar Railway, opened 1926. Extension of Mysore-Nanjangud Railway; worked by MSR
- Tadassa-Hebbe Tramway, opened 1921. Worked by MSR
- Tarikere-Narasimharajapura Tramway, opened 1915. Narrow gauge tramway, worked by MSR
Records
Unfortunately, there are no MSR Staff agreements held at the British Library in the India Office Records.
External links
"The Ex-Mysore State Metre Gauge Lines" Ian Manning on the Indian Railways 1965-1969 : Mysore. IRFCA Server.
"Railway Development in the State" p xxxviii p xxxix p xl Current Science, vol 9, September 1940 (Indian Academy of Sciences).