Cutch State Railway (CSR) was an isolated

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

railway in

Cutch State Cutch, also spelled Kutch or Kachchh and also historically known as the Kingdom of Kutch, was a kingdom in the Kutch region from 1147 to 1819 and a princely state under British rule from 1819 to 1947. Its territories covered the present day K ...

, one of the

princely states A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...

allied to Britain in India.

History

The railway was financed by the

Maharao Maharao is a variation on the Indian (mainly Hindu) royal title Maharaja, also meaning 'great king' in Hindi. It is composed of ''Maha-'' 'great' and the royal title ''Rao'', a variation on Raja. Ruler title in British India Salute states (all in ...

Khengarji Bawa of

. The laying of first rails started in 1900-01, from

Tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...

to Anjar, which became operational in 1905. The works for lines from Anjar to the then state capital

Bhuj Bhuj () is a Municipality and District Headquarters of Kutch District in the state of Gujarat, India. Etymology According to legend, Kutch was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to Kin ...

started in 1901-02 and completed in 1908. A further addition of 32 miles was done in 1912 from Varsamedi (near Anjar) to

Bhachau Bhachau is a city and a municipality in Kutch district in the state of Gujarat, India. Bhachau was one of many devastated towns in the Kutch region of the Indian state of Gujarat, during the 1956 Anjar earthquake as well as in the 2001 Gujara ...

and further extension of 15 miles up to

Kandla Kandla, now officially Deendayal Port Authority, is a seaport and town in Kutch district of Gujarat state in Western India, near the city of Gandhidham. Located on the Gulf of Kutch, it is one of India's major ports on the west coast. It is ...

port was started at the end of 1930 and completed in 1932.Transportation History of Kutch. Want to know more about it, http://bhujbolechhe.org/en/blog/tarunkant-chhaya/kcchnaa-vaahn-vyavhaarno-itihaasHughes, Hugh 1994 ''Indian Locomotives Pt. 3, Narrow Gauge 1863-1940''. Continental Railway Circle. The narrow gauge lines of CSR were laid by

Mistris of Kutch Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya (also known as Mistri or Mestri) are a minority Hindu and one of the Socially and Educationally Backward communities of Gujarat in India, who claim to be Kshatriyas. They are an artisan community related with Kadia w ...

and the services of British engineers were also employed.''Nanji Bapa Ni Nondh-pothi'' by Dharshi Taunk. (1999) Published from Vadodara. Pg. 90 ''Cutch State Railway'' Contracts done by Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya or Mistris of Kutch : Details : Tuna to Anjar in 1900-01 (lines opened in 1905), Anjar to Bhuj in 1901-02 lines opened in 1908), Varsamedi to Bhachua (line opened in 1912) & to Kandla in 1930 (lines opened in 1932) with names of Mistri Contractors.''Kutch Gurjar Kshatriyas: A brief History and Glory'': by Raja Pawan Jethwa. (2007). Published from Calcutta. Section II: Mileage wise available Details of Railway lines laid. Pages:54-60 The railway was owned, managed and operated by Cutch State. In 1940 the railway carried 300,000 passengers, while the main freight traffic was cotton, grain and sugar. The railway used four small type locomotives, later supplemented by three 25 ton locomotives. The Maharao owned a petrol railcar designed by

Everard Calthrop Everard Richard Calthrop (3 March 1857 – 30 March 1927) was a British railway engineer and inventor. Calthrop was a notable promoter and builder of narrow-gauge railways, especially of narrow gauge, and was especially prominent in India. His ...

, which the Maharao used as a shooting car on his hunting expeditions. The Cutch State Railways continued to operate as separate system (even after independence of India and merger of the

Princely State of Cutch Cutch, also spelled Kutch or Kachchh and also historically known as the Kingdom of Kutch, was a kingdom in the Kutch region from 1147 to 1819 and a princely state under British rule from 1819 to 1947. Its territories covered the present day K ...

) until the railway was merged into the Western Railway on 5 November 1951, at which time the total length was 72 miles.

Rolling stock

In 1936, the company owned 6

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the ...

s, 7 railcars, 15 coaches and 66 goods wagons.

Classification

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

Conversion to broad gauge

The railway has been connected to

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...

and is under conversion to

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union ( C ...

.http://deshgujarat.com/2015/12/06/bhuj-naliya-broad-gauge-conversion-work-kicks-off/ Bhuj Naliya broad gauge conversion work kicks off

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cutch State Railway Transport in Bhuj 2 ft 6 in gauge railways in India Defunct railway companies of India History of rail transport in Gujarat Transport in Kutch district History of Kutch Railway companies established in 1900 Railway companies disestablished in 1951 1951 disestablishments in India Indian companies established in 1900