Gwalior Light Railway

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Last edited June 19, 2021


Template:Infobox rail line

Gwalior Light Railway (GLR) or Maharaja Railway[1] was a Template:Track gauge narrow-gauge railway network in Gwalior. It was set up for Gwalior State during the times of British India.[2] Until its closure in 2020, the railway was the longest Template:TrackGauge gauge railway in the world.[1]

History

File:Gwalior Light Railway train.png
Train at Gwalior Station in 1904
File:Gwalior 1914 showing light railway.jpg
Gwalior in 1914 with the Gwalior Light Railway highlighted in red

The Gwalior Light Railway was built by the Maharaja Madho Rao Scindia of the Gwalior State.[3] It was originally a 14-mile long private tramway.[4] Construction began in 1895 of the 53 mile Gwalior–Bhind line.[5] By 1897 it was 34 miles long and was used to bring in supplied to relieve the famine.[4] Both this section and the Gwalior–Shivpuri section opened on 2 December 1899 by Lord Curzon the Viceroy of India.[4] The Gwalior-Joura branch opened on 1 January 1904 and on 12 January 1904 the extension to Sabalgarh was opened. A further extension to Birpur opened on 1 November 1908 and the full line to Sheopur opened on 15 June 1909.[5] In October 1900, the Indian Midland Railway Company agreed to operate the railway on behalf of the Maharaja.[6]

In 1942, the Gwalior Light Railway was renamed the Scindia State Railway. In 1951, the system was purchased by the Central Railway.[7]

The railway was initially worked with steam locomotives, but later diesel locomotives were used. There was a plan to electrify the railway in the 1920s from a generating station below the Nanakura Dam, but this scheme was abandoned.[8]

Permanent way

The track was Template:Convert flat-bottomed steel rails laid on a mix of Sal wood and iron sleepers. The minimum radius curve on the line was Template:Convert and the steepest gradient was 1 in 40.[9]

Locomotives

Number Builder Works number Image Wheel arrangement Date built Date scrapped Notes
Kerr, Stuart and Company File:Gawlior Light Railway original locomotive.png Template:Whyte 1893 The railway's original locomotive[3]
1 Kerr, Stuart and Company File:Gwalior Light Railway, Kerr Stuart locos.png Template:Whyte [3]
2 Kerr, Stuart and Company Template:Whyte [3]
3 Kerr, Stuart and Company Template:Whyte [3]
4 Kerr, Stuart and Company Template:Whyte [3]
5 Kerr, Stuart and Company Template:Whyte 1904 [3]
6 Kerr, Stuart and Company Template:Whyte 1904 [3]
7 Kerr, Stuart and Company File:Gwalior Light Railway locomotive No. 7.png Template:Whyte 1904 [3]
8 Kerr, Stuart and Company Template:Whyte 1904 [3]
9 Kerr, Stuart and Company Template:Whyte 1904 [3]
10 Kerr, Stuart and Company Template:Whyte 1904 [3]
11 Kerr, Stuart and Company Template:Whyte 1904 [3]
12 Kerr, Stuart and Company Template:Whyte 1904 [3]
18 Kerr, Stuart and Company Template:Whyte 1915 [10]
Kerr, Stuart and Company File:Gwalior Light Railway Kerr Stuart locomotive.png Template:Whyte 1917 [11]
26 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4400 Template:Whyte 1928 [12]
27 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4401 Template:Whyte 1928 [12]
28 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4402 Template:Whyte 1928 [12]
29 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4403 Template:Whyte 1928 [12]
34 W. G. Bagnall 2453 Template:Whyte 1931 [13]
35 W. G. Bagnall 2454 Template:Whyte 1931 [13]
36 W. G. Bagnall 2455 Template:Whyte 1931 [13]
37 W. G. Bagnall 2456 Template:Whyte 1931 [13]
38 W. G. Bagnall 2457 Template:Whyte 1931 [13]Preserved on the Vale of Rheidol Light Railway[14]
39 W. G. Bagnall 2458 Template:Whyte 1931 [13]
40 W. G. Bagnall 2459 Template:Whyte 1931 [13]
41 W. G. Bagnall 2460 Template:Whyte 1931 [13]Preserved on the Vale of Rheidol Light Railway[14]
42 Baldwin Locomotive Works 74071 Template:Whyte 1948 1995 [15]NH/4 class
43 Baldwin Locomotive Works Template:Whyte 1948 [15]NH/4 class. Preserved.
44 Baldwin Locomotive Works Template:Whyte 1948 1995 [15]NH/4 class
45 Baldwin Locomotive Works Template:Whyte 1948 1995 [15]NH/4 class
Nippon Sharyo Template:Whyte 1959 NH/5 class
Nippon Sharyo Template:Whyte 1959 NH/5 class
Nippon Sharyo Template:Whyte 1959 NH/5 class
Nippon Sharyo Template:Whyte 1959 NH/5 class

Conversion to broad gauge

The Gwalior–Bhind section and the Gwalior–Shivpuri section were converted to Template:Track gauge broad gauge in the early 2010s. The Gwalior–Sheopur Kalan section is under conversion to Template:Track gauge broad gauge as of 2020.[16][17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 MP's heritage railway track to fade away into history, Poornima, M.(3 September 2015).
  2. ↑ From the heats of Gwalior, Gwalior Light Railway. Gwalior Plus.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 Locomotives working the Gwalior Light Railways. Locomotive, Railway Carriage and Wagon Review(15 September 1905).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 [{{{url}}} Viceroy tiger shooting]. Bromyard News(7 December 1899).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Appendix 9: History of railways constructed and in progress{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}(1913)
  6. ↑ Report on Indian Railway{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Manager of Publications(1902)
  7. ↑ Gwalior Lines, Bhandari, R.R.. Indian Railways Fan Club.
  8. ↑ The Parbati River Project{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}(1922)
  9. ↑ The railway year book{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Railway Publishing Co., Ltd.(1903)
  10. ↑ [{{{url}}} 2-8-2 Locomotives, Gwalior Light Railway]. Locomotive Magazine(15 August 1916).
  11. ↑ An Indian Light Railway Locomotive. The Railway Magazine(1917).
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 [{{{url}}} Locomotive for the Gwalior Light Railways]. The Railway Gazette(19 April 1929).
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 [{{{url}}} Two-Foot Gauge Locomotive for India]. The Engineer(5 February 1932).
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Vale of Rheidol Railway Museum Collection. Vale of Rheidol Railway.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Vital statistics of locomotive No. 43 built by Baldwin Locomotive Works (NH/4 757) for Scindia State Railway (later Gwalior Light Railway).. Indian Railways Fan Club.
  16. ↑ Heritage narrow gauge rail track to chug into history
  17. ↑ Western Railway is killing off the last of its 'toy trains'

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