9,628
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
quote <blockquote> ‘The Western Rajputana Railway, completed in 1879, passed some little distance away, with a metalled (or broken stone) running between the town and the station.’ </blockquote>
==Records==
An on-line search of the [[India Office Records]] (IOR) records held at the [[British Library]] relating to this railway <ref>[http://searcharchives.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=IAMS_VU2 “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - Search]; Retrieved 15 Apr 2016</ref>
gives the following:-
*V/24/3588; “India. Public Works Department: Annual progress report of the Western Rajputana State Railway, 1874/75”
*R/V/24/3590; "Public Works Department: Railways" which includes "Annual progress report of the Western Rajputana State Railway, 1878/79”
''These records have not been examined.''
no edit summary
The '''Western Rajputana State Railway'''was surveyed 1873-75 and completed in stages from 1878-79. The metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]) line ran from the town of [[Beawur]] to [[Ahmadabad]], a distance of 272 miles(438km).
[[File: Western Rajputana State Railway.png|thumb| Western Rajputana State Railway]]==Background==The ‘[[Rajputana State Railway]]’(RSR) had extended their metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|Metre Gauge line]]) as far as [[Ajmer]] in 1875 with the aim to reach [[Ahmadabad]] and to connect to the Broad Gauge ([[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]]) of the [[Bombay, Baroda and Central India Office RecordsRailway]](IORBB&CIR). The RSR further extended their line from [[Ajmer]] as far as Beawur, see below32 miles(51km) which opened in May 1878, show that <ref name=Admin>[https://archive.org/stream/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System#page/n31/mode/1up “Administration Report on Railways 1918” page 22 (pdf31) ]; Retrieved 8 May 2019</ref>. ==History==The '''Western Rajputana State Railway''' was apparently created as a separate State Railway in order to complete the connection from Beawur to [[Ahmadabad]]. Surveys were undertaken by the [[Railway Branch - PWD|Railway Branch of the Public Works Department - Railway Branch]] over the years 1873-75 as the ‘Administration Report’ <ref>British Library Indian Office Records V/24/3588 No 566 ‘Report from the Engineer-in-Chief, Western Rajputana State Railway existed , 1875’ </ref> by Mr James Collet, Engineer-in 1874-75 Chief, Western Rajputana State Railway, with the following personnel mentioned as being involved in the surveys:-*Captain Bond, replaced by Mr Jenkinson - Marwar Chord line and the upper portion of the Aboo'' (Abu)'' Division*Mr Parker, assisted by Mr Cloete and Mr Hogarth with Mr Coppin - Sendra Pass Division of the Arawali range *Mr W W Clarke, assisted by Mr W Scott with input from Lieut Turner R.E.- Sindhpore'' (Siddhpur)'' and certainly up Ahmedabad Divisions The ‘India List’ records:-* [[Henry Bawn Addis]] from the [[Public Works Department]] as Assistant Engineer to this railway <ref> [https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=b2NPAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en_GB&pg=GBS.PA424 Google Books " India List and India Office List, 1905" page 424 (pdf page 387 )] Retrieved on 23 May 2016</ref>. The following is from the 1879 Report <ref>British Library Indian Office Records V/24/3590 ‘Administration Report of the Western Rajputana State Railway, Northern Section, 1878-7979’ </ref> by Mr A C Cregeen, Engineer-in-Chief, Western Rajputana State Railway, Northern Section:-<blockquote>the ‘Northern Section’ consisted three divisions Sendra, Godwar and Marwar. Its total length from Beawur to Bhimana where it joins the Southern Section is 148 miles, 18 miles of this length i.e. the portion between Beawur and Raipore was opened for, Traffic on the 11th August 1879. </blockquote>
There is a brief reference in a diary of that time referring to the town of [[Palanpur]]
<ref>[https://books.google.fr/books?id=0c_gCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT199&lpg=PT199&dq=Western+Rajputana+State+Railway,&source=bl&ots=8Zy428_2qv&sig=7oLBCizEEKz6jg2Q7b4eh46QE0M&hl=fr&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwimo5rQkqzKAhVG6RQKHV4hCPYQ6AEIWDAI#v=onepage&q=Western%20Rajputana%20State%20Railway%2C&f=false Google Books “Joan in India” by Suzanne Falkiner; Chapter 10 “Portrait of a Princely State in the Nineteenth Century”]; Retrieved 15 Apr 2016</ref>
''No other information has been found and examination of the IOR records should provide more information.''
==Later History==It seems most likely that the Western ‘Western Rajputana State Railway’ was merged into the ‘[[Rajputana State Railway ]]’, probably upon opening in 1879.<br>The railway was amalgamated Into the '''[[Rajputana-Malwa State Railway]]'''(RMSR) which was created in 1881-82, joining under single management, existing State Railways:-
*[[Rajputana State Railway]]
*[[Holkar State Railway]]
*[[Neemuch Nasirabad State Railway]]
All these railways were worked by '''[[Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway]]'''(BB&CIR) , a State RailwaysRailway.
In 1900 the RMSR was merged into the [[Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway]](BB&CIR), becoming the latter's Metre Gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]) section; known as Ratlam Division of BB&CIR.
== References ==
