Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway

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Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway
[[Image:|150px| ]]
Line of route
Wadi to Bezwada
Hyderabad to Manmad
Gauge / mileage
Broad gauge 330 miles (1905)
Timeline
1870 Private railway worked by company
1879 (Indian) state railway worked by company
1930 (Indian) state railway worked by (Indian) state
Key locations
Presidency Madras
Stations Bezwada, Manmad, Warangal
System agency
Worked by
Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway
How to interpret this infobox
Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway
[[Image:|150px| ]]
System timeline
1883 Management company formed to work system
1930 Working taken on by state
Constituent companies / lines
1874 Wadi-Secunderbad Railway BG
1889 Bezwada Extension Railway BG
1900 Hyderabad-Godavari Valley Railway MG
Key locations
Headquarters Secunderabad
Workshops
Major Stations Aurangabad, Chanda, Hyderabad, Medak, Nander, Nizamabad, Parbhani, Secunderabad, Wadi
Successor system / organisation
1950 Nationalisation
1951 Central Railway (IR)
System mileage
Broad Gauge(BG) 351 miles (1905)
688 miles (1943)
Metre Gauge(MG) 391 miles (1905)
672 miles (1943)
Associated auxiliary force
n/a
How to interpret this infobox

The full style of the system was His Exalted Highness, The Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway (NGSR) which had its beginnings in a line built privately by the NIzam, to the dismay of the British authorities.

Nizam's Guaranteed Railway Map 1909

History

The earliest sections, operating as Nizam's Railway, were commenced during the 1870s, variously financed, constructed and operated.

Up to end of 1878 the line was worked by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway(GIPR) Company with its own rolling stock. From January 1879 to 31st December 1884 it was worked by the State Railway agency and from January 1885 by NGSR [1]

In 1883, a management company, Nizam's Guaranteed Railway, was formed to gradually take over these lines, under the provision of a guarantee from the Government of HEH the Nizam of the Princely Hyderabad State.

The State of Hyderabad assumed operational control of the system in 1930, renaming the railway Nizam's State Railway.

In 1950, the NGSR was nationalised and in 1951 became part of Central Railway, a zone of Indian Railways.

'Nizam’s Railway' Lines (up to 1883)

'Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway' Lines (1883-1930)

Broad Gauge (BG) Lines

Metre Gauge (MG) Lines

  • Hyderabad-Godavari Valley Railway, MG, opened 1899-1900, as part of NGSR from Hyderabad to Manmad via Jalna, Sailu, Parbhani, Purna Junction, Nander, Sivungaon, Secunderabad. Total 391 miles(629km) including the 6 mile mixed gauge (MG and BG) section of Mainline into Hyderabad [5]
  • Secunderabad-Gadwal Railway, MG, also known as Secunderabad-Dronachellam Railway [3], opened in stages from 1916, as part of NGSR from Secunderabad south west to Gadwal via Timmapur, Chatanpali, Balanager, Gullapalli, Jadcharla, Mashbubnager, Kurumurti, Wanaparti Road, reached in 1917, 108 miles(173km) [7] The final 13 miles(21km) section to Gadwal was opened in 1922. The line was subsequently extended via Allumpur Road, a further 28 miles(45km),1925; and to the Hyderabad/British Frontier, a further 7 miles(11km) in 1928 [4].
  • Parbhani-Purli Railway, MG, opened 1929 as part of NGSR [3] from Parhhani Junction to Purli Vaijnath via Gangakher, 39 miles (62km) [4].

'Nizam’s State Railway' Lines (1930-1950)

The 1936-37 Report [8] gives only the summaries:-

  • Nizam’s State Railway, BG, Class I railway, 667 miles(1073km).
  • Bezwada Extension, BG, Class I railway, 22 miles(35km). State Railway worked by Nizam’s State Railway
  • Nizam’s State Railway, MG, Class I railway, 623 miles(1002km) .
  • Dronachellam(Dhone)-Kurnool-British Frontier, MG, Class I railway, 36 miles(58km). State railway, worked by by Nizam’s State Railway
  • Jankampet-Budaon Railway, MG, construction commenced 1936, 12 miles(19km) length. Primarily as a siding to serve a sugar factory at Budaon and to assist in the transport of machinery etc to the factory also for passenger traffic [9]. Line opened 1938 [3]

Records

An on-line search of the India Office Records (IOR) records held at the British Library relating to this railway [10] gives several entries, the most relevant as follows: -

  • L/F/5/128; “Nizam's Guaranteed Railway Co” with Contents “Copies of agreements with the Secretary of State, Company Memoranda and Articles of Association, and share prospectuses”; 1897-1919
  • Mss Eur F222/19; “Miscellaneous material on the Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway, Hyderabad”; 1921-1927
  • L/F/7/2193; “Collection 370/37: Railways: Miscellaneous: Nizam's Guaranteed State RailwayCompany. Purchase by the Government of the Nizam of Hyderabad”; 1929-1930

Personnel

Staff lists for Nizam's Guaranteed Railway have not been found.

Miscellaneous Records

  • William Coupar Rennie, 1869, posted from PWD to Nizam's Railwayon survey and construction [11]
  • Henry Dangerfield, 1872 June, posted from PWD to Nizam's Railway, the construction of which was just commencing. He remained on that line for upwards of five years and a half; first for a short time as Assistant Engineer, and subsequently as Executive Engineer in charge of an important division, the construction of which he carried to completion. At the opening of that line in 1876 July, he was appointed to take charge as Manager and Engineer-in-Chief [12].
  • Willoughby Charles Furnivall was 'on loan' from Railway Branch - PWD during the period 1874-90 in charge of a number of locally administered State railways, which included the Nizams State Railway (NSR) [13].

1905 Civil List

Reference list

  • Stone, Edward Herbert, The Nizam’s State Railway. Illustrated by Photographs (London: 1876). [Copy held on open shelves, Asian and African Studies Reading Room, British Library.]

Sources

References