(Posted on 16/11/2024)
Pankaj Khanna
9424810575
Continued from the previous articles:
There are many Railfan groups on Facebook. Many of such groups are specially devoted to Steam Engines and/or Narrow gauges. A link of the
First Article was sent in a few such Facebook groups requesting the experts to help in identification of the Steam Engine at SGSITS Indore.
The response from Railfans across the world was very prompt and heart warming. A few of the comments from various experts about the Mysterious Steam Engine are mentioned below:
(1) Comments from Narrow Gauge Enthusiasts Group.
Brian Clarke: It was suggested to me your loco is a 20HP Borsig made in Berlin. I looked that up and see a perfect match of identifying features.
(Italian Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotive in Valona, Italy. Made by Borsig, Berlin in July 1916.)
The 'DNA' of our Engine no.17 matches significantly with this Steam Locomotive.
Jens Merte: ....The mentioned Borsig loco is one of quite a lot of small narrow gauge locomotives built by Borsig in Berlin for Orenstein & Koppel and Decauville. In most cases the later owner is not mentioned in the delivery list. Anyhow to India there are seven 600 mm locomotives mentioned and another one with 762 mm....
Johannes Roader:
As Brian Clarke suggested, this looks definitely like a Borsig locomotive. There are certainly some true Borsig specialists out there who can and will help you, but, in the meantime, here are some Borsig builders numbers associated with India: link
Dave Hellet: Builder Stahlbahnwerke Freudenstein?
[Mr. Dave Hellet's question is quite pertinent. To know more about the Company Stahlbahnwerke Freudenstein (1891-1905)
Click here. The Mysterious Engine No.17 has uncanny resemblance with the Locomotive 73 on display at Stonehenge Works, the
Leighton Buzzard Light Railway (LBLR) in Bedfordshire, England.
(Locomotive 73 on display at Stonehenge Works England.)
The Company stopped its operations in 1905. (Still it may have some connection with the Mysterious Engine number 17 as the company was merged with
Orenstein & Koppel in 1905. Orenstein & Koppel used to manufacture as well as receive steam Locomotives from Borsig.)]
(2) Comments from Indian Railways' Glorious Metre Gauges and Narrow Gauges:
Anirudh dsp: My first guess would be that this is a 0-4-0T locomotive manufactured by Orenstein & Koppel in 1937 for the Central Provinces Manganese Ore Co. which was managed by the C.P. Syndicate that Mr. Cassad was the Director of. Though my guess is a fairly good fit for this locomotive, I have my doubts.
Anirudh dsp: (Second Guess) The engine matches a Decauville 0-4-0T supplied in 1910 by Borsig to Decauville Calcutta. The attached image shows one of these locomotives (7 0-4-0 Tank locomotives were supplied to Decauville between 1909 and 1911) and the resemblance is quite strong. I suppose the locomotive in your picture could be one of the sister locomotives to the one in the picture I shared.
( Photograph shared by Anirudh dsp on Facebook. May be a sibling of Engine no.17.)
(Closer look. But still not clear... to conclude.)
(3) Comments from Steam Loco Fanclub:
Steam Summer: It is a 0-4-0 industrial locomotive built by Andrew Barclay or Orenstein and Koppell.
(Orenstein and Koppell
O&K catalogue N° 800, 0-4-0 locomotives. Gauge 2'. 20 HP. )
O&K manufactured more than 18000 Slteam locomotives from 1876 to 1999. Many of them have features similar to our Engine Number 17.
Graham Morphet: Looks a bit like one of these:
(This seems to be a model, perhaps. It may reveal a lot of information though, in future...)
(4) Comments from S.T.E.A.M. Group:
Darrin Fowler: Reading what you have so far, sounds like you've got some digging to do, but if successful, you'll have a good story.
Curtis Hooey: Henschel locomotive. German built. Fantastic machines as far as I'm told.
(Henschel Locomotive no. 20925, 1927 make,still in working condition.)
To know more about this above steam Locomotive
click here.
This Henschel may be another Role Model for the future of our Engine no.17.
