Steam Locomotive Railway Workshop Bangalore, 1890 Photo
An 1890 photo of the steam locomotive railway workshop at Bangalore (Bengaluru). There is a pencil annotation in French on the back. Which reads “Engineer’s Station At Arsikere.” Arsikere is an important railway station near Bangalore. The photo shows a narrow-gauge steam locomotive, presumably manufactured by Kitson, Thompson, and Hewtison, at a Loco shed. Notice few British officials and their Indian staff. This same photograph also appears in a French magazine “Le Pelerin”. The article is titled “A Travers L’inde Anglaisse” or “Across English India”.
Read about- Tale Of The Indian Railways: How Locomotives Have Become Anonymous.
Bengaluru became an important railway junction after the British military took residence there. After the four Anglo-Mysore wars that ended in 1799 defeating Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan. The British became more familiar with Bengaluru after Haider Ali’s and Tipu Sultan’s fort and the palace were captured by them. And after 1799 Bangalore developed into an important city with a huge military and civilian base. That necessitated a well-connected railway station.
See my post- Bangalore Cantonment Railway Station – Vintage Postcard 1905.
Did you know- the c1855 Fairy Queen is India’s oldest steam locomotive. The Guinness Book of Records cited the loco “as the world’s oldest locomotive in regular service.”
From the collection- Raja Ravi Varma Oleograph “Laxmi” Vinolia Soap Advertisement., Standard “S” Vintage Car In Madras – Old Print 1914., Old Book – Old Delhi 10 Easy Walks 1997
