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The '''Eastern Bengal Railway''' Company (EBR) was formed in 1857 for "the construction and working of a line from [[Calcutta]] to [[Dacca]], with a branch to [[Jessore]]. Capital 1,000,000''l''. This amount has been sanctioned for the line from Calcutta to the Ganges at Kooshtee([[Kushtia]]), near Pubnah, about 80 miles, all that is authorised to be proceeded with at present. Rate of Interest Guaranteed - 5 per cent on 1,000,000''l''" <ref> "Money Market and City Intelligence", ''The Times'', Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a. </ref>. == History ==The first construction started in October 1859. Isambard Kingdom Brunel had been engaged in Britain as consulting engineer to the EBR and [[Bradford Leslie]], an English civil engineer who specialised in bridges, was sent to India as engineer in charge of bridges and viaducts.He supervised the building of the Eschamutter and Koormar river bridges before returning to Britain in 1861. He returned to India in 1865 and became Chief Engineer and Agent <ref> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_Leslie Wikipedia " Bradford Leslie"]; Retrieved on 5 May 2016</ref><supref>1[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PpJMCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT74&lpg=PT74&dq=southern+punjab+railway+company&source=bl&ots=R1AsTgkegr&sig=CzpHod72_VMtjRKj6Ire4zWNOV4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjyqrig1rXMAhVrJMAKHY0EDRc4ChDoAQg3MAU#v=onepage&q=southern%20punjab%20railway%20company&f=false Google Books “New Delhi: The Last Imperial City- Sir Bradford Leslie and the meaning of Empire, Chapter 5.3” by D. Johnson, Richard Watson"]; Retrieved on 2 Jun 2016</ref>. The first train ran between [[Sealdah]] and [[Ranaghat]] in September 1862. Thereafter further phases considerably extended the reach of the line and, by 1866, it linked [[Calcutta]] to [[Kushtia]]. The company had also acquired a steam vessel service operating between [[Kushtia]] and [[Dacca]].<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228649/8330.pdf H.M. Government “Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report : Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill; April 2012"; pages 127-8, paragraphs 3.51 - 3.55] Retrieved on 2 Jun 2016</supref>

== History ==The first construction started in October 1859 and the first train ran between [[Sealdah]] and [[RanaghatFranklin Prestage]] became the Agent for the EBR in September 1862the early 1870's. Thereafter further phases considerably extended In its original contract with the reach Secretary of State for India, the EBR Company was to open a rail-line and, by 1866, it linked to [[CalcuttaDarjeeling]] to . However the [[KushtiaGovernment of India]]. The company had also acquired took a steam vessel service operating between decision to stop expansion of rail-lines by Guaranteed companies in new areas and instead decided to construct and manage new rail-lines as [[Kushtia:Category:State Railways|State Railways]] . Prestage resigned from EBR and in 1879 set up the [[DaccaDarjeeling Steam Tramway]].Company <ref>[httpshttp://www.govirfca.ukorg/governmentarticles/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228649/8330eminent-railwaymen.pdf H.M. Government “Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report : Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill; April 2012"; pages 127-8html#prestage “Eminent Railwaymen of Yesteryears” by R R Bhandari July 2008, paragraphs 3.51 - 3.55reproduced by IRFCA ''Indian Railways Fan Club''] Retrieved on 2 January Jun 2016</ref>.

==Personnel==The following employment records held in the IOR are relevant :-*'''L/AG/46/10/35''' “Contracts of appointment (1862-1869)” See index on *'''FIBIS database''' [http://search.fibis.org/frontis/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=browse_components&id=9041068&s_id=243 Fibis Database323 List of Indian Railways UK Contracted Staff taken from IOR Series L/AG/46/12].  

==Personnel==*[[Bradford Leslie]] was an English civil engineer who specialised in bridges and was a pupil of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Brunel was a consulting engineer to the '''[[Eastern Bengal RailwayPersonnel]](''' gives details of EBR) and Leslie was sent to India as engineer in charge staff from several other sources:-*“India Civil List 1890” <ref>Fibis Records, scans of bridges original ” </ref> and viaducts. He supervised the building of the Eschamutter " India List and Koormar river bridges before returning to Britain in 1861 to design bridges for railway lines in South WalesIndia Office List, 1905" <ref>[https://play. He soon returned to India as Chief Engineer of the EBR until 1876google.* [[Franklin Prestage]] was Agent for the EBR in the early 1870'scom/books/reader?id=b2NPAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en_GB&pg=GBS. In its original contract of EBR with the Secretary of State for PR14 " India List and IndiaOffice List, this [[Guaranteed Railways|Guaranteed Railway1905"]] company was to open up a rail-line to Retrieved on 2 Jun 2016</ref> for [[DarjeelingPublic Works Department]]. However the [[Government of India]] took a decision to stop expansion of rail-lines by Guaranteed companies in new areas and instead decided to construct and manage rail-lines as Railway Branch or [[:Category:State Railways|State Railways]]personnel deployed to EBR gives a number of entries. [[Northern Bengal State Railway]] (NBR) was formed as a State Railway for construction The most notable of rail-lines from the northern bank of Ganges river at Sara and built a metre gauge line to Siligurithese have been listed. NBR had no plans to take the rail-line to Darjeeling as the mountain railway was considered a formidable sphere. Where EBR and NBR failed as corporate organisations, Prestage succeeded as an individual entrepreneur, he resigned from EBR *"Grace's Guide ” for notable personnel and set up the <ref>[[Darjeeling Steam Tramway]] Cohttp://www.gracesguide. co. == Notes ==<sup>1uk/Main_Page “Grace’s Guide”]; Retrieved 2 Jun 2016</supref> "Money Market and City Intelligence", ''The Times'', Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a.*Wikipedia