Calcutta, Dum Dum Gun Carriage Factory Railway
Calcutta, Dum Dum Gun Carriage Factory Railway
The 'Dum Dum Gun Carriage Factory' was establised by the 'Ordnance Department' at Dum Dum. The date of opening of the gun carriage factory has not been determined but an unconfirmed report says 1842. The date of 1846 is also quoted as the date of the Bengal Artillery establishing an 'Ammunition Factory' at Dum Dum - see separate page.
In 1878 the records show that 2 miles(3.2km) of track and five turntables were ordered by the Government Stores Department for the factory. Further details and the gauge of the track have not been identified [1].
Dum Dum Cantonment railway station is 2.6 km north-west of Dum Dum Junction the mainline running north-east from Calcutta on the East Bengal Railway(EBR) 'Central Section' broad gauge(BG) main line to Dattapukur on onwards to Bangalore which opened in 1883. The first EBR line to Ranaghat passed through what became Dum Dum Junction in 1862.
It seems most probable the railway equipment supplied in 1878 would have been broad gauge and most likely connected to the EBR as soon as that section of line opened as it passed by the ordnance factory.
No further information has been found.
References
- ↑ “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 IA15 page ....
