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In 1870, The '''Scinde Railway''' was one part of a communication link developed by the '[[Scinde Railway Company was amalgamated with ]]' constructed primarily to reduce the journey time on the final stage of long haul from Britain to [[Punjab RailwayDelhi]] and [[Delhi RailwayCalcutta]]. The line from [[Karachi]] to [[Kotri]] Companies could move cargo and renamed as passengers to [[Kotri]] instead of [[Karachi]], saving approx 250km of circuitous journey through Indus River delta. At [[Kotri]] the '''line linked to the [[Indus Flotilla|’Indus Flotilla’]] Company steamers, also owned by the ‘[[ScindeRailway Company]]’ which operated upstream to [[Multan]] <ref name=Mughal>[http://pakistaniat.com/2009/09/17/karachi-to-kotri-the-story-of-first-railways-in-pakistan/ All Things Pakistan “Karachi to Kotri - The first railways in Pakistan” by Owais Mughal, Posted on September 17, 2009]; Retrieved on 23 Feb 2018</ref>. From [[Multan]] the ‘[[Punjaub & Delhi Railway|Scinde, Punjaub and ]]’ ran to [[Amritsar]] where it became the ‘[[Delhi Railway]]''' Company. This was covered ’, both owned by the ‘Scinde [[Scinde Railway Company's Amalgamation Act‘ ]], connected to the [[East Indian Railway]] at [[Ghaziabad]] (just east of 1869<ref name=name/>[[Delhi]]), thus providing a connection between [[Karachi]] and [[Delhi]] and onward to [[Calcutta]]. ''See Footnote''
In 1886, ==1858-59 Report==The following is recorded in “Railways in India for the year 1858-59” for the contracts expired ‘Sind Railway - Physical Difficulties’ and responsibility Construction’<ref>[https://books.google.com.au/books?id=tp4IAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA20#v=onepage&q&f=false Online pdf version from 'Google Books' “Railways in India for the railway was transferred entirely year 1858-59” by Juland Danvers , Government Director of the Indian Railways’- presented to the Government both Houses of IndiaParliament by HM Command. Paragraphs 69-72; Pages 17-18]; Retrieved 2 Jan 2021</ref>:-* “The line in Sind (Scinde) proceeds from [[Government of India Karachi|GoIKurrarchee(Karachi)]] to [[Kotree]]). The GoI merged on the River Indus, opposite [[Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi RailwayHyderabad]] . Its lengthy, including a branch to Ghizree Bunder, is 114 miles. The most important works are bridges and viaducts, of which there are several of considerable size, that over the Bahrum River being 600 yards in length; the next largest at 500 yards is over the Mulleer. Other works of magnitude are, an embankment across a valley at Dorbejee, required to protect the line from the effects of inundation, and the wharf and steam ferry at Kotree”* “The soil is not favourable for works of excavation, being in general a mixture of sand and clay, often with other smaller statea hard crust of 1-owned railways 2 feet and near the Karatolla Hills a number of rocky ridges have to create be cut through. A further difficulty, which has to be contended with, is a scarcity in the supply of water. This will not be when the line is completed, as the watering points will be fixed at places where there is anabundance. The want of a supply of labour has already been much felt.”* “The first sod was cut by Sir Bartle Frere in April 1958. The works have hitherto been retarded in consequence of the [[North Western Railway]]pecuniary difficulties of the Contractor, who has lately abandoned his Contract. The line is now being finished by the Company, and the Resident Engineer reports that rapid progress has been made.”
