50-702: Patiala State Monorail Trainways ( PSMT ) was a unique rail-guided, partially road-borne railway system running in Patiala from 1907 to 1927. PSMT was the second monorail system in India, after the Kundala Valley Railway , near Munnar in Kerala , and the only operational locomotive-hauled railway system built using the Ewing System in the world. The Kundala Valley Railway pre-dated this, also using
100-551: A coach of PSMT have been restored, are in running condition and are exhibited in the Indian National Rail Museum , New Delhi . Whether it was the time or the place I do not know, but perhaps the two together conspired to bury this unique little line in the dust of time. I have found little more than brief published mentions of it and some of those were obviously mistaken conjecture. It was so different from other railways and indeed from other monorails that it
150-486: A few years the advent of cars and trucks had the same effect on this line as it did on so many others. In 1927 the line was closed and here again it became unique. While most abandoned rail equipment is soon fed to the scrapper's torch and furnace, the PSMT's equipment was simply walked away from. For 35 years it rested where it was left. If it were not for a Mr. Mike Satow, a historian of things railroady in India, who discovered
200-670: A large number of birds, mammals and vegetation. It has at least 9 mammalian , 154 bird , 35 fish , 9 arthropod , 11 rotifer and 10 protozoan species. This important ecological zone is located in the Shivalik foothills of the Lower Himalayas and was created in 1952 on the Sutlej River, in the Punjab state of India, by building a head regulator. The total area of the wetland is 1,365 hectares (3,370 acres). The wetland
250-579: A mound, known as the Qila Mubarak (meaning "blessed fort"). Ala Singh established the rules for the right of succession based on primogeniture. Ala Singh's successor, Amar Singh, took-on the Raja-i-Rajagan Bahadur title in 1767. Patiala State became a British protectorate in 1809. Patiala State continued to expand during the rule of Ala Singh's two successors, Raja-Rajgan Amar Singh and Maharaja Sahib Singh (the first ruler to hold
300-481: A tramway running along the west side of the road, but does not mention the PSMT by name. Apart from the above, PSMT has not been mentioned in any official documents of that period in India. The railways based on the Ewing System are basically monorails using a balancing wheel for balancing the train. The main load (almost 95%) is borne by the single rail while the rest is borne by the balancing wheel which runs on
350-399: Is believed to have blessed the family, having issued a hukamnama edict on 2 August 1696 addressed to Rama Chand and Tiloka Chand of the family urging them to visit the guru's court and bring with them men and horses. The Sikh guru also gifted Rama and Tiloka a battle-standard and eleven weapons, which is seen as bestowing a special accord onto the family. In 1702, Rama and Tiloka underwent
400-491: Is characterized by general dryness (except in the south west monsoon season), a hot summer and a cold winter. The year may be divided into four seasons . The period from about middle of November to February is the cold season. This is followed by the summer season from March to about the end of June. The south-west monsoon season commences late in June and continues up to about middle of September. The period from mid September to
450-689: Is connected by the National Highway system to the following nearby cities, by the following highway routes: As per 2011 India census , Rupnagar had a population of 56,038. Males constitute 52.8% of the population and females 47.2%. Rupnagar has an average literacy rate of 82.19%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 87.50%, and female literacy is 76.42%. Rupnagar has public as well as private schools which are affiliated to either Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) or Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and follow
500-523: Is found in papers of Colonel Bowles. According to a memorandum dated 2 October 1908, found amongst Colonel Bowles papers, PSMT carried 20,000 passengers in a month on Sirhand – Morinda line. There are no details of the quantity of goods carried. The fare is stated to be 1½ annas for the entire route. The rate for carrying goods is mentioned to be 1 anna per maund (80 lb). There is no account available for fares or number of passenger or quantity of goods carried on Patiala – Sunam line. Around 1912, with
