photographic prints of the building of the Nepal Government Railway

Photograph album containing photographic prints of the building of the Nepal Government Railway in 1926 and 1927. Photographs taken by Joseph Veasy Collier of the Imperial Forestry Service, who was in charge of construction of the railway.

The Nepal Government Railway 2 ft 6 ins narrow gauge railway ran for 47km, connecting Amlekhganj and Raxaul and was operated by locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock & Company in Manchester. The railway was built primarily to exploit timber felled in the Terai region of Nepal for export to India. The sal hardwood was primarily used to make sleepers for Indian railways. The railway indirectly connected Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, with India with travellers making part of the journey on foot and by truck. The railway remained in service until 1965, when it was closed following the construction of new highways. A new railway, from Jayangar in India to Kurtha in Nepal, opened in 2022.