British Era BB&CI Railway Oil Tanker Bombay, 1920 Photo
A 1920 photo of a BB&CI Railway’s new oil tanker during the British era in Bombay (Mumbai). Built by the Belgian company Ateliers De Construction De Et A Familleureux in 1920. The tanker was made for the Bombay Baroda & Central India (BB&CI) Railway in Bombay.
Both the Bombay Baroda & Central Indian Railways (BB&CI) and the Great Indian Peninsula Railways (GIP) were formed during the British India era in 1849 and 1855, respectively. Both were headquartered in Bombay, and later both integrated into the Indian Railways after India’s independence.
The BB&CIR was renamed as the Western Railway, and the GIPR was renamed Central Railway. The Belgian company of Ateliers De Construction De Et A Familleureux was founded in 1919 by industrialist Carlos Dolphem. It mainly produced streetcars or trams, wagons, oil tankers, and so on, and is probably still in business.
Did you know- the railways were first introduced to India in the mid 19th century for the transportation of cotton and other commodities from the deep interiors of the country. It was only after the first train journey from Mumbai to Thane that the railway’s potential was greatly realized.
From the collection- Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” Oleograph 1894., Old Photograph – Chinese Fishing Nets Kochi 1898., Triplicane A Locality In Madras – Vintage Postcard 1908., Old Print – Eden Garden & Harbour Calcutta 1905