550-772: Is one of the Indus Valley sites along the Ghaggar-Hakra beds. There is an Archaeological Museum in the city which was opened in the year 1998 for general public. The museum exhibits the archaeological remains of excavated site in the city, the first Harappan site of Independent India. These excavations reveal a cultural sequence from Harappan to medieval times. Some of the important exhibits include antiquities of Harappan times, gold coins of Chandragupta and copper and bronze implements. Sardar Hari Singh, Rais of Sialba, conquered Ropar in 1763 and established his state there. His son Sardar Charat Singh made Ropar capital of
SECTION 10
#1732775762765600-586: Is regularly steamed up and runs on Sundays. It is open for public rides on Sundays as well as by special booking in advance. Patiala State Patiala State was a kingdom and princely state in British India , and one of the Phulkian States , that acceded to the Union of India upon Indian independence and partition in 1947. The state was founded by Ala Singh in 1762. Patiala State
650-673: Is surrounded by Shivalik hills to the northwest and by plains to the south and southeast. Rupnagar railway station falls in the Northern Railway zone of the Indian Railways . It is connected to Chandigarh by a single line railway track. It is also connected to Amritsar via Jalandhar , Ludhiana , Morinda , Una (HP) and Nangal Dam . Rupnagar city has a road network to surrounding village and towns in district as well as to major cities including Una , Baddi , Ludhiana , Jalandhar , Chandigarh and Delhi . Rupnagar
700-458: The pahul ceremony at Damdama Sahib , with their Khalsa baptism being conducted by Guru Gobind Singh himself. Thus-after, the family started appending the Singh title to their name. Out of the six sons of Rama, two of them also appended their name with Singh (with one of these two being Ala Singh). Rama Chand was succeeded as head of the family by Ala Singh in 1714. The locality of Patiala
750-643: The raja title, gifting him with a robe-of-honour, nagadas (war drums), and an embrace. In 1763, after the Battle of Sirhind , the Sikh Confederation partitioned the Sirhind area and gave the territory to Ala Singh. The areas in Sirhind, along with Ala Singh's other conquered territories, formed the initial territories of the Patiala state. Also in 1763, Ala Singh constructed a mud-fortress around
800-581: The 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India . Patiala State's historical territory is in the Indian states of Punjab , Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. 31°07′N 77°38′E / 31.117°N 77.633°E / 31.117; 77.633 Ropar Rupnagar ( / ˈ r ʊ p n ə ɡ ər / ; formerly known as Ropar ) is a city and a municipal council in Rupnagar district in
850-657: The First Anglo-Sikh war , which took place between 1845 and 1846, the state expanded again when, in return for its support during the war, the British Empire confiscated land from Nabha State and rewarded it to Patiala State. After 1857 and during the rule of Narinder Singh , Patiala State's territory was expanded for the final time. Narinder Singh's services and the support to the British Empire resulted in Patiala State gaining sovereign rights in
900-465: The Indian state of Punjab . Rupnagar is a newly created fifth Divisional Headquarters of Punjab comprising Rupnagar, Mohali, and its adjoining districts. It is also one of the bigger sites belonging to the Indus Valley civilization . Rupnagar is nearly 43 km (27 mi) to the northwest of Chandigarh (the nearest airport and the capital of Punjab). It is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to
950-459: The Narunal division of Jhajjar , in modern Haryana , and he purchased the taluka of Khamanu. Narinder Singh was also granted administrative jurisdiction over Bhadaur and the annual revenue from the area. In 1809, Patiala State entered into an alliance with the British Empire, whereby the state was given internal autonomy with certain restrictions, and the rulers of Patiala state recognised
1000-623: The British Empire as their suzerains . During the British Raj , the rulers of Patiala State were entitled to a 17- gun salute and held precedence over every other princely state in the Punjab Province . In 1947, Yadavindra Singh , the last Maharaja of Patiala, agreed to the accession of Patiala State into the independent Dominion of India . Members and descendants of the Patiala royal family maintained their princely titles until they were abolished in India in 1971 through