''Footnote''==Construction== [[File:Scinde Railway (Karachi-Kotri).png|right|400px| Scinde Railway (Karachi-Kotri)]]The work commenced in April 1858 to construct the broad gauge([[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]]) single track railway <ref name=Gaz344> Sind Gazette British Library Compiled by E H Atkin Bombay Salt Department. Printed for government at the Steam Press Karachi 1907 Page 344</ref> and on 13 May 1861 succeeded in connecting the port town of [[Karachi]] to [[Kotri]] on the Indus River, the first railway line for public traffic between these towns<ref> [http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Scinde_Railway Grace’s Guide “Scinde Railway”] Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref>. *''The spelling challenges faced during the construction were considerable as described in the article ‘The Line and Works of the ScindeRailway’ by [[John Brunton]], Punjaub Institution of Civil Engineers, 1862-63 <ref name=Bruntonp22>[https://books.google.fr/books?id=1WsEAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage& Delhi Railway q&f=false Google Books ‘The Line and Works of the Scinde Railway’ by [[John Brunton]], Institution of Civil Engineers, 1862-63 Page 22-23 ]; Retrieved 25 Nov 2020</ref>.<br>Particular reference is variable. Scinde given to the earthworks , a viaduct and Punjaub are considerable number of bridges required to be built:-* ‘[[Bahrun Valley Viaduct]]’ The route involved construction a large stone viaduct, the spellings adopted heaviest piece of masonry upon the line with a length of 1,728 feet(527 metres), work commenced 1859 and completed in the legislation Jan 1861 [[Bahrun Valley Viaduct |''- see "Government Statute Law Repeals 2012" pages 134separate page for further information'']]* 6 Viaducts with Warren Type iron girders, sent out from England, total of 43 each of 80 feet clear span. These were erected at the following rivers;-135Mulleer, 21 spans; Guggur, 3 spans; Dorbagi, 2 spans; Runnpittiani, 6 spans; Loyach, 8 spans; Rhodh, paragraphs 3spans.78* 24 Bridges as follows:- 19 bridges, containing 48 arches, each of 20 feet span; 1 bridge of 3.83'' <ref name=name/>arches of 30 ft span; 2 bridges, 10 arches of 40 ft span; 2 bridges, 4 arches of 45ft span,
‘Sind Railway’ reference and 1858-59 Heading added
'''Scinde Railway''' also known as the '''Karachi-Kotri (Indus River) Railway'''<br>– this was the first railway of the [[Scinde Railway Company|'''Scinde Railway Company''' - ''see separate page for further information on the formation and development of the Company'']]
''Note''
*''Some early documents and references refer to use the ‘Sind Railway’ which is not the correct spelling '''Sind Railway'''.''
*''Not to be confused with the ‘Sind Light Railway’ which is a separate narrow gauge railway.''
==HistoryBackground==The '''[[Scinde RailwayCompany]]''' Company was first established by deed of settlement in March 1855 and incorporated by the ‘Scinde Railway Act’ of Parliament in July 1855. The company contracted after which a contract was entered with the Government of India ([[Government of East India |GoICompany]]) to construct a line between [[Karachi]] and [[Kotri]]. The company was granted a 5% return on investment up to a maximum of £1 million in order to build the 120-mile line.<ref name=name> [https://wwwDecember 1855.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 134-135, paragraphs 3.78-3.83] Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref><ref>"Money Market and City Intelligence", "The Times", Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a.</ref>
The '''Company had been invited to tender in 1855 by the [[Government of India]] to build a railway from [[Karachi-Kotri |Kararchee(Indus RiverKarachi) Railway]]to [[Hyderabad]], to be called the ''' work commenced in April 1858 and on 13 May 1861 succeeded in connecting Karachi Scinde Railway''' <ref> British Library IOR/L/F/8/10 (853) ‘Contract to Kotri. This was the first build a railway line for public traffic between Karachi City and Kotrifrom Kararchee to Hyderabad’, 1855 </ref>, this being a distance of 108 about 120 miles (174 km192km). The company contracted with the Government of India ([[Government of India |GoI]])to construct the initial section from [[Karachi]] to [[Kotri]].The company was granted a 5% return on investment up to a maximum of £1 million in order to build the ‘120 mile’ line <refname=name> [httphttps://www.gracesguide.cogov.uk/Scinde_Railway Grace’s Guide “Scinde Railway”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 134-135, paragraphs 3.78-3.83] Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref>.
The company London based [[Robert Stephenson]], Consultant Engineer was involved approached by the 'Scinde Railway Company' for advice and in a number of additional railway line projects, as well as the establishment of the 1857 recommended [[Indus FlotillaJohn Brunton]] Company on as Chief Engineer. Following Stephenson’s death in 1859 George Bidder was appointed as the river Indus. The ‘Scinde Scinde Railway Act' of 1857 Consulting Engineer in London <ref name>[https://books.google.fr/books?id=BzErDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA155&lpg=PA155#v=nameonepage&q&f=false Google Books "Robert Stephenson – The Eminent Engineer” edited by Michael R. Bailey; page 155-57]; Retrieved 4 May 2020</ref> granted it the opportunity to extend its operations.
