PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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TILLHC.O. 882
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
68
usual limits; but if any great saving in outlay could be effected by adopting a radius of 50 feet, it might be done in a few places (until very recently and for some five years a curve 42 feet 6 inches radius of more than half a circle has been worked over on the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway without any mishap whatever).
8. It need hardly be stated that the cost of construction of mountain railways in particular also depends very much on the width of the track, for instance forming a track 8 feet wide on a fairly bluff face, say i in 10, costs only half as much as forming one a little over 11 feet wide, and only one-fourth as much both in time and money as one 16 feet wide, and time is worth much with such works.
9. I would further beg to bring to the prominent notice of your Government that the main gain derived from the system adopted on the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, and which is much favoured by the very narrow gauge, is that the bulk of the paying load is carried with a dead weight of less than to 4; that is to say, a truck weighing 24 maunds carries 100 maunds of paying load. With your broad gauge I presume you have a truck weighing 5 tons to carry 8, but of this I am seeking particulare.
10. With regard to the financial results of working the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, and which appear to be much questioned, the accompanying printed statement will show that we have earned steadily and continuously 7 per cent. on the total outlay, although capital and revenue have been most unusually absorbed by costly agencies and establishments and for creating reserve funds.
11. The draft report enclosed giving the results of the last half year's working showS that a dividend of nearly 5 per cent. for the half year has been earned, although only a considerable balance to be carried forward. 4 per cent. has been declared, leaving The report also shows that the working expenses have a tendency to decrease very satisfactorily.
12. I may mention that as the result of a very careful investigation recently made at the request of the Government directors, it was ascertained that the probable life of onr rails would be 60 years on the sharpest curves, and I am glad to say that so far, and after five years' running over, there is no sign of their surfaces being reduced to powder," and this should be so with little more than the paying load carried over them.
13. I am preparing a paper giving details of the mode of construction and working of the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, a copy of which I hope to have the pleasure of sending you in a mail or so, but I trust that the proposals submitted in paragraph 4 of this will create the confidence required for your Government to advance in the way advocated by Sir William Gregory.
14. I am seeking from the railway officials of your Government the necessary informa- tion to enable me to ascertain the cost of carrying per ton per mile by the two different gauges, and which I think will show that for such mountain lines as I understand your Government requires, that the narrow gauge will be the cheapest to construct, work, and more particularly to maintain.
15. I beg to forward a description of the "Climber," and as the engine has double the piston power, and more thin double the power of adhesion of the locomotives that are working on the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, they should without doubt haul double the load; and with your imported steam coal, the piston power might be increased some 20 per cent., by which, with the easier gradient, 50 tons of paying load should be carried. I will, however, guarantee 40.
16. I beg to enclose for perusal, a note on the comparative cost of hauling per ton per mile of paying load by such a mountain railway as the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway and by the Rigi system, and which sets forth the advantages of carrying a large proportion of paying load to dead weight.
17. I trust that the foregoing will enable your Government to come to a decision on the very important matter of the extension of your railways, but if you require any further special details, please request that they shall be supplied.
I have, &c. (Signed) F. PRITAGE.
TELEGRAM sent on the 9th April 1886.
From PRESTAGE to THE SECRETtary to Government Department of Public Works. WRITING undertaking to construct your railway extension to Uva, 2 feet gauge to carry 500 tons daily each way, 40 tons paying load carried per train, for 1,8007. per mile and 177. per ton per mile of paying load to be provided, a substantial track to formation level 8 feet wide only to be provided.
F. P.
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Enclosure 2 in No. 5.
DARJEELING-HIMALAYAN and Ceylon RailwaYS.
The CHIEF RESIDENT Engineer, Nanu-oya Railway, to the Hon. the COLONIAL SECRETARY.
No. 47.
Dimbula, Kotagala, April 17, 1886.
SJR,
As desired in your demi-official note of the 5th instant, I have the honour to report that I have prepared a memorandum, with four tables, in which I have analysed the revenue accounts of the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway for the year 1884, and com- pared them with similar figures relating to the Ceylon Government Railways generally, and to the Nánu-oya Railway, for the same year.
2. As it is possible that this memorandum may be required by the Railway Commission, which is, I understand, now concluding its sittings, I have sent it direct to the Hon. the Lieutenant-Governor, at Nuwara Eliya, to whom also I have forwarded a copy of this letter.
I have, &c. (Signed) F. J. WARING,
Chief Resident Engineer.
MEMORANDUM by the Chief Resident Engineer, Nánu-oya Railway, upon certain statistics relating to the construction and working of the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway for the year 1884, with a comparison between these and similar figures relating to the. Ceylon Government railways generally, and the Nánu-oya Railway in particular, for the same year.
1. I would premise that all my information connected with the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, except where otherwise specially mentioned, has been extracted from the "Administration Report on the Railways in India for 1884-85," prepared for presentation to the Houses of Parliament by the Director-General of Indian Railways, and from the "Statement of Indian Railways constructed and in progress on 31st March 1885," prepared by the same officer. It may, therefore, be taken as being from the most trust- worthy source possible. Similarly, all the figures and information relating to the working of the Ceylon railways are derived from the Administration reports of the Engineer and Finance and Traffic Manager for the year 1884, or from the published tables of rates and fares, and other authentic sources.
2. The Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, which is described as an "assisted railway,”. probably principally on account of the permission accorded to the Railway Company to make use of the Government road on which to construct the railway, for in the reports just referred to I find no mention of a direct money grant, either in the shape of a con- tribution to the capital, or of a guarantee of certain dividends, was originally known as the "Darjeeling Steam Tramway," and was constructed under the auspices of the Government of Bengal, with a Provincial guarantee that the gross receipts would amount to Rs. 200,000. To this safe extent only was the Government apparently committed; for, even bad the whole of the receipts been absorbed in the cost of working, no liability would have been incurred so long as the gross earnings exceeded this sum.
Assuming the permission to make the railway on the cart road to have been the sole assistance granted to the Company, I will hereafter consider how great an aid this must necessarily have been.
3. The length of the line from Siliguri on the Northern Bengal State Railway (2984 miles from Calcutta) to Kurseong and Darjeeling is given in the reports sometimes as 50, and sometimes as 51 miles, the latter length being described as "due to a correction of mileage." I have in the following calculations assumed the length to be 50 miles, that being the distance upon which most, if not all, of the figures in the reports are based.
The various sections were opened for traffic on the following dates:-
Siliguri to Kurseong, 23rd August 1880 Kurseong to Sonáda, 1st February 1881 Sonáda to Jore Bungalow 5th April 1881 Jore Bungalow to Darjeeling 4th July, 1881
Total
32 miles.
-
10 "
•
6
"3
G
51
3
39
"
i 23925.