1050-652: The Ewing system between 1902 and 1908, although this only used bullocks for haulage. Following the conversion of the Kundala Valley Railway from a monorail to a narrow gauge railway in 1908, PSMT was the only monorail system in India until its closure in 1927. These were the only instances of a monorail train system in India , until the Mumbai Monorail was opened on 2 February 2014. A locomotive and
SECTION 20
#17327757627651100-659: The Governor-General appointed by the Company. News of the Ropar Meeting reached Bokhara . Rupnagar is located at 30°58′N 76°32′E / 30.97°N 76.53°E / 30.97; 76.53 . It has an average elevation of 260 metres (850 ft). The town lies on the bank of Satluj River and the Shivalik hill range spreads along the opposite bank of the river. The climate of Rupnagar
1150-506: The PSMT project. One of the objects of PSMT was to make use of the 560 mules being maintained by Patiala State. Apart from mules, bullocks were also used to haul the monorail before introduction of steam locomotives on the route of PSMT. A 1908 edition of Imperial Gazetteer of India described the PSMT as "a mono-rail tramway, opened in February, 1907, [which] connects Basi with the railway at Sirhind". An ordnance map of 1913 also shows
1200-413: The PSMT was used for both purposes. PSMT initially used mules to pull the train. Later four steam locomotives were acquired for pulling the coaches. These four locomotives were of 0-3-0 configuration and was built by Orenstein & Koppel (O&K) of Berlin in 1907 at cost of £500 to £600 each. Donald W. Dickens, in his article on the PSMT, described the locomotives as “These were an adaptation of
1250-479: The PSMT, the documents, photographs etc. related to PSMT was not preserved and thus what could have been valuable source of information on this unique monorail was lost forever. Colonel Bowles also experimented with a petrol driven locomotive on Sirhind section. Mr. Donald W. Dicken's article carries a picture captioned "Motor Engine Trial On Patiala State Monorailway". This picture shows four loaded vehicles being pulled by an "Ordinary Motor Car Engine". This experiment
1300-462: The advent of automobiles and improved roads, PSMT began losing favour with people. Ultimately PSMT was closed on 1 October 1927. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh expired in 1938 and Col. Bowles, who was in England, on leave, did not have the heart to return. Thus, PSMT and all its records, photographs, etc., were left uncared for, in Patiala. Further, at that period, since there was no interest in Patiala for
1350-422: The ancestral family of the later Patiala rulers was headed by chaudhary Bariam. In 1560, custodianship over the family was then led by Mehraj, who was followed by Pukko. Pukko was followed by Mohan, who led the family until 1618. From 1618 onwards, the family was led by Kala. Kala was succeeded by Phul Sidhu-Brar. Phul headed the family until 1652, being succeeded by Rama Chand. In 1696, Guru Gobind Singh
1400-611: The annual rainfall is received during June through September. The city has one of the three important wetlands of the Punjab State known as Rupnagar Wetland or Ropar Wetland .It was declared as a Ramsar site in 2002 This is a man-made freshwater wetland covering 1,365 hectares. Also called the Rupnagar Lake, the wetland developed consequent to the construction of a regulator on the Sutlej River . The area has
1450-410: The congested urban areas of Patiala. The balancing wheel of PSMT ran on the roads and did not interfere with normal traffic. PSMT could have been forerunner of mass transit system in urban areas in India. Its model still holds good for introducing mass transit system in congested urban areas where laying of train or tram tracks is not possible due to space constraint. The total distance covered by PSMT
1500-514: The enlarged right-hand water tank and put the fire door on the right side of the fire box rather than at the back as is usually done. These locos were confined to the Patiala – Sunam line.” The wheel arrangement of the locomotives were 0-3-0. The middle flange less wheel was of 50 centimetres (1 ft 8 in) diameter. Other two wheels were double flanged having groove depth of 2.15 centimetres (0.85 in). The locomotive had wheelbase of 119 centimetres (3 ft 11 in). The track of PSMT
1550-415: The ground. Further, in normal train systems, the rails have to be at almost exact level of other rail, failing which the train may go off the tracks. By using Ewing system, this problem is solved as the balancing wheel does not need exact level to maintain the balance of monorail. In addition the cost of laying tracks also goes down considerably since only one rail is used. Another benefit of using Ewing System
