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Blog Entry# 1858002
Posted: May 21 2016 (19:50)
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Last Response: May 21 2016 (19:55)
1 Responses
Last Response: May 21 2016 (19:55)
While the early railway proposals were being scrutinised by the directors of East India Company, Britain was going through the battle of gauges. A large portion of British Railways was built with 4' 8.5" gauge whereas Great Western Railway adopted a wider 7' 0" gauge for better stability and larger locomotives. At home, Lord Dalhousie had seen the danger of break of gauge and when he came to India as Governor General, he was already quite aware of the problem. In his historic minutes of July 4, 1850, written at Sini, a hill resort in the North, he discussed at length the necessity of not only selecting a proper gauge but also the imperative need of sticking to a uniform gauge throughout the country. Dalhousie favoured a gauge of 6' 0" width, though the Board of directors had recommended a gauge of 4ft. 8.5" A compromise was struck later and a...
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