Matheran Hill Railway
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Matheran Hill Railway is a heritage railway in Maharashtra, India. It was built between 1901 and 1907 by Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy, financed by his father Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy of Adamjee Group at the cost of Rs.16,00,000.[1] The railway covers a distance of 20 kilometres (12.67 miles), over large swathes of forest territory connecting Neral to Matheran in the Western Ghats hills near Karjat and Mumbai.
The railway is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway, with tight curves and 1 in 20 (5%) grades. Consulting engineer Everard Calthrop designed a 0-6-0T with an ingenious flexible wheel base, four of which were supplied by Orenstein & Koppel.
Neral also has a broad gauge station which is on the busy Mumbai-Pune route.
The railways comes under the Central Railways and is being promoted as a future World Heritage Site.
The railway was closed by flood damage during 2005 and was not expected to re-open before April 2007.[2] Contrary to those expectations, the first run on the repaired railway was on 5 March 2007.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Locomotives
[edit] Steam locomotives
| MHR No. | ISR No. | Builder | Builders No. | Date | Current Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 738 | O & K | 1766 | 1905 | Bombay |
| 2 | 739 | O & K | 2342 | 1907 | Delhi |
| 3 | 740 | O & K | 2343 | 1907 | U.K. (LBR) |
| 4 | 741 | O & K | 1767 | 1905 | Matheran |
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway No. 794 was transferred here in 2001
[edit] Diesel locomotives
| ISR No. | Class | Builder | Builders No. | Date | Current Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | NDM1 | Jung | 12108 | 1956 | Not Known | From Kalka Shimla Railway |
| 501 | NDM1 | Jung | 12109 | 1956 | In Service | Originally No.750 |
| 502 | NDM1 | Jung | 12110 | 1956 | Not Known | Originally No.751 |
| 503 | NDM1 | Jung | 12111 | 1956 | Dismantled | Originally No.752 |
| 504 | NDM1 | Jung | 12105 | 1956 | Not Known | From Kalka Shimla Railway |
| 505 | NDM1 | Jung | 12107 | 1956 | Dismantled | From Kalka Shimla Railway |
| 505 | NDM1 | Jung | 12107 | 1956 | Not Known | From Kalka Shimla Railway |
| 600 | NDM6 | ? | ? | ? | In Service | visible in Railworld photos |
Currently Class NDM1 and NDM6 locomotives are in use.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Railworld - Photographs
- Neral Matheran Light Railway - Photographs of 2005 monsoon damage
- Matheran
- International Working Steam
- Neral Matheran toy train’s track record
- Aerial photo of the train
