Robert Maitland Brereton
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Robert Maitland Brereton (1834-1911)
A British engineer, Robert Maitland Brereton, was responsible for the expansion of the railways from 1857 onwards. [1].
Railway Achievements
- 1857, Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR), Assistant Engineer to Robert W Graham [2].
- 1858 January, Brereton escaped death twice when his camp at the 'Sake River' near Nandgaon was attacked and looted by a band of 500 Bhils, during the unrest associated with the Indian Mutiny [2] [3]
- Brereton was eventually appointed GIPR Chief Engineer and undertook to complete the strategic connection across the continent. This was accomplished in 1870, ahead of the promised schedule [2].
- The Allahabad-Jabalpur branch line of the East Indian Railway (EIR) had been opened in June 1867 [1].
- 1870, Brereton was responsible for linking the GIPR to the EIR with the GIPR, resulting in a combined network of 6,400 km (4,000 mi). Hence it became possible to travel directly from Bombay to Calcutta [1].
- 1870, Opening the railway from Bombay to Calcutta in March 1870, the Viceroy of India said, "...it may happen that a thousand years hence, Mr. Brereton's ghost may still hover with anxious solicitude over the unbroken piers of the Trowa Viaduct.." [2] (after inaugeration in 1870 known as the Alfred Viaduct).
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Wikipedia "Indian Railways - History" Retrieved on 25 Jun 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Grace's Guide "Robert Maitland Brereton" Retrieved on 25 Jun 2016
- ↑ "Reminiscences of an old English civil engineer, 1858-1908" by Robert Maitland Brereton page 8 and pages 49-53 Retrieved on 1 Jul 2016