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Dalmianagar: The Industrial Town
Dalmianagar, situated on the banks of the Son River in Rohtas district, Bihar, was once home to one of India’s oldest and largest industries. Under the stewardship of Shanti Prasad Jain, Rohtas Industries Ltd. transformed Dalmianagar into a massive industrial hub from the 1940s to the 1980s. The town boasted factories producing sugar, cement, paper, chemicals, and vanaspati, employing top professionals across various fields1.
Dehri-on-Sone: A Railway Hub and More
Dehri-on-Sone, also known as Dehri, is a Nagar parishad and community development block in Rohtas district. Situated on the banks of the Sone River, Dehri serves as a crucial railway junction. It is adjacent to Dalmianagar, which used to be an industrial town2. Here are some key points about Dehri:
Economy: Dehri hosts important industries such as sawmilling and ghee processing. Other commodities produced here include plastic pipes, light bulbs, and shoes2.
Education: The town has several schools, colleges, and technical institutes, contributing to educational development2.
Indrapuri Barrage: Dehri is home to the Indrapuri Barrage, which ranks as the fourth-longest barrage globally2.
Recreation: Dehri offers recreational facilities, including a stadium, cinemas, auditoriums, and public libraries2.
The Rise and Fall
For a deeper understanding, consider exploring the rise and decline of Dalmianagar—a tale of fortune and industry that shaped the region
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The Dehri Rohtas Light Railway started off as Dehri Rohtas Tramway Company in 1907 promoted by The Octavius Steel and Company of Calcutta. The original contract was to build a 40 km feeder line from Rohtas to the East Indian Railway's Delhi - Calcutta trunk route at Dehri-on-Sone. Soon thereafter, the tramway company was incorporated as a light railway in order to acquire the assets of the then defunct Dwara - Therria Light Railway in Assam. The DRLR opened to traffic in 1911 and was booming by 1913-14 when it carried over 50,000 passengers and 90,000 tons of freight, the goods traffic mainly consisting of marble and stone. In 1927, a 2.5 km spur was added to Rohtasgarh Fort from Rohtas.
Rohtas Industries brought the line up to Tiura Pipradih by adding another 25 km to the DRLR, most of which passed through their property.
The DRLR operated a very mixed bag of locomotives. It started off with 0-6-2 tank locomotives, three of which arrived from the Dwara - Therria Railway after it closed in 1909. In the pre IRS years, it also used 0-6-0, 0-4-0 (Sentinel) and 0-6-4 variants of tank locomotives. After the wartime increase in traffic the railway brought as many as eight new ZB class 2-6-2 tender locomotives, orders for which were equally split between Hudswell Clarke and Krauss Maffei. At its peak, the DRLR used to operate two daily passengers trains in each direction from Dehri-on-Sone and Tiura Pipradih, a run of 67 km. Apart from this the railway carried marble and stone traffic to the mainline at Dehri on sone.
The railway also purchased several locomotives second hand notable among which were the A/1 class 2-8-4 tank locomotives built by Hudswell Clarke that arrived from the Pulgaon - Arvi system of Central Railway in 1959. Other unique locomotives that operated on DRLR were the several ex. Kalka - Simla Railway K class 2-6-2 tank engines by Kerr Stuart and 2-6-4 tank engines by Henschel that arrived from the Shahdara - Saharanpur Light Railway.
Due to the decline in traffic and competition to road in the late 1970s, the DRLR succumbed and closed to traffic on 16 July 1984.
Although the DRLR was a hotspot for narrow gauge enthusiasts from Europe in the 1970s, not much has appeared about it in the media since its closure. Brian Manktelow from London, England decided to unravel the fate of DRLR rolling stock in 1994 and visited the area. Below is a brief trip report:
An unannounced chance visit to the Rohtas Industries works 19 January 1994 proved very fruitful. After making personal contact with the management,we were given permission and a guide to visit all three sites.