Sven Schlenkrich: Definitly no Henschel. It is more likely a 20HP O&K, however the cab looks more like Borsig. Maybe it has been rebuilt using parts of several engines. It could be identified by the stamped numbers in the rods and motion parts. More photos would be helpful.
Have expressesd deep gratitude to all the above railwayfans and experts in various groups for making efforts and sharing the information. Wish to thank all the above contributors once again!
Conclusion
Based on the evidences available so far; it can be believed that the Mysterious Steam Engine at SGSITS is an Industrial Steam Locomtive manufactured by Borsig in Germany.
As per the records available at IRFCA (Indian Rail Fan Club Association) Web Site; Borsig supplied 7 Industrial Steam Locomotives ( 6 of of 2' narrow gauge and one of 2'6") to Decauville Calcutta and one Locomotive of 2'6" narrow gauge to Bombay between 1909 to 1911. (The text of the above Note is appended at the end of this Article for readers' convenience.)*
In all probability, the Engine no. 17 was one of the seven locomotives received by Decauville,
( Office Address at that time: 8-10 Canning Street, Calcutta) as mentioned in the note. It can probably be said that the Mysterious Engine no.17 is at least 100 years old.
Search for more details will be continued...
Pankaj Khanna
Indore (MP)
Email: pankajharbans@gmail.com
Mobile: 9424810575
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About Decauville the Agent Co. who purchased Steam Locomotives from Bursog, Germany. The details are copied below, without editing, from IRFCA link.
In the IE of 29/1/1910, a note that "....Decauville have already received orders for 100 coal mining wagons and several miles of their well known Decauville track and light locomotives. They opened their office at 8-10 Canning Street, Calcutta in September 1910. By October they had orders for "....1,000 steel rails with fittings for a mine in Central India, 200 pairs of wheels and axles for a mine in Jheria, two 8-ton wagons for a 2'0" gauge light railway, a 20 hp locomotive, rails and wagons for a local firm, a boiler and steam fittings for a 30 hp locomotive of which the frames were purchased some time ago. They are supplying a complete light railway installation for the forest section of the Allahabad exhibition.
By early December 1910, additional orders had been received for "....3 miles of monorail track for a tea garden and one 30 hp locomotive and 30 tipping wagons for Bombay. By the report in the Christmas Eve 1910 edition of IE, the order book had swollen
to "....one 30 hp locomotive, seventy double sided tipping wagons, 20lb track with points for the PWD Punjab. Eighteen wagons for Benares Water Works, six miles of 14lb track for a tea gardens and a locomotive tender, several miles of 24lb track and
50 special tipping wagons for a mine.
During December 1910, they disposed of "....290 tipping wagons of which 234 were despatched from their Calcutta and Bombay stocks. This includes 28 conservancy wagons for Howrah Municipality. In addition one 30 hp and three 20 hp light locomotives
and one loco tender, over 50 sets of points and crossings, 75 box wagons for stone transport, over 10 miles of railway line and steel sleepers, wheels, axles, turntable and fittings".
IE for 11/2/1911 report the news that Decauville had been awarded a Gold medal for the Light Railway exhibit at the recent Allahabad exhibition. During February 1911, over 100 orders were received including one 20 hp and two 30 hp light locos, a
number of tipping wagons, several open goods wagons all of 2'6" gauge, nearly 20 miles of Decauville track, over 300 pairs of wheels and axles, a hand crane, etc.
The supplies by Borsig to Decauville:
For Calcutta, Bengal:
Borsig 7066 Year 1909 Gauge 600 mm
Borsig 7466 Year 1910 Gauge 600 mm
Borsig 7544 Year 1910 Gauge 600 mm
Borsig 7545 Year 1910 Gauge 600 mm
Borsig 7749 Year 1911 Gauge 600 mm
Borsig 7761 Year 1911 Gauge 600 mm
Borsig 7421 Year 1911 Gauge 900 mm
For Bombay
Borsig 7902 Year 1911 Gauge 762 mm
