Gwalior–Kota railway line

Gwalior–Kota Railway Line
Overview
OwnerNorth Central Railway
LocaleMadhya Pradesh, Rajasthan
Termini
Service
OperatorNorth Central Railway
History
Opened2029
Technical
Line length284 km (176 mi)
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationYes

The Gwalior–Kota railway line is a proposed railway route connecting Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh with Kota in Rajasthan via Sheopur Kalan. The project includes the conversion of the existing Gwalior–Sheopur Kalan railway line from narrow gauge to broad gauge and the construction of a new broad-gauge line from Sheopur Kalan to Kota. Connecting Gwalior region to Bundelkhand region and with Rajasthan. The proposed route will establish a direct railway connection between Gwalior, Sheopur and Kota and provide an alternative rail link between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

History

Logo from 1942 until 1947
Train at Gola ka Mandir Railway Station, Gwalior in 1904
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. It was originally a 14-mile long private tramway. Construction began in 1895 of the 53 mile Gwalior–Bhind line. By 1897 it was 34 miles long and was used to bring in supplies to relieve the famine. Both this section and the Gwalior–Shivpuri section opened on 2 December 1899 by Lord Curzon the Viceroy of India. 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. In October 1900, the Indian Midland Railway Company agreed to operate the railway on behalf of the Maharaja.

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

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.

Permanent way

The track was 30 lb/yd (15 kg/m) flat-bottomed steel rails laid on a mix of Sal wood and iron sleepers. The minimum radius curve on the line was 955 feet (291 m) and the steepest gradient was 1 in 40.

Locomotives

Number Builder Works number Image Wheel arrangement Date built Date scrapped Notes
Kerr, Stuart and Company 0-4-2T 1893 The railway's original locomotive
1 Kerr, Stuart and Company 0-6-4T
2 Kerr, Stuart and Company 0-6-4T
3 Kerr, Stuart and Company 0-6-4T
4 Kerr, Stuart and Company 0-6-4T
5 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4-6-0 1904
6 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4-6-0 1904
7 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4-6-0 1904
8 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4-6-0 1904
9 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4-6-0 1904
10 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4-6-0 1904
11 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4-6-0 1904
12 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4-6-0 1904
18 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4-6-0 1915
Kerr, Stuart and Company 2-8-2 1917
26 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4400 2-8-2 1928
27 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4401 2-8-2 1928
28 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4402 2-8-2 1928
29 Kerr, Stuart and Company 4403 2-8-2 1928
34 W. G. Bagnall 2453 4-6-2 1931
35 W. G. Bagnall 2454 4-6-2 1931
36 W. G. Bagnall 2455 4-6-2 1931
37 W. G. Bagnall 2456 4-6-2 1931
38 W. G. Bagnall 2457 4-6-2 1931 Preserved on the Vale of Rheidol Light Railway
39 W. G. Bagnall 2458 4-6-2 1931
40 W. G. Bagnall 2459 4-6-2 1931
41 W. G. Bagnall 2460 4-6-2 1931 Preserved on the Vale of Rheidol Light Railway
42 Baldwin Locomotive Works 74071 2-8-2 1948 1995 NH/4 class
43 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-8-2 1948 NH/4 class. Preserved.
44 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-8-2 1948 1995 NH/4 class
45 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-8-2 1948 1995 NH/4 class
Nippon Sharyo 2-8-2 1959 NH/5 class
Nippon Sharyo 2-8-2 1959 NH/5 class
Nippon Sharyo 2-8-2 1959 NH/5 class
Nippon Sharyo 2-8-2 1959 NH/5 class

Rolling stock

In 1936, the company owned 28 locomotives, 90 coaches and 363 goods wagons.

Classification

It was labeled as a Class III railway according to Indian Railway Classification System of 1926.

Conversion to broad gauge

The Gwalior–Bhind section and the Gwalior–Shivpuri section were converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge in the early 2010s. The Gwalior–Sheopur Kalan section is under conversion to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge as of 2020.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Locomotives working the Gwalior Light Railways". Locomotive, Railway Carriage and Wagon Review. 15 September 1905. pp. 153–155.
  2. 1 2 3 "Viceroy tiger shooting". Bromyard News. 7 December 1899.
  3. 1 2 Commonwealth Shipping Committee (1913). Appendix 9: History of railways constructed and in progress. p. 172. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  4. ↑ Report on Indian Railway. Delhi: Manager of Publications. 1902. p. 331.
  5. ↑ Bhandari, R.R. "Gwalior Lines". Indian Railways Fan Club.
  6. ↑ Shiv Narayan (1922). The Parbati River Project. p. 182. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  7. ↑ The railway year book. London: Railway Publishing Co., Ltd. 1903. p. 261.
  8. ↑ "2-8-2 Locomotives, Gwalior Light Railway". Locomotive Magazine. Vol. XXII. 15 August 1916. pp. 153–154.
  9. ↑ "An Indian Light Railway Locomotive". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 41. 1917.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Locomotive for the Gwalior Light Railways". The Railway Gazette. 19 April 1929.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Two-Foot Gauge Locomotive for India". The Engineer. Vol. 153, no. 6. 5 February 1932. pp. 164–165.
  12. 1 2 "Vale of Rheidol Railway Museum Collection". Vale of Rheidol Railway. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "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.
  14. ↑ World Survey of Foreign Railways. Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C. 1936. p. 226.
  15. ↑ "Indian Railway Classification". Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  16. ↑ World Survey of Foreign Railways. Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C. 1936. pp. 223–226d.
  17. ↑ Heritage narrow gauge rail track to chug into history
  18. ↑ Western Railway is killing off the last of its 'toy trains'