Before Bombay: The Forgotten Railways of the Madras Presidency
Before Bombay: The Forgotten Railways of the Madras Presidency
Before Bombay
Revisiting the Forgotten Railways of the Madras Presidency (1832–1941)
The accepted origin of Indian Railways is usually placed in 1853. Yet, this narrative, while convenient, is incomplete.
Long before the first passenger train ran in Bombay, the Madras Presidency had already witnessed the earliest proposals, experiments, and working railway systems in India. These were not grand, celebrated undertakings — but practical responses to commerce, geography, and crisis.
The earliest railways in India were not built for travel — but for transport, survival, and necessity.
🧭 A Broader Timeline
1832 – Railway proposals emerge in Madras Presidency
1836–37 – Red Hills Railway operates
1856 – First major South Indian passenger line (Royapuram–Arcot)
1905–1906 – Famine relief railways in Salem region
1902–1908 – Kundala Valley monorail → railway
1915 – Kulasekarapatnam Light Railway
1940s – Narrow gauge dismantled
The Red Hills Railway: India’s First Working Line
General Sir Arthur T. Cotton, K.C.S.I.
The engineer behind India’s earliest working railway experiment.
The Red Hills Railway, operating around 1836–37, represents one of the earliest functioning railway systems in India. Constructed under the supervision of Sir Arthur Cotton, it was intended to transport granite from quarry regions to the city of Madras.
Unlike later railways, this was a utilitarian system — modest in scale, experimental in nature, and primarily industrial in purpose. It reportedly used a combination of animal traction and early mechanical assistance.
🔍 The Alignment Debate
While several modern accounts suggest that the line ran between Adyar and Chintadripet, this interpretation raises geographical inconsistencies.
The name “Red Hills” is strongly associated with the lateritic formations of the present-day Red Hills (Chengundram) region, located to the north-west of Chennai. This area is geologically distinct from the Adyar–Saidapet belt, where such formations are minimal.
It is therefore more plausible that the railway connected the actual Red Hills quarry region to the city, rather than originating near Adyar.
The exact alignment may be lost — but the intent and existence of the line are beyond doubt.
Railways in Times of Distress: The Famine Lines
By the early 20th century, parts of the Madras Presidency faced recurring drought and famine conditions. Railways became instruments of relief — not merely transport systems, but mechanisms of survival.
Morappur – Dharmapuri Railway (1906)
This 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge line was constructed as part of famine relief efforts. It provided employment to local populations while enabling movement of essential goods.
- Opened: 1906
- Gauge: 2 ft 6 in
- Function: Relief + connectivity
- Extension: Towards Hosur
- Closure: Circa 1941
Like many such lines, it was dismantled during World War II, with materials repurposed elsewhere.
Tirupattur – Krishnagiri Railway (1905)
Operating within the same regional framework, this line extended connectivity across interior terrain, often inaccessible by conventional means.
“இங்க ரயில் போயிருக்கும்… இப்போ நிலம் மட்டும் தான் உள்ளது”
These railways were not designed for permanence — yet their impact was immediate and profound.
Industrial and Plantation Railways
Kulasekarapatnam Light Railway
This privately operated 2 ft gauge railway was built to serve sugar production and export. It linked inland agricultural zones to coastal shipping points, illustrating the economic motivations behind railway expansion.
Kundala Valley Railway
An engineering experiment in itself, this system began as a monorail in 1902 and was later converted into a narrow gauge railway. It served the tea plantations of the Western Ghats and represents a unique phase in railway adaptation.
Reading What Remains
Though the tracks are gone, the land retains memory in subtle ways.
- Linear embankments across agricultural fields
- Stone culverts partially buried
- Isolated bridge structures
- Unnatural straight alignments in terrain
In some regions, these traces align closely with documented railway routes, offering a silent but persistent confirmation of their existence.
A Glimpse from the Road
In 2013, while travelling from Bengaluru to Chennai, I noticed a solitary steel girder standing within a coconut grove beyond Bargur.
There were no visible tracks, no surrounding infrastructure — only that structure, disconnected yet suggestive.
It stood not as a structure in use, but as a remnant of purpose.
Given the proximity to the Tirupattur–Krishnagiri alignment, it is plausible that this was a surviving fragment of that early 20th-century railway.
The Disappearance
By the 1940s, many narrow gauge railways in the region were dismantled. Wartime demand for steel accelerated this process.
What remained gradually merged into the landscape — their identity fading, their traces fragmenting.
“பாதைகள் மறைந்தாலும், அவை நிலத்தில் பதிந்திருக்கும்”
Rethinking Railway Origins
The history of Indian Railways cannot be reduced to a single inaugural journey. It is a layered story of experimentation, adaptation, and regional initiative.
The Madras Presidency played a foundational role in this evolution — one that deserves recognition.
