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In 1886 the Sindia The ‘Sindia State Railway Railway’ was operating out of Agra Cantonment station from along with Rajuputana 1885 worked by the ‘[[Indian Midland Railway]]’(IMR) which had a comparatively brief existence.<ref>[http://www.mocavo.co.uk/A-Gazetteer-of-the-Territories-Under-the-Government-of-the-Viceroy-of-India/898609/1015#9]Gazetteer of the Territories Under the Government of the Viceroy of India – 1886</ref>
There is no clear information on The ‘Scindia State Railway’ was handed over to the history thereafterIMR under a Contract dated March 1890. It is thought that <ref> British Library IOR/L/F/8/13 (953) ‘Contract with the line was being worked by [[Indian Midland Railway]](IMR) in Company Limited as to the handing over of the Sindia State Railway’, 18 March 1890</ref>Fibis Fact File No. 4</ref>
It seems most likely that the Sindia State Railway joined with Later in 1990 the IMR which had a comparatively brief existence before being was amalgamated in 1900 with the [[Great Indian Peninsula Railway]](GIPR). This Gwalior-Agra line then became part of the [[Great_Indian_Peninsula_Railway_-_Lines_owned_and_worked#GIPR_Midland_Mainline |‘GIPR Midland Mainline’ ]] between [[Bhopal]] and [[Agra]] <ref name=Admin65/>[
Map changed
The [[ '''Sindia State Railway''' was a broad gauge([[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]]) line connecting [[Agra]]to [[Gwalior] construction commenced ] via [[Dholpur]]. The ‘Gwalior-Hetampur’ section opened in 1876 Dec 1879 and the Engineers‘Dholpur-Agra’ section inJan 1879. The [[Chambal Rail Bridge]] was opened on 15 May 1881 completing the ‘Hetampur-Charge being William Mitchell and Horace Bell. Dholpu’ section thus directly linking [[Gwalior]] to [[Agra|Agra Cantonment]] , 76 miles(122km) <refname=Admin65>[httphttps://wwwarchive.gracesguide.co.ukorg/stream/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System#page/n73/mode/Sindia_State_Railway1up “Administration Report on Railways 1918” page 65 (pdf73) ] Graces Guide - Sindia State Railway; Retrieved 19 Feb 2018</ref>
The railway ‘Sindia State Railway’ was opened 1881 by the Maharaja Sindia operating out of Gwalior and under the management of Sir W S S Bissett until 1885[[Agra|Agra Cantonment]] station, with an interchange with [[Rajputana State Railway]] <ref>[http://wwwdspace.irfcagipe.orgac.in/xmlui/handle/faq10973/faq-history2.html] IRFCA Chronology of railways 18177 “Administration Report on the Railways in India1883-84 by Colonel F S Stanton, Part 2 (1870 Director General of Railways” Appendix J -click on GIPE-015955- 1899)Contents.pdf; pdf 31 of 61]; Retrieved 19 Feb 2018</ref><ref> India List ''(The [[Rajputana State Railway]] in 1881-82 became the [[Rajputana-Malwa State Railway]] until 1885 when it became part of the ‘[[Bombay, Baroda and Central India Office List </ref>Railway]]’(BB&CIR)).''
[[File:Sindia State Railway 1.png|right|400px|'''Sindia State Railway''']]
==Survey and Construction==
The first [[Railway Branch - PWD|Public Works Department(PWD) - Railway Branch]] Surveys were undertaken in 1872 and 4 separate routes were surveyed and submitted to the Government. Little happened until 1874 when the staff were transferred to Bengal on Famine relief. In August that year the orders were received to build a 5ft 6inch gauge railway via Dholpur and crossing the Chambal River near Bher. Some of the staff were recalled and the 34 miles from Agra were laid out <ref name=IOR>British Library ‘India Office Records’ V/24/3590 “Sindia State Railway Administration Report” 1878-79</ref>
The construction of the ‘Sindia State Railway’ commenced in 1876 and the Engineers-in-Charge being [[William Michell]] and [[Horace Bell]].