Patiala State Monorail Trainways - Misplaced Pages Continue
1600-418: The middle of November constitutes the post-monsoon or transition season. The temperature ranges from a minimum of 1 °C (34 °F) in winter to 47 °C (117 °F) in summer. May and June are generally the hottest months and December and January are the coldest months. Relative humidity is high, averaging about 70% during monsoon. The average annual rainfall in the district is 1030mm. About 78% of
1650-403: The normal O&K 0-6-0 's but had a double flanged driver in the centre of each axle rather than drivers at each end. The right-hand water tank was larger so that some of the weight shifted onto the 39-inch (990 mm) diameter balance wheel which was attached beyond the enlarged water tank. The outside cylinders were 5½" × 14".The designer at O&K took advantage of the extra cab space behind
1700-473: The north and Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar district to its west. There are many historical and religious places in Rupnagar, including gurdwaras such as Gurudwara Bhatha Sahib, Gurdwara Bhubour Sahib, Gurdwara Solkhian and Gurudwara Tibbi Sahib. The ancient town of Rupnagar is said to have been named by a Raja called Rokeshar, who ruled during the 11th century and named it after his son Rup Sen. Rupnagar
1750-694: The remains in 1962, it would have disappeared from memory by now and so this page is dedicated to him. Largely due to him, one locomotive was restored to full working order by the Northern Railway Workshops at Amritsar. They also reconstructed the Chief Engineer's private inspection car on an old underframe and the two were placed as an operating display at the National Railway Museum of India. Donald W. Dickens The only account of operational details of PSMT
1800-432: The remains of PSMT and discovered the same in a PWD shed in Patiala in 1962. This article was read by H R Ambler, who did further research and wrote an article – "An Indian “Might-Have-Been”", which was published in the February 1969 issue of The Railway Magazine . Ultimately, due to the effort of Satow and others, One PSMT locomotive (Number PSMT – 4) was restored along with Chief Engineer's private inspection car (this coach
1850-590: The roots patti and ala . The word patti means "strip of land" in Punjabi , and 'ala ' comes from the name of the founder of the city and Patiala state, Ala Singh , thus meaning ‘the land of Ala Singh’. The Patiala ruling family ultimately claimed origins from Bhatti Rajputs of Jaisalmer in the 12th century. At some point, their ancestors moved from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan to Phul in Punjab. Between 1526–1560,
1900-465: The route was found in a letter by Colonel Bowles to Mr. Ambler. Colonel Bowles described the route of Patiala-Sunam line as starting from goods yard of North Western Railway (NWR) at Patiala. The PSMT then crossed the main railway line at a road level crossing nearby. It then went through walled city towards City Mandi and then took a turn north towards cantonment. Then it traveled along the main road to Bhawanigarh and then Sunam . The steam locomotive
1950-625: The state. Later in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Cis-Sutlej invasions in the early 1800s, he established Jagirs in the area including Mianpur and others. In 1831, Ropar was under a Sikh chieftain, Bhup Singh, who had pledged his allegiance to the East India Company . Ropar shot into prominence when it was chosen as the venue for the meeting between Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire and Lord William Bentinck ,
2000-554: The title of Maharaja); however, the next major expansion of Patiala State's territory occurred during and after 1814, under Karam Singh . For Karam Singh's support during the Anglo-Nepalese War , which took place between 1814 and 1816, the British Empire awarded him territory in the hill states, extending Patiala State's territory to areas in what is now Himachal Pradesh , including Shimla and Chail . After
2050-472: Was 50 miles (80 km). PSMT was run on two unconnected lines. One ran 15 miles (24 km) from Sirhind to Morinda . It was proposed to extend this line to Ropar but since Ropar was connected by a railway line, this idea was abandoned. The other line ran 35 miles (56 km) from Patiala to Sunam . The lines were constructed by the firm of Marsland and Price. Today no trace of the tracks or any infrastructure of PSMT remains. However, information about