Sources & Notes
- Madras Musings – “The Red Hills Railway”
- The Hindu – “Madras Miscellany: India’s First Railway Line”
- Times of India – “On the Forgotten Track”
- IRFCA – Early Railway History in India
- Dakshin Railway – 150 Varsh Ki Yashasvi Gatha (1856–2006)
Appendix: Lost and Lesser-Known Railways of the Madras Presidency
The following is a consolidated list of early, experimental, industrial, and now-defunct railway systems associated with the Madras Presidency.
Many of these no longer exist in physical form, but survive through archival records, local memory, and scattered remnants.
1. Early Experimental Railways
- Red Hills Railway (c.1836–1837)
Industrial line transporting granite to Madras; among the earliest working railways in India.
- Cauvery Valley Railway Proposal (c.1831–32)
Unrealised plan for a railway along the Cauvery river system; one of the earliest recorded railway concepts in India.
2. Famine Relief Railways (Early 20th Century)
- Morappur – Dharmapuri Railway (1906)
2 ft 6 in narrow gauge line built for famine relief; later extended towards Hosur; dismantled circa 1941.
- Tirupattur – Krishnagiri Railway (1905)
Companion line within the same regional network, serving interior regions of the Salem district.
- Dharmapuri – Hosur Extension
Extension of the famine railway system, expanding connectivity towards the Mysore frontier.
3. Industrial and Private Light Railways
- Kulasekarapatnam Light Railway (c.1915)
2 ft gauge private railway used for transporting sugar and related goods to coastal ports.
- Kundala Valley Railway (1902–1924)
Initially a monorail system, later converted into a 2 ft narrow gauge railway serving tea plantations.
4. Plantation and Hybrid Transport Systems
- Munnar – Top Station System
Integrated rail and ropeway transport system used for moving tea from hill plantations to the plains.
5. Early Construction and Temporary Railways
- Anicut Construction Lines (Godavari & Krishna regions)
Temporary rail systems used during major irrigation works in the 19th century.
- Early Vizagapatam Experimental Tracks
Short-lived construction-related rail alignments associated with early infrastructure projects.
6. Mainline Systems (Later Transformed)
-
Erode - Karur – Tiruchirappalli – Nagapattinam Network
Originally constructed as a broad gauge line under early railway development,
it was subsequently converted to metre gauge during system standardisation,
and later reconverted to broad gauge as part of post-independence gauge unification.
While some of these systems were short-lived and lightly constructed, others evolved through multiple phases of transformation.
Together, they represent a formative and often overlooked chapter in the development of rail transport in South India.
While some of these systems were short-lived and lightly constructed, they collectively represent a formative phase in the evolution of rail transport in South India.
Not all railways were meant to last.
Some were meant simply to serve their moment — and disappear.
Notes & References
-
“The Red Hills Railway.” Madras Musings.
A detailed historical reconstruction of the early railway used for granite transport in Madras.
-
“India’s First Railway Line.” The Hindu – Madras Miscellany.
Discusses Sir Arthur Cotton’s role and the Red Hills system.
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“On the Forgotten Track.” Times of India (Chennai Edition).
Covers remnants and later interpretations of early railway alignments.
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Geological correlation of Red Hills (Chengundram) laterite formations, supporting northern alignment interpretations.
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IRFCA (Indian Railways Fan Club Association).
Documentation of early narrow gauge and famine relief railways in South India.
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World War II railway material reuse references from regional railway histories and archival summaries.
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Early railway proposal references in Madras Presidency records (1832), compiled in railway historical overviews and IRFCA archives.
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Dakshin Railway – 150 Varsh Ki Yashasvi Gatha (1856–2006).
Government publication documenting Southern Railway history.
About the Author
I have been a railfan for as long as I can remember — my fascination with trains began in my toddler years and has stayed with me for nearly five decades.
What started as simple curiosity gradually grew into a deeper interest in railway history, especially the lesser-known and forgotten lines of South India.
Over time, this interest has taken me beyond books — into landscapes, journeys, and chance encounters with remnants that quietly survive.
This work is an attempt to bring together research and personal observation,
to document stories of railways that no longer exist on maps, but still linger in memory and terrain.
“சில பாதைகள் வரைபடங்களில் இல்லை — ஆனால் அவை நிலத்தில் இன்னும் உயிருடன் இருக்கின்றன.”
History does not always survive in records.
Sometimes, it survives in fragments — and in memory.
Somewhere beneath fields and groves, the old alignments still lie.
© 2026 Dhinakar Rajaram
Research, interpretation, and narrative presented herein are original.
Reproduction is permitted only with acknowledgement and citation.
#BeforeBombay #MadrasPresidency #RedHillsRailway #ForgottenRailways #IndianRailwayHistory #ChennaiHistory
#SouthIndianHeritage #ArthurCotton #HistoricalNarratives #DhinakarRajaram
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