Sone Canal Construction Railway/Tramway

Sone Canal Construction Railway/Tramway

The Sone Canal was an irrigation canal from the Soan River (see Spelling Note) and constructed between 1868 and 1874 in the Rohtas District .

The records of the Bengal Presidency Public Works Department record that the following was ordered for the project based on the non-standard 4 ft 0in gauge (see Gauge Note) :- four locomotives, 200 4ft gauge wagons, 60 miles of contractors rail and 30 sets of points and crossings .

An 1871 report describes the line as running from the quarries to Baroon on the east side of the river. A 1913 report for the Dehri-Rohtas Light Railway mentions that it crossed a seven mile long 4ft 0in gauge bullock hauled tramway operated by the Public Works Department. It is thought this could be the remnant of the construction railway .

Spelling Note - River Sone

The spelling used is as given in the various contemporary reports. However there are variants:-

• “History of the East Indian Railway", Huddlestone, 1906", states ‘River Soane’
• "Grace’s Guide", quoting a 1856 report, uses the spelling ‘River Soane’
• "Imperial Gazetteer of India" names the river as The ‘River Son’ as a tributary of the River Ganges . We normally take the Imperial Gazetteer of India as the definitive spelling but, in this instance, it is clear that other contemporary sources are more representative.
• ”Wikipedia” uses the spelling ‘Son River’ with alternative ‘Sone River’ .

Gauge Note

The 4ft 0in Gauge specified is most unusual and we have classfied this as a Unique Rail Gauge. The only other example of this gauge is the Nalhati-Azimganj Railway, the original name for the Indian Branch Railway.