Gondal State Railway

{{Short description|West Bengal 24 Pargana}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}

{{Use Indian English|date=February 2018}}

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|foundation = 1911

|location_city = Gondal

|location_country = British India

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|area_served = Gondal State

|industry = Railways

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|services = Rail transport

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The Gondal State Railway (GSR) was a metre gauge railway owned by the Gondal State.

History

The line opened in 1881 and originally worked by the Bhavnagar–Gondal–Junagad–Porbandar Railway. From 1911, the line formed the nucleus of a new system, working jointly with the Porbandar State Railway (PSR) thus forming the Gondal–Porbandar Railway. In 1919, GSR took over the sole working of the PSR. Khijadiya–Dhari Railway opened in 1913 was a metre gauge railway, part of GSR and owned by the State of Gondal. In 1948, GSR became a part of Saurashtra Railway.

Personnel

No staff lists have ever been found. The following personnel are recorded as 'on loan' from the Public Works Department (PWD).

  • Richard Gardiner Lieut-Col. R.E. from PWD, 1887, Manager and Engineer-in-Chief of 'Bhavnagar-Gondal Railway' until retirement in 1893.[https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=b2NPAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en_GB&pg=GBS.PA499 Google Books " India List and India Office List, 1905" page 499 (pdf page 462)] Retrieved on 30 May 2016
  • Willoughby Verner Constable, 1887, Officiating Manager of 'Bhavnagar and Gondal States Railways'.[https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=b2NPAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en_GB&pg=GBS.PA466 Google Books " India List and India Office List, 1905" page 466 (pdf page 429)] Retrieved on 17 May 2016
  • Ernest Ifill Shadbolt, PWD Assistant Engineer from 1874 to 1884 'services lent to Bhavnagar and Gondal States' Railways.[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:The_Indian_Biographical_Dictionary.djvu/430 "Indian Biographical Dictionary" 1915 page 390]; Retrieved on 30 May 2016
  • Horace Chaloner Knox, 1890, Executive Engineer employed with 'Bhavnagar-Gondal-Junagad-Porbandar Railway'.India Civil List 1890, page 41

Rolling stock

In 1936, the company owned 23 locomotives, 114 coaches and 510 goods wagons.{{cite book |title=World Survey of Foreign Railways |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HxHLQGfxDa0C&pg=RA16-PA17 |year=1936 |publisher=Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C.|language=English |page=222}}

Classification

It was labeled as a Class II railway according to Indian Railway Classification System of 1926.{{cite web| title=Indian Railway Classification | url=https://wiki.fibis.org/w/Indian_Railway_Classification | access-date=10 November 2022| language=en}}{{cite book |title=World Survey of Foreign Railways |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HxHLQGfxDa0C&pg=RA16-PA15 |year=1936 |publisher=Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C.|language=English |pages=220–223}}

Conversion to broad gauge

The network was converted to {{RailGauge|1676mm|lk=on}} {{Track gauge|5ft6in|lk=on}} broad gauge progressively in 2010s.{{cite web| url = http://www.wr.indianrailways.gov.in/cris/uploads/files/1420720241378-1417152483241-Project%20updated%20net%20upto%2027.11.14.pdf |title = Western Railways new lines|first=|last=| accessdate = 2018-04-30}}

See also

References