Kalighat-Falta Railway
| Kalighat-Falta Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Gholeshapur to Majherhat | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| 2' 6" NG | 26 miles | |
| Timeline | ||
| 1917 | Opened to traffic | |
| 1920 | Falta to Majherhat opened | |
| 1955-1957 | Line closed | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Bengal | |
| Stations | Gholeshapur, Falta, Majherhat | |
| System agency | ||
| 1917 | McLeod's Light Railways | |
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
The Kalighat-Falta Railway (KFR) was a 2ft 6in/762mm narrow gauge(NG) line, 25 miles(40km), constructed by Kalighat-Falta Railway Company, and operated as part of McLeod's Light Railways, opening to traffic on 28 May 1917. The line was 25 miles (40km) in length and connected Kalighat to Falta [1]
In 1920 a short, 1 mile(1.6km), extension from Gholeshapur (near Kalight) to Majherat opened. This was described as a ‘temporary connection with the ‘East Bengal Railway’ [2].
The ‘Statistics of Working’ show the year-by-year financial results from 1917-18 through to 1936-37 [2]
Classification
Indian Railway Classification of 1926 - Class III railway system.
Later Development
Sometime between 1955 and 1957, the KFR was closed and the track abandoned. The trackbed has since been used in the construction of a new road [3].
A surviving member of a small class of 2-6-2T locomotives, built by W G Bagnall at Stafford, England, designated AK16, was acquired by the Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Trust and is now in storage in the UK awaiting restoration.
Records
Refer to FIBIS Fact File #4: “Research sources for Indian Railways, 1845-1947” - available from the Fibis shop. This Fact File contains invaluable advice on 'Researching ancestors in the UK records of Indian Railways' with particular reference to the India Office Records (IOR) held at the British Library
An on-line search of the IOR records relating to this railway [4] gives the following: -
- L/F/8/20/1649 “Kalighat-Falta Railway Company Limited, Contract as to construction, working and maintenance of a railway from Kalighat (Majerhat) to Falta; 1921”
Further Information
References
- ↑ " Administration Report on the Railways in India – corrected up to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; page 232; Retrieved 18 Dec 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 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 291 pdf 334; Retrieved 3 Aug 2020
- ↑ Wikipedia "Kalighat-Falta Railway"; Retrieved 24 Nov 2016
- ↑ “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - Search; Retrieved 24 Jan 2016