Patiala State Monorail Trainways - Misplaced Pages Continue
2100-467: Was constructed by firm named Marsland and Price, who were based in Bombay . The track was 18 pound per yard (9 kg/m) rail clipped to iron sleepers 10 in by 8 in by ½ in (250×200×13 mm). On the Patiala – Sunam line, wooden sleepers 15 by 3 by 4 inches (380×75×100 mm) were initially used but were later replaced with iron sleepers due to termite infestation. The PSMT was begun in 1907. Within
2150-480: Was found stored in PSMT Yard along with other dismantled equipments. Thus in all probabilities, the steam locomotive was used in hauling carriage only between Patiala Station and City Mandi. The route of the PSMT passed through one of the major agricultural areas of Punjab; the area around Patiala was known as the “wheat basket”. The old photographs of the PSMT show it carrying sacks of grain as well as people. Thus,
2200-539: Was founded by sardar Ala Singh in 1752. In 1761, the Afghans defeated the forces of Ala Singh at Barnala. Ala Singh was captured by the Afghans and taken to Ahmad Shah Abdali. The Afghans demanded a four lakh rupee ransom to secure Ala Singh's release. Ala Singh was a vassal of the Afghans. Patiala State was founded by Ala Singh as a chiefship slightly later in March 1762 after Ahmad Shah Abdali bestowed Ala Singh with
2250-695: Was probably easier to dismiss it than to understand it. And yet, from what I can learn of it, it was effective, efficient, and exactly what the situation called for. Donald W. Dickens Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh of Patiala got this unique railway system constructed to facilitate movement of people and goods in his state. The chief engineer of this project was Colonel C. W. Bowles . Colonel Bowles has earlier successfully used monorail based on Ewing System (designed by William Thorold ) during his stint as engineer during laying of tracks for Bengal Nagpur Railway for transportation of construction materials. Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh made him chief Engineer for
2300-433: Was probably used only on Patiala Sunam Line. In his letter to H. R. Ambler, Col. Bowles wrote that the locomotives were heavy for 18 lb/yd rail (9 kg/m), thus they were not used on Sirhind – Morinda line. Col. Bowles categorically stated that the steam locomotive did run between Patiala Station and City Mandi i.e. a distance of about a mile. Heavier rails (about 60 pounds per yard or 30 kg/m) of almost same length
2350-608: Was rebuilt on original frame as a normal passenger coach). Both of these are on display at the Indian National Railway Museum, New Delhi . A further Locomotive is also preserved on a plinth at the Amritsar Workshops of the NR. No information is available about the rest of the locomotives or coaches. After being restored, PSMT has become one of the star attractions of PSMT at National Rail Museum. It
2400-879: Was supposedly carried out in 1930. This experiment was exception to animal power or steam power used to pull PSMT. This would be first locally built internal combustion engine locomotive in Indian subcontinent . PSMT was forgotten even in Patiala, until its remains were discovered in a Public Work Department (PWD) shed by Mike Satow in 1962. PSMT had not been a much publicised railway system. It had been briefly been mentioned in an article by H. A. Robinson in 1936. Thereafter John Day and Brian Wilson mentioned PSMT in detail in their book Unusual railways in 1957. Day got in touch with Colonel Bowles, who provided him some information and photographs of PSMT. Based on these information, Day wrote another article that appeared in Railway World magazine in 1962.Satow took it upon himself to find
2450-414: Was that the balancing wheel could run on existing tarred roads as well as the macadam roads thus further reducing cost to lay down tracks. Using one rail also means that the turning circle is far less than the standard trains. PSMT had to pass through some very congested areas. Since the space need to lay the tracks was less and balancing wheel could run on existing roads, PSMT succeeded in running through
2500-597: Was the largest and most important princely state in the Punjab Province . The state's ruler, the Maharaja of Patiala , was entitled to a 17- gun salute and held precedence over all other princes in the Punjab Province during the British Raj . The state was ruled by Jat Sikhs of the Sidhu gotra (clan). The state's name came from the name of its principal city and capital, Patiala , which itself comes from
#764235