Duyinzeik-Thaton (Burma) Tramway
The Duyinzeik-Thaton (Burma) Tramway was a steam tramway, built in 1883 that was still in apparently in operation in 1921.
Sometimes described as the Thaton- Duyinzeik Light Railway , the 2ft 6in/762mm narrow gauge(NG) line was originally built and worked by Mr. George Dawson of Rangoon. From Thaton, the railway extended 8 miles east alongside a public road through jungle to Duyinzaik, connecting with a daily launch service also operated by Mr. Dawson to Moulmein [1].
The Imperial Gazetteer of India states 'The capital cost of construction up to the end of 1895, the last year for which capital and revenue accounts were submitted, was nearly 4½ lakhs. By an agreement entered into between Government and the original owner {Mr George Dawson} in January 1884, a subsidy of Rs.1,000 per mile was paid for three years after the date of opening on condition that a proper service be maintained, and for ten years Government kept up all the bridges on the line. From December 1900 the tramway passed into the hands of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company. The receipts amounted in 1903 to Rs.32,000. In all 34,362 persons travelled by tramway in that year' [2].
The Imperial Gazetteer of India in 1908 states ‘The tramway , 8 miles long, built in 1883, runs along a metalled road from Thaton, the district headquarters on the west bank of the Donthami river, whence a steam-launch plies on weekdays to Moulmein. The tramway plays an important part in the carriage of paddy [3].
The 1921 book “Burma: A Handbook of Practical Information" by Sir J G Scott confirms the tramway was still in operation ‘In the Salween basin there are launches running daily from Moulmein to Duyinzeik in conjunction with a steam tramway from there to Thaton [4].
There is an unconfirmed report that the four NG steam locomotives that worked this line were transferred to the Madaya Light Railway on the ‘closure of the line’, possibly in 1907. However the statement mentioned above indicates that in 1921 the tramway was in service.
This is the total of all information despite extensive searches
References
- ↑ “The Thaton-Duyinzac Railway” by Jan Ford; Retrieved 17 Aug 2016
- ↑ Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 9, p. 185-186; 1908; Retrieved 17 Aug 2016
- ↑ Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 23, p. 336 and 337; Retrieved 17 Aug 2016
- ↑ “Burma. A Handbook of Practical Information “ by Sir J G Scott, KCIE, 1921, page 310. Reproduced by Forgotten Books as a pdf file, page 381; Retrieved 17 Aug 2016
