9,628
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
'''==Aden Military Railway 1868 Railway'''==Following the end of the [[Abyssinian Campaign]] in 1868, some of the railway equipment that had been used were sent to Aden. A small shed and workshop had been constructed to containt contain the two locomotives, wagons, rails and equipment. The intention was to build a railway from the pier head to the post office and possibly on to the cantonment. The line was considered to be a purely military venture and not expected to pay its own expense and that the main user would be the Commissariat Stores. The equipment was still in store in 1871-72 and the last record was 1872-73 <ref name =IA34>“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 IA34 page ....</ref>.
'''1916==Aden Military Railway, 1915-30 Railway'''20==
Opening paragraphs edited and sub headings created
{{Line Railways Infobox
|image=
|caption= '''Aden State Railway'''
|route= [[Maala]] to [[El Khudad]]
|gauge1= Metre gauge
}}
The '''Aden State Railway''' operated from 1916 and 1929 in Aden, a dependency of of the Bombay, British Colony and Protectorate, in the south-west corner of Southern Arabia. The metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]])railway was 29 miles(46km). The railway was worked by the [[North Western Railway]] of India under one of its officers who was designated ‘Engineer-in-Charge’ <ref name=Aden>[http://www.bpadenkids.com/AdenTrains/AdenTrains.pdf “Railways of Aden” from original article “Indian Outpost in Arabia” by Robert Mumford published in the ‘Railway Magazine’ February 1976 pages 73-75]; Retrieved 22 Nov 2016</ref>.
== History ==
The '''Aden Settlement''' was established on 19 January 1839 when elements of the [[Royal Marines]] were landed at Aden by the [[East India Company]] to occupy the territory and to stop attacks by pirates on British shipping. Initially part of the [[Bombay (Presidency)|Bombay Presidency]] and later a "Chief Commissioner's Province," Aden remained a part of the Indian Empire until 1 April 1937 when it was detached and re-organised as a Crown Colony of the United Kingdom <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aden Wikipedia "Aden"]; Retrieved 22 Nov 2016</ref><ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aden_(colony) Wikipedia "Colony of Aden"]; Retrieved 22 Nov 2016</ref>.
In order to support operations against the Ottoman Empire, the Royal Engineers built a military railway in 1915-1916 from Aden to Sheikh Othman, the border with Turkish Yemen. The first section of the line from Ma’alla (Inner harbour, Aden) to Sheikh Othman, a distance of 7 miles (11km) opened Jan 1, 1916<ref name=Aden/>.
The railway was built to metre gauge standards and the materials used in construction were almost certainly sourced from India, most likely by cannibalising branches of the [[Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway|Bombay, Baroda and Central India]] and [[Eastern Bengal Railway|Eastern Bengal Railways]].
In 1919. the line was extended from Sheikh Othman; opened to Lahej Feb 11, 1919; and to Al Kudad (El Khudad ) Jan7Jan 7, 1920 giving a line length of 28.75 miles(46km). ==Aden State Railway==On May 7, 1920 the Government of India([[Government of India |GoI]]) transferred the railway from military control to that of the [[Railway Board]] creating the ‘Aden State Railway’ under the control of Mr Affleck who was designated ‘Engineer-in-Charge’ <ref name=Aden/>.Lahej, and in the following year, to El Khudad.
In 1922 the line was opened up to public use, carrying traffic between Aden and Yemen and military supplies to the outpost at Sheikh Othman. The line was worked by the [[North Western Railway]] under a designated Engineer-in-charge. The line proved too costly to maintain and was closed in 1929 before being dismantled in 1930.
