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Nalagarh Sandstone Quarry Railways
The Quarry at Nalagarh, Rupnager Department, Punjab were used as a source on Sandstone for construction on a number of over a number of times:-
- Rupar-Nalagarh Provincial State Railway 1883-c.1885
The first recorded use, opened in 1883 as line for construction of Sirhind Canal in Ambala District. The broad gauge(BG) line ran between Doraha, via Rupar to Nalagarh, a distance of 54 miles(86km). The ‘Sirhand Canal’ required sandstone obtained from a quarry near Nalagarh, and the mortar was manufactured of bricks from the ruins of Sirhind and lime from kankar quarries at Patarheri, a village a few miles from Rupar. The railway line was constructed to carry material from the Nalagarh Quarries to carry material. On completion of the canal the line was made over to the Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway(SP&DR) but evidence in the Gazetteers for the region suggest the line was taken up by 1884 [1] [2].
In 1915-16 the Nalagarh Quarry was used again to provide materials to the ‘Sutlej River Training Works’ at Ropar from Dec 1915 to May 1916. A 2ft/610mm narrow gauge(NG) was laid from the headworks, along the riverbank 14 miles(22km) to the Nalagarh Quarries. The record shows that 30hp locomotives with trucks were used [3].
In an address to the Punjab Engineering Congress in 1923 it seems that the Nalagarh quarry was abandoned after each of the two previous uses. The next recorded use was during the vast ‘Sutlej Valley Project’. A new broad gauge(BG) line had to be built from Doraha to the quarries at Nalagarh. The record shows that the quarry was using both the BG and a narrow gauge(NG) (probably 2ft/610mm) for conveying stone within the quarry[2]“
The Lloyd Barrage was built from 1923 and completed in December 1931 . Named after Lord Lloyd, the Governor of Bombay, now named the ‘Sukkur Barage’. The dam, just under a mile in length is sited in a gorge on the River Indus 3 miles(4.8km) below Sukkur, and formed part of the ‘Sutlej Valley Project’ which included headworks and a network of irrigation canals [4]
There were two railways systems in use during the construction. A broad gauge(BG) system operated from three quarries , two on the right bank and one on the left bank. In 1929 it had 42 miles(67km) of track and the record shows with 10 locomotives and 570 wagons. Also a 2ft/610mm narrow gauge(NG),used for conveying building material, with 17 miles of track(27km), 8 locomotives and 650 tip wagons. The record shows that on completion all the equipment was offered for sale [5].
This project, was a dam, reservoir and canal project carried out by the Government of India between 1921 and 1933.
Included in the ‘Sutlej Valley Project’ were several constructions where railways were used:-
(see individual pages where the records show the use of railways)
Also included in the ‘Project’ were other constructions where no information concerning the use of railway <ref name = DarvSD16> :-
- Ferozepur Canal
- Bikaner Canal
- Pakpattan Canal
- Islam Headworks
References
- ↑ "Ambala District Gazetteer, 1923-24"; page 9(pdf page 16); Retrieved 13 Dec 2015
- ↑ 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 PB12 page ....
- ↑ “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 PB13 page ....
- ↑ [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkur_Barrage Wikipedia “Sukkur Barrage” ]; Retrieved 23 May 2017
- ↑ “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 SD16 page ....
[[Category:Civil Works]