RMSR Ajmer Workshops
The Rajputana State Railway(RSR) established the workshops at Ajmer, becoming the Rajputana-Malwa State Railway(RMSR) in 1881-82. Later to become the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway(BB&CIR)
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Ajmer Workshop
The workshops were early on charged with a wide variety of repair and overhauling jobs, including permanent-way work. In 1895, the workshops achieved the distinction of building the first indigenous locomotive from India, an 'F' class 0-6-0 MG locomotive (#F-734) [1].
The workshops at Ajmer opened in 1879 and employed 8,000 people by 1911 [2].
One notable feature of this workshop was the existence of a network of about 5km of 18"-gauge tram lines for transport of material among the various [1].
World War 1
A recent ‘Times of India’ article [3] reported –
“The Ajmer Workshop played a major role in the historic resistance showed by the British Empire in the battle of Mesopotamia (now Iraq) and Gulf of Aden ... the workshop underwent a secret operation ... A British Secret Service wire in June 1915 started the clandestine operation that was abruptly closed down in August 1916”
“The first order was to manufacture 13 Powder Guns and Howitzer Shells to be ready within three days of the wire. The task was successfully completed followed by something unusual that required the complete transformation of the workshop into an armoury manufacturing unit...”
“The next order was of two complete armoured trains to be designed and built, one of which was sent to Mesopotamia and the other kept for local defence. Each train consisted of a 12 Powder Gun, gun truck, two machinbe guns, search light trucks, two mine-exploding wagons and a dynamo-telegraph accommodation truck.”
“There was a non-stop demand for shells in the following months, the manufacturing capacity went from 3800 per week up to 8000 shells per day”
“The most arduous order was to build two hospital trains required by the forces at the Gulf of Aden to ferry soldiers to Mesopotamia. Each hospital train consisted of 14 bogie carriages, accommodation for six wounded officers and 170 soldiers along with space for four medical attendants, two nurse, orderlies, cooks and other servants”
Development of the Ajmer Workshops
- From 1900 became the BB&CIR Ajmer Workshops
- From 1951 became the Western Railway Zone of Indian Railways Ajmer Workshops
- From 2002, became North Western Zone of Indian Railways Ajmer Workshops [4].
See Also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Indian Railways Fan Club - Workshops - Ajmer Workshop; Retrieved 2 Mar 2020
- ↑ Google Books ‘The City in South Asia’ , by James Heitzman, page 125; Retrieved 2 Mar 2020
- ↑ 'Times of India'- 'UK offers assistance in restoring railway workshop in Ajmer' by Sgoeb Khan, 25 Jul 2018; Retrieved 2 Mar 2020
- ↑ Wikipedia 'North Western Railway Zone'; Retrieved 21 Jul 2020
