Sambhar Salt Extraction Tramway
Sambhar Salt Extraction Tramway
Sambhar lake, Sambhar, 70 km west of Jaipur was leased by the Government of India from 1869 for the production of salt by evapouration. The 'Northern India Salt Revenue Department' operated it with the first output being produced in 1870 [1].
A metre gauge(MG) siding was constructed in 1875 by the Rajputana State Railway(RSR) joining with a 4.5 mile(7.2km) branch to the RSR mainline [2]. The RSR in 1881-82 became the Rajputana-Malwa State Railway(RMSR), worked by the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway(BB&CIR), finally becoming the 'BB&CIR Sambhar Lake Salt Branch Line.
A 'John Fowler' portable tramway was tried on an experimental basis on the salt pans but was unsuccessful and the equipment was sold in 1886-87. Between 1893 and 1896 the Salt Revenue Department hired locomotives and wagons from RMSR for the removal of salt from the salt pans to the depot [1].
In 1915-16 a tramway of unknown gauge but probably 2ft/610mm narrow gauge(NG), was constructed at Nawa (about 30 km from Sambhar on the north side of the lake and connected to Sambar by the RMSR line and described as being ' most useful and that without it a large quantity of salt would have been lost owing to dearth of carriage' [1].
From 1919-20 the construction of a dam 12,000 ft(3650 metres) between Gudha and Japog was completed after delays to rails to enable construction and other problems. The development of the salt pans and extraction continued thereafter using MG and 2ft 0in NG tracks. The records show in great detail the locomotives and equipment used over the years [1].
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 “Industrial Railways and Locomotives of India and South Asia” compiled by Simon Darvill. Published by ‘The Industrial Railway Society’ 2013. ISBN 978 1 901556 82-7. Available at http://irsshop.co.uk/India. Reference: Entry RJ12 page ....
- ↑ “Administration Report on Railways 1918” page 22 (pdf31); Retrieved 10 Mar 2017