Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Industry | Railways |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1882 |
| Defunct | 1 January 1943 |
| Successor | Oudh and Tirhut Railway |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Northern India |
| Services | Rail transport |
Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway (R&KR) was a metre-gauge railway in India covering a total network of 592 miles (953 km).[1] It was owned and worked by the Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway Company (registered 6 October 1882). The Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway was transferred to the Government of India and merged into the Oudh and Tirhut Railway on 1 January 1943.
Lines operated by R&KR
The company was founded in 1883 by the Scottish railway engineer Alexander Izat who was also the Company Director until 1904.[2]
The original main line from Bhojeepura (near Bareilly) opened in 1884 and ran 54 miles (87 km) in a north-westerly direction to Kathgodam. The railway was progressively extended, and by 1912 its network covered 256 miles (412 km). It also worked the 296 miles (476 km) long Lucknow-Bareilly State Railway.[1]
The R&KR was company owned and worked from formation in 1882. In 1883 Alexander Izat was appointed Director. Prior to this he was employed by the Railway Branch - Public Works Department (PWD) where he had served in various parts of India and was instrumental in initiating and carrying out many metre-gauge extensions.[3] He represented R&KR at the Indian Railway Conference Association and remained as Director, until his retirement in 1904. In 1918 he is recorded as being R&KR Chairman with headquarters in London.[4]
The R&KR remained a private company until nationalisation in 1943, when it was amalgamated with the Bengal and North-Western Railway (B&NWR), with which it had been closely associated, and the Lucknow-Bareilly State Railway, to form the Oudh and Tirhut Railway (O&TR). In turn, in 1952, the Oudh and Tirhut Railway became part of 'North Eastern Railway', a zone of Indian Railways.
The R&KR had working agreements with both the metre-gauge Lucknow-Bareilly State Railway and the narrow-gauge Powayan Light Railway. The three railways used shared facilities but retained separate identities.
- Bhojeepura-Kathgodam R&KR Mainline from Bhojeepura (near Bareilly) to Kathgodam, 1884; 54 miles (87 km)[4]
- Kasganj Extension Line from Bareilly to Soron, 1885; to Kasganj, 1906; 63 miles (101 km)[4]
- Ramnagar Extension Line from Moradabad to Ramnagar, 1907–8; 48 miles (77 km)[4]
- Kashipur Extension Line from Lalkua to Kashipur, 1907; 36 miles (58 km)[4]
- Shahjahanpur Extension Line from Pilibhit 1911; reaching Shahjahanpur 1916; 56 miles (90 km)[4]
- Lucknow-Bareilly State Railway, from 1891, a metre-gauge railway, which formed an alternative Northern Loop between the cities of Lucknow and Bareilly to the broad-gauge main line of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway. The metre-gauge network of 198 miles (319 km) in 1891 was extended to 312 miles (502 km) by 1914.[4]
- Powayan Light Railway, from 17 December 1900, a 2-foot-6-inch (760 mm) narrow-gauge line of 39 miles (63 km) length.[4]
- Philibhit-Sitapur Railway, sanctioned for survey in 1905–1906; metre-gauge line from Pilibhit-Bisalpur to Shahjahanpur and then to Sitapur, a length of about 105 miles (169 km).[5] The 'Philibhit - Shahjahanpur Section’ was constructed by R&KR as Shahjahanpur Extension Lin, opened 1911-16 - see above; the extension to Sitapur was constructed in 1916.
- Dudhwa Branch Extension and Ramnager Ghat Extension, proposed in 1895 by the Agents, the R&KR, on behalf of the Lucknow-Bareilly State Railway (LBSR).[5]
- Pilibhit-Barmedo Branch, surveyed in 1903 by the Agents, the R&KR, on behalf of the Lucknow-Bareilly State Railway (LBSR)[5]
Rolling stock
In 1936, the company owned 76 locomotives, 230 coaches and 2845 goods wagons.[6]
Classification
It was labeled as a Class I railway according to Indian Railway Classification System of 1926.[7][8]