<ref>[http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Sindia_State_Railway Graces Guide "Sindia State Railway"]; Retrieved 19 Feb 2018</ref>.
<br>[[Frederick Lewis Dibblee]],Superintending Engineer, deployed from PWD to Gwalior and Jhansi Division Survey in 1880-81<ref>https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Frederick_Lewis_Dibblee Grace’s Guide ‘Frederick Lewis Dibblee’]; Retrieved 22 Apr 2020</ref>.
A quarry line was opened at Dholpur (‘[[Dholpur Quarry Railway]]’) to quarry the stone for the [[Chambal Rail Bridge|'Chambal Rail Bridge’ – ''see separate page''.]] The construction of the railway and the bridge was awarded to [[Glover & Co|Messrs Glover and Company]] as contractors in February 1876 They undertook to complete the line to [[Dholpur]] by the end of June 1878 and the complete line by the end October 1880. Alteration to the approach at [[Agra|Agra to include the Agra Cantonment]] modified the cost and the expected cost was RS. 8,907,778 <ref name=IOR/>.
After the ‘[[Chambal Rail Bridge]]’ “the line runs through heavy ravines to the westward again, keeping somewhat near (about a mile) from the trunk road. Passing the stations of Bhandha, Shikarpur, Bamoor and Morar troop station, it reaches the terminal station lying between the Morar Cantonment and Gwalior, and a distance of 75.1 miles from Agra Cantonment station ... the line crosses the Khari , Asan and Sunk rivers on girder bridges of three, four, and three spans of 100 feet, respectively." <ref name=IOR/>
==Opening and Operation==
During the famine of 1877 the line partially opened to supply grain but after the rains returned that ceased. In January 1878 the line opened properly between [[Agra]] and [[Dholpur]]. The contractors had an extension to December 1880 to complete the Chambal Bridge and the Southern side opened for traffic <ref name=IOR/>.
The railway was opened 1881 by the Maharaja Sindia of Gwalior and operated under the management of [[William Sinclair Smith Bisset|Sir W S S Bissett]] until 1885.
<ref>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3VQTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA442&lpg=PA442&dq=BISSET+Sir+William+Sinclair+Smith+Bengal&source=bl&ots=eoLyW1kBT8&sig=fOAaf04oXbgT5vtpEHYMWz7rRLc&hl=fr&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiqw_e1otnJAhWFMBoKHRRdDkEQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=BISSET%20Sir%20William%20Sinclair%20Smith%20Bengal&f=false Google Books "India List and India Office List 1905" page 442"]; Retrieved 13 Dec 2015</ref>
==Records==
Refer to FIBIS Fact File #4: “Research sources for Indian Railways, 1845-1947” - available from the [http://www.fibis.org/store/fibis-books-and-publications/bff-0004-research-sources-for-indian-railways-1845-1947/ Fibis shop]. This Fact File contains invaluable advice on 'Researching ancestors in the UK records of Indian Railways' with particular reference to the [[India Office Records]] (IOR) held at the [[British Library]]
An on-line search of the IOR records relating to this railway <ref name=name>[http://searcharchives.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=IAMS_VU2 “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - Search]; Retrieved May 2016</ref>
gives the following: -
*'''V/24/3589''' “India. Public Works Department: Administration report on the construction of the Sindia State Railway, 1874/75"
*'''R/V/24/3590'''; "Public Works Department: Railways" which includes "Administration report on the construction of the [Sindia State] Railway, 1878/79”
*'''L/F/8/13/953 ''' “Indian Midland Railway Company Limited, Contract as to the Indian Midand Railway Company maintaining and working the Sindia State Railway; 1890"
==Further Information==
See '''[[Chambal Rail Bridge]]'''
<br> and '''[[Great Indian Peninsula Railway]]''' from 1900
== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Railways]]
[[Category:State Railways]]
