Godavari Dam Construction Railway

The Godavari Dam Construction Railway

One of India's first railways, constructed in about 1845 for the construction of the Godavari Dam to transport stone and other materials from the district around Rajahmundry. The Engineer-in-charge was Captain Arthur Thomas Cotton of the Madras Corps of Engineers (later promoted to Major) . The dam project was completed by 1852 and the railway was dismantled.

The railway was built for transporting materials of the dam, known in some records as the Dowlaiswaram Anicut Railroad after of the three streams of the Godavari at Rajahmundry (which is now located in Andhra Pradesh). This was a dam built over the Godavari River as part of the scheme to irrigate the Godavari delta. Work on the project was started in 1845 under the direction of Captain Arthur Thomas Cotton and as far as can be ascertained the railway was in use from the start of the project. The project was completed in 1852 and the railway was closed down.

A comprehensive paper “The Engineering Works of the Godavari Delta” gives full details, with maps, illustrations and photographs. It outlines the works undertaken in the period from 1845 until 1852, under the supervision of Captain Cotton, and includes details of the temporary railway used to carry materials from a nearby Limestone Quarry to construct the masonry dam, or Anicut . The lime quarry railway was 2 miles long from the kilns to the riverbank and, with some manual assistance, carries the wagons down to the boats and ponies pull the empties up.

Godavari Dam Construction Railway

The original papers of the Corps of Engineers, Madras Presidency of the time 1845 through to 1852 for pages relevant to the railway have been transcribed, together with a map :-
The ‘Sketch of the Head of the Godavery Delta showing the arrangement of Railways and Canals for carrying on the works in1848-49’ shows the following features:-

• Quarry Hill and Dowlaiswaram
• AA Temporary Dam
• BB New line of Railway
• CC Later Canal
• DD Canal
• EE Permanent Railway.

In 1845 Captain A Cotton in his second report commented, “There is a hill of coarse strong sandstone close to the spot. For the carriage of materials, I propose to use rails “I find that round timber, straight, hard, and durable, and perfectly suited for rails without sawing can be obtained in great quantities at a most trifling cost. Such timber from 6 to 7 inches diameter and 20 feet long.” The top of the timber is smoothed, and flat 2-inch iron screwed down to make a temporary railroad. The initial lines were known as the permanent line as they were financed by a separate estimate. Operations started in 1847 to prepare the site for the start of construction The quarry was opened and the double railway laid to different points on the river bank. A number of boats were built, and railway wagons completed. The workforce was 10,200 labourers and 500 carpenters and a small number of smiths.
Major A Cotton requested a number of Engineers for the construction 3 officers plus one each at the Quarry, workshop and in charge of the lime kilns and forests. He requested that Lieutenant Rawlings of the Sappers should be one and Lieutenant Rawlings another. He also requested an Engine Maker.
By August 1847 2 Double lines of Railway had been laid from the Quarry entrance to the river but still had to be extended into the quarry due to a delay in the delivery of iron. In all 6½ miles of track had been laid. Work would continue during the time the river was in spate. During this period the railway was extended into the quarry and 16 wagons were in use to move stone to the river bank. The wagons ran by gravity about 400 tons a day was moved the returned by people power. The railway 2 miles in length was opened from the limestone quarry. Captain Orr’s knowledge of the railways in England was most useful.
By March 1848 there were 28 wagons in use wheels had arrived from Port Novo for more. 32 Boats were ferrying stone out into the river carrying nearly 1000 tons a trip. At the end of the construction season in June the report stated that “Engines and Boilers, ordered from Calcutta have not reached us, owing to their not being finished on time.” These were originally for steam locomotives, “so that we have had to work the railroads with horses by day and coolies at night because it was found too dangerous to use horses except in daylight”. It was found that steam locomotives would be too heavy to pull wagons on to the top of the 4 mile long annicut as originally intended. The engines were then put into boats to make steam tug boats.
On the 14th June 1848 the river rose early and breached the railway embankment and washed part of it away and lost.
A second railway was built from the quarry to a point further up the river, the railway has a double line and is in a fair working state. An incline railway with some manual assistance carries the wagons down to the boats and ponies pull the empties up. The lime quarry railway is 2 miles long from the kilns to the riverbank. .
By 1849 the permanent railway had been taken up and re-laid in other directions to supply material where it was needed and opening a third line to a channel which was intended to be dredged but this channel kept silting up. A temporary line on the bed of the Dowlaiswaram branch was laid to get the lime down from the lime quarry at Cautaroo. A party of labourers were fully employed on relaying extending and maintain the railways.
By 1851 the new railway line was a quarter of a mile from the nearest end of the quarry which was 1¼ miles less than the year before and a new inclined plane built this was to supply the works further downstream. The entrance to the quarry was now a mile and half further away than when they started.

Further Information

See Early Railway Experiments and Proposals for more information and background.