Irrawaddy Valley State Railway
| Irrawaddy Valley State Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Rangoon to Prome | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| Metre gauge | ||
| Timeline | ||
| 1869 | Line surveyed | |
| 1874 | Construction begun | |
| 1877 | Opened to traffic | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Bengal, Burma | |
| Stations | Prome, Rangoon, Tharrawaddy | |
| System agency | ||
| 1896-1928 | Worked by Burma Railway | |
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
Irrawaddy Valley State Railway, in early records known as the Rangoon and Irrawaddy Valley State Railway
The Irrawaddy Valley State Railway (IVSR) was the first railway to be constructed in Burma and one of the first State lines to be built to metre gauge(MG) standards. In 1896, management of the IVSR passed to the newly formed Burma Railway Company.
The IVSR, shown in Orange on map, from Rangoon to Prome, 161 miles(259km) following the Irrawaddy River, was surveyed in 1869. Construction began in 1874 and was built over a three-year period with labour imported from India (particularly the areas affected by the Bihar famine of 1873–74) and carried rice from the main cultivation areas to the port of Rangoon [1] . The line was opened to traffic in May 1877 [2]
Construction
The Annual Progress Reports for 1877/78 and 1878/79 give a detailed account of the progress of construction of the railway, buildings and facilities for the length of the line [3].
Personnel
There do not appear to be any IVSR staff records held in the India Office Records at the British Library.
The Annual Progress Reports for 1877/78 and 1878/79 give the following Officers in the ‘Annual Progress Reports for the Rangoon and Irrawaddy Valley State Railway’ (IVSR) for the two years ending 31 March 1878[3] :-
Arrivals
- E J Martin, M.INST.C.E., IVSR Superintending Engineer from 2 Aug 1877 and Engineer-in-Chief, author of 1877-78 Report, replaced by H M Mathews 1878-79
- W S Trevor, Lieut.Col., R.E., Chief Engineer and Secretary to Chief Commissioner, British Burma, of the office of Engineer-in-Chief, IVSR until relieved by E J Martin Aug 1877.
- J E Gabbett, Assistant Engineer 2nd grade, from 23 Nov 1877.
- P J Bruff, Locomotive Superintendent, from 11 Jan 1878.
- E L Gilbert, Executive Engineer 2nd grade, transferred from Rangoon and Sittang Valley State Railway Survey, to the IVSR 28 Jun 1877.
- T M Vignors, Executive Engineer, 1st grade with temporary rank of Superintending Engineer 3rd grade, from 1878-79
- H M Mathews, Engineer 3rd grade, from 1878-79 and ‘Engineer-in-Chief’, author of 1878-79 Report replacing E J Martin
- P D Barclay, Traffic Superintendent, IVSR, from 1878-79
Furlough leave:-
- W F F Handcock, IVSR Executive Engineer 1st grade, from Jun 1877.
- W C Hosking, IVSR Executive Engineer 4th grade, from May 1877.
- J A Little, Capt, IVSR Executive Engineer 4th grade, from Jul 1877.
- J P Vansittart, Executive Engineer 4th grade, from April 1878.
- H Tyndall,Executive Engineer 4th grade from February 1879
Transfers to India:-
- E H Stone, IVSR Assistant Engineer 1st grade, Locomotive Superintendent, Jan 1878
- P J Bruff, replacing E H Stone, Jan 1878.
- R W L Toozs, IVSR Assistant Engineer 2nd grade, transferred to Central System of State Railways, Nov 1877, whilst on 2 months' privilege leave
On Furlough or transferred to work in India:-
- H Prince, Superintending Engineer 3rd grade, in 1878-79
- E J Martin, Superintending Engineer 3rd grade (temporary rank), in 1878-79.
- W F F Handcock, Executive Engineer 1st grade, in 1878-79.
- J A Little, Captain, Executive Engineer, 3rd grade, in 1878-79.
- W C Hosking, Executive Engineer 4th grade, in 1878-79.
Transfer direct from IVSR to works in India: -
- T M Vigors, Executive Engineer, 1st (temporary Superintending Engineer 3rd) grade, in 1878-79.
- A E Downing, Lt.Col., Executive Engineer, 3rd (temporary 2nd) grade, in 1878-79.
- W J Engledue, Executive Engineer, 3rd (temporary 2nd) grade, in 1878-79.
- W H P Sherman, Executive Engineer, 4th grade, in 1878-79.
- H T Guyther, Assistant Engineer 1st grade, in 1878-79.
- J E Gabbett, Assistant Engineer 2nd grade, in 1878-79.
- R T Dennie, Assistant Engineer 2nd grade, in 1878-79.
- G Burnell, Sub-Engineer 3rd grade, in 1878-79.
- M Gregory, Sub-Engineer 3rd grade, in 1878-79.
- J Owens, Sergt., Overseer, 1st grade, in 1878-79.
- J Lean, Sergt., Overseer, 1st grade, in 1878-79.
Later History
The IVSR was merged with other State railways in 1896 to form the Burma State Railway Company (BR):-.
- ‘Irrawaddy Valley State Railway’ (IVSR), from Rangoon to Prome, became the ‘BR Irrawaddy Section’
- ‘Sittang Valley State Railway’(SVSR), from Rangoon to Toungoo, became the ‘BR Sittang Section ’
- ‘Mu Valley State Railway’(MVSR)', from Sagaing, on the opposite bank of the Irrawaddy River facing Mandalay was under construction in 1896, later becoming the ‘BR Mu Valley Section ’
Further Information
See Burma Railway
References
- ↑ Wikipedia ‘History of Rail Transport in Myanmar 1877-1896’; Retrieved 28 May 2018
- ↑ “Administration Report on Railways 1918” page 171 (pdf179) ; Retrieved 28 May 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 British Library ‘India Office Records’ V/24/3590; "Public Works Department: Railways" which includes "Annual progress report/Rangoon and Irrawaddy Valley State Railway, 1877/78 and 1878/79"
