Bridges of Lumding - Badarpur Hill Section in India

jis · Mar 31, 2013

I came across this video taken by a friend of mine from IRFCA and IRFCNA.

This Meter Gauge section is in the last year of its service. It will be replaced with a new Broad Gauge line under construction. In the video you can see the new bridges and RoW of the BG line at various places.

Anyhow, I thought some of you might like to experience this trip and the incredible bridges on this line through the hills of Assam in Northeast India. These lines played a key role in the Second World War on the Japanese front. This was the border area between japanese territory and British territory in those days. These lines also saw the operation of Meter Gauge Garrat engines back then.

gaspeamtrak · Mar 31, 2013

WOW Jis! Incredible!

Can you tell us anymore about this line? I.E. How many trains a day run on it? Its end points? Are there just local trains or higher class passenger trains? What's the freight train volume?

Sorry to be asking so many questions?

But WOW what a neat video!!!

Bob Dylan · Mar 31, 2013

:hi: Ditto jis!!!!

jis · Mar 31, 2013

gaspeamtrak said:
WOW Jis! Incredible!Can you tell us anymore about this line?

This line connects Lumding on the Main Line that connects the northeastern Indian state of Assam to the rest of India through the Dinajpur Corridor in West Bengal; with Badarpur and then onto a handfull of state capitals or related train stations in states adjacent to southern Assam. It was built partly to open up this region and partly to provide defence transportation tto this volatile border region. Before independance there were other access routes to this area through what is now Bangladesh. After independance this particular route gained in importance because it remained the only viable rail connection to ther est of India, with both the Sylhet and Agartala connections via then East Pakistan becoming unavailable.

You can see a map here. Lumding is near the top, Badarpur at the bottomg. Halflong is marked with a "A". The big climb from Lower Haflong to Haflong Hill is the spectacular part, that is the part being preserved.

It currently falls under the Lumding Division of the Northeast Frontier Railway Zone of Indian Railways. It is currently in the process of getting covenrted/replaced by a Broad gauge line along rough;y the same general alignment. The portion between Mahur and Harangjao, which is said to be the most spectacular part of the MG line, is going to be presrved in situ for use as a tourist operation.

You can find a bit about the preservation plans in this article.

It is dispatched using Neale's Ball Token system. It uses semaphore (lower quadrant) for much of the distance. It has several protective catch sifdings to catch trains in case of brake failure of coupler failure and parting. Steepest gradient in 1 in 37. There are 37 tunnels, 587 bridges

I.E. How many trains a day run on it? Its end points? Are there just local trains or higher class passenger trains?

I suspect there may be about half a dozen passenger trains per day if that.
This particular train on which my friend was traveling is the Barak Valley Express. It even carries an AC Chair Car (half a car)

What's the freight train volume?

Don't know for sure, but likely to be quite significant, since this is the supply route for the military in this very volatile region which is rife with local insurgencies and cross border smuggling and other issues.

Sorry to be asking so many questions?
But WOW what a neat video!!!

Here is another video of lesser quality, and a not so competent viedeographer who thinks people like to see the darkness of the inside of tunnels for some reason.

But I show this for a couple of reasons:

1. Near the beginning where it crosses a goods train you can see the exchange of Neale's Ball Token attached to the hoop.

2. You see a catch siding at around 4 mins.