==Records==
* Z/E/4/25/R766; “Rivers, Indus, Railway line to be constructed from Karachi to a point on.”; 1854-55
* L/AG/46/17/1-13; “1. Scinde Railway Company”; 1855-1878
==Personnel==
'''Construction Engineering Management'''
*[[John Brunton]]; 1857, Appointed Chief Resident Engineer of Scinde Railway (Sind Railway) <ref name=Hughes>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=C-pzUWrCU5sC&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=description+of+the+line+and+works+of+the+Scinde+Railway&source=bl&ots=DTW2uSH2hD&sig=_JCaeiJ6FfK1irALjNQRIr_RF-8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiypcPWoKfNAhUFIMAKHbSaBOYQ6AEIJDAC#v=onepage&q=description%20of%20the%20line%20and%20works%20of%20the%20Scinde%20Railway&f=false Google Books "The Archaeology of an Early Railway System: The Brecon Forest Tramroads" by Stephen Hughes, page 126]; Retrieved 14 Jun 2016</ref>; 1858-62, 'Supervised the construction of the 108 miles(174km) of the Scinde Railway between [[Karachi]] and [[Kotri]] until its completion in 1862. His detailed "Description of the line and works of the Scinde Railway" <ref>[http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/abs/10.1680/imotp.1863.23344?src=recsys Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Volume 22, January 1863, pages 451-"Description of the line and works of the Scinde Railway" by John Brunton]; Retrieved 14 Jun 2016</ref> itemise the problems of building in the tropics.'
*[[William Arthur Brunton]], the son of the above; 1857 at age 17, Assistant Engineer; then Area Surveyor on the Scinde Railway; 1859-1961, responsible for the erection of the thirty-two 45 foot (13.7M) spans of the 'Bahrun Valley Viaduct' <ref name=Hughes/>. This is the longest bridge on the [[Karachi]]-[[Kotri]] section and is a viaduct across the Bahrun River. Construction on this bridge was started on 5 March 1859 and completed on 26 January 1861 <ref name=Mughal/>
*[[Willoughby Charles Furnivall]] District Engineer in charge of construction under [[John Brunton]] c.1860-7 <ref name=biog>[http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/abs/10.1680/bdoceigbai.58347.222 Institution of Civil Engineers "Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland - Furnivall, Willoughby Charles"]; Retrieved on 21 Jul 2016</ref>.
'''Construction Staff''' - Other staff of the Scinde Railway involved during the construction are acknowledged:-
*J E Hartley; c.1859-c.1861, ‘Scinde Railway’ Resident Engineer supervising the 'Mulleer Railway Viaduct' construction <ref name=Bruntonp22/>
*W T Warren <ref name=Bruntonp25>[https://books.google.fr/books?id=1WsEAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Google Books ‘The Line and Works of the Scinde Railway’ by [[John Brunton]], Institution of Civil Engineers, 1862-63 Page 25 ]; Retrieved 19 Feb 2018</ref>
*Mr Thomas Warren <ref name=Bruntonp25/>
*Mr J Pinder <ref name=Bruntonp25/>
'''Railway Operations Management'''
*[[Joseph Harrison]], 1860-75, Engineer-in-Chief, General Agent and General Agent for some part of this time <ref name=GraceHarrison>[https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Joseph_Harrison Grace's Giude "Joseph Harrison"]; Retrieved 1 Mar 2018</ref>. 1864-1870 Chief Resident Engineer during construction of ‘[[Delhi Railway]]’<ref name=BookBrassey>[https://books.google.fr/books?id=x-0aAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA148&lpg=PA148#v=onepage&q&f=false Google Books “Life and Labours of Thomas Brassey” by Arthur Helps; pages 148-149]; Retrieved 1 Mar 2018</ref>.
==Historical books online==
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=H2cBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR1 "The Scinde railway, and its relations to the Euphrates valley, and other routes to India"] by W P Andrews, Chairman of the Scinde Railway Company 1856 Google Books
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=ASFcAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover "Report of proceedings of an extraordinary general meeting of the Scinde Railway Company, held on Friday the 24th July, 1857"] Google Books
*Brunton, John, "Description of the Line and Works of the Scinde Railway". 1863. Available in [http://books.google.com/books?id=1WsEAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1 Full View Google Books] or [http://www.panhwar.com/rarebooks/"Description%20of%20the%20Line%20and%20%20Works%20of%20the%20Scinde%20Railway.pdf pdf] from Panhwar.com ==External links==*[http://web.archive.org/web/20130122163146/http://pakistaniat.com/2009/09/17/karachi-to-kotri-of the-story-Line and Works of-first-railways-in-pakistan/ "Karachi to Kotri: The First Railways in Pakistanthe Scinde Railway"]by John Brunton. 17/09/20091863. All things Pakistan, now an archived website*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_Pakistan "History of Rail Transport in Pakistan"] wikipedia Google Books
== Further Information ==
*See '''[[Karachi-Kotri (Scinde Railway Company]]''',** '''[[Indus River) Flotilla]]'''** '''[[Punjaub Railway]]''' for period up to 1861.** '''[[Delhi Railway]]''' *and '''[[Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway]]''' following amalgamation in 1885.1870 until 1886*and '''[[North Western Railway]]''' from 1886 when the line became part of the ‘NWR Mainline’
== References ==
