Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway

Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway
Oudh & Rohilkhand Railway Logo
Line of route
Benares to Saharanpur Allahabad to Fyzabad (1905)
Gauge / mileage
Broad	1165 miles (1905)
Timeline
1867	Benares to Lucknow opened by Indian Branch Railway
1874	Lucknow to Moradabad open
1876	Moradabad to Saharanpur open
1887	Link with East Indian Railway at Moghal Sarai
1889	State purchases O&RR
Key locations
Presidency	Bengal
Stations	Aligarh, Bareilly, Cawnpore, Delhi, Lucknow, Moradabad, Shahjahanpur
System agency
1889	Oudh and Rohilkand State Railway
How to interpret this infobox

Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway
[[Image:|150px| ]]
System timeline
1889	State agency takes over running of O&RR
Constituent companies / lines
1889	Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway
	Cawnpore-Burhwal Railway
	Hardwar-Dehra Railway
Key locations
Headquarters	Lucknow
Workshops	Alambagh, Charbagh See also O&RR Railway Workshops
Major Stations	Aligarh, Allahabad, Bareilly, Cawnpore, Delhi, Saharanpur, Shahjahanpur
Successor system / organisation
1925	East Indian Railway
System mileage
Broad gauge	1187 miles (1905)
Metre gauge	80 miles (1905)
Associated auxiliary force
Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Battalion
How to interpret this infobox

The Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway (O&RR) was formed around 1872 by taking over the interests of the ‘Indian Branch Railway’ / ‘Awadh Rohilkhand Railway‘ - see separate page for details.

Oudh & Rohilkhand Railway Map 1909, north-west section

Oudh & Rohilkhand Railway Map 1909, south-east section

The O&RR operated under a Government of India(GoI) guarantee. And was acquired by the State on 1 Jan 1889.

In 1925, the O&RR was merged into the ‘East Indian Railway’(EIR) when the latter came into state management.

Alternative Name: Early records give the spelling Oude and Rohilkund Railway

History

The “1870-71 Annual Report for Indian Railways for the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway “ gives:- ‘Broad Gauge (BG) ‘Lines Sanctioned’ ‘ 733 miles(1180km), with 42 miles(68km) open, nil opened in 1870/71 and 679 miles(1092km) to be finished’. The Report also details the ‘progress of the railway and the commercial summery’ - see separate pages for details.

The 42 miles(68km) line from Lucknow to Cawnpore, constructed by the ‘Indian Branch Railway’ had opened in 1867. In 1874, the line was extended to Moradabad and in 1876, to Saharanpur where the O&RR met the North Western Railway(NWR). On 31 December 1888, the GoI assumed both ownership and management of the O&RR.

O&RR were given operating rights of the opening in 1905 of the Allahabad-Fyzabad Railway which included the Curzon Bridge, Allahabad over the river Ganges. This line and bridge were constructed by State Railways and connected to the East Indian Railway(EIR) to the south of the river Ganges and a junction to the O&RR mainline. Thus providing a direct link from Allahbad to Lucknow and the hill stations beyond. .

The “Administration Report on Railways 1918” gives the ‘Lines Opened’ as 1510 miles(2430km) of the O&RR ‘Broad Gauge (BG) lines.
O&RR Lines Owned and Worked - see separate page

The O&RR was merged into the East Indian Railway(EIR) in 1925 when the latter came into state management.

A small number of branches and extensions were constructed after 1918 by the O&RR before merger into the EIR. These are listed under the ‘EIR System’ in the “History of Indian Railways 1937”
They are included in O&RR Lines Owned and Worked - see separate page

O&RR Workshops

The O&RR established workshops at Alambagh (1865) and Charbagh (1867) to provide capacity for the major broad gauge(BG) line from Benares to Lucknow, to the north of the River Ganges,
O&RR Railway Workshops -see separate page for details

Records

An on-line search of the India Office Records (IOR) records held at the British Library relating to this railway gives the following: -

• L/AG/46/16; “Records of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Company”; 1862-1888
• V/24/3582; “India. Public Works Department: Administration and progress report of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway, 1872/73-1875/76”

Personnel

Unfortunately, there are no O&RR staff records held in the India Office Records at the British Library.

1905 Civil List The following from the Public Works Department, are recorded as deployed to the O&RR:-

• William Edward Meares, 1890, Executive Engineer.
• George Frederick Wilson, 1898, Manager .
• Bernard Baxter, 1901, Engineer-in-Chief

Thacker's Directories The following for Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Personnel 1872 have been indexed in Grace's Guide:-

• "1872 Thacker's Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Personnel"

Various Other Records - Chronological Order

• Henry Burdett Hederstedt, date unspecified (probably late 1860's, O&RR Chief Engineer, 'a position he held for nearly 20 years' and 1881-87, Dufferin Bridge over the Ganges at Benares, as O&RR Chief Engineer in charge of construction.
• Frederick Thomas Granville Walton, 1868-88, O&RR) Engineer.'During this time he was initially in charge of the construction of the Ramganga River Bridge and Lines'; 1881-87, Dufferin Bridge over the Ganges at Benares, O&RR Engineer-in-Charge of construction; 1889-96, O&RR Engineer-in-Chief .
• William Arthur Brunton, 1868-70, District Engineer, O&RR .
• J H Jenkins Agent for O&RR 1879 ‘Railway Conference’ delegate
• J Hartwell Deputy Agent O&RR 1880 ‘Railway Conference’ delegate
• J G Cooke Locomotive Superindent 1880 ‘Railway Conference’ delegate
• Richard Arthur Sargeaunt, 1889-92, O&RR Manager .
• Henry Parsall Burt, 1901-02, Manager , posted from State Railways.
• William Danvers Waghorn, 1914, Agent , posted from State Railways.

Also see

• Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Battalion
• School fees subsidies-Railway subordinates’ children c 1935 for subsidies applying from 1921

External links

• History of The Oudh & Rohilkhand Railway oldmartiniansassociation.co.uk