GARBAGE
RAILWAY OF CALCUTTA
Other
than the normal railways, there was also Industrial Railways in the latter half
of 19th Century meant for being used mainly on temporary building projects.
However,
there was a such a railway system inside Calcutta city having Broad Gauge Track
operated by Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC, presently KMC), but to be used
for carrying the refuse of Calcutta to a dumping ground at Dhapa, (then known
as the Square Mile). Commonly known as 'Rubbish' or 'Garbage' train, this
Railway system was officially known as “The Municipal Railway, Calcutta”.
The
line ran from Bag Bazar on the Hooghly River to Circular Road and down its
whole length as far as Theatre Road. There were two junctions opposite Dharamtala
Street (Entally crossing), where the line travelled off east towards the Square
Mile. These formed a triangular junction with the Square Mile branch. The line
then followed the outfall sewer canal, passing the workshops and shed at
Entally. It then carried on down passed the drainage pumping station at Tangra
and followed the line of the high level sewer, past the Municipal Slaughter
House and on to the Square Mile. There were six platforms on the system where
refuse was transferred from carts to railway wagons.
The
system opened in 1868 when there were eight miles of track. By 1895 there were
23 miles of track, including sidings. As well as carrying the city refuse and
offal from the slaughterhouse, the system was also used to deliver
road-building materials to various Corporation depots around the system, there
were on average 15 wagons used for this purpose.
After the closure of the present 'Swabhumi'
area, the dumping place was shifted to the area opposite Science City where
present day Energy Park/PC Chandra Garden have come up.
I have personal knowledge about it
in that, My father was posted at Central Medical Stores, Govt. of West Bengal
Health Department from 1955 to1957,
hence I stayed at the Residential Building attached to the opposite Dental
College as a boy of 7 years in 1955. I remember clearly that there was a single
Broad gauge Line alongside Lower Circular Road (now AJC Bose Road) on the side
of NRS Medical College & Hospital wherein such a train pulled by Steam
Engine with 2 to 3 Boggies containing waste used to run once or twice a day up
to the place where the then Famous "Rather Mela" of Entally used to
be held at Dharamtola Crossing. I used to see running of this train from the first
floor window.
The Tram
Line was in the centre of the Road at that time. After closure of the Dhapa
Train, the Tram line was shifted to its present position (besides NRS).
It is
unknown when the system closed; it would appear to be sometime in the mid
1970s.
[
Reference : Discussions in the Forum of IRFCA (Indian Railway Fan Club)]
It is mentioned at this juncture
that there was a Tram Depot in front of Sealdah Station, part of which is now
under Fly over and the remaining part is the present Car Parking Area..The Tram
Routes passing through this area were as follows as far as I could recall,
there might be one or two more routes :
1.Ballygunge - Park Circus - Dharamtala
- Sealdah - Harrison Road - Howrah Bridge – Howrah Stn.
(Route No. 24 or 25 -the other route
being Ballygunge - Park Circus - Elliot Road - Esplanade - High Court - Strand
Road - Howrah Stn.)
2. Route No. 12 : Galif Street -
Shyambazar - Rajabazar - Sealdah - Dharamtala Street - Esplanade - High Court -
Strand Road - Howrah Stn.
3. (Route No. forgotten) : Galif
Street - Shyambazar - Rajabazar - Sealdah - Dalhousi Square via Bowbazar
(This route is existing even today,
but the sector Sealdah - Dalhousi Square via Bowbazar has been replaced by
Amharst Street - Bowbazar - Dalhousi Square.)
4. Sealdah - Dalhousi Square via
Bowbazar.
Very interesting. Is their a possible route on current day which can connect sealdah stn to dhapa?
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. Is their a possible route on current day which can connect sealdah stn to dhapa?
ReplyDeleteNo, sir. Thanks for your interest. Please also go through other interesting topics of old days in this Blog of mine.
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ReplyDeleteI am an octogenarian and I have memories of the Garbage Train passing daily just in front of my paternal aunt's house on Upper Circular Road at its crossing with Gorpar Road. At about 11 am every day with a shrill whistle the trainwith three wagons hauled by a steam engine used to run along the tracks right upto Dhapa. We, the children, loved the sight of the train which was nicknamed Dhapa Mail. There were 'stations' on the way where the train stopped to load the garbage collected from local areas. I have been frantically looking for an image of this train from Old Calcutta websites but have not succeeded so far
ReplyDeleteI have to add I am speaking of 1940's when I was a ten-year old boy
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