Cyprus Government Railway
Overview | |
---|---|
Headquarters | Nicosia |
Reporting mark | CGR |
Locale | Cyprus |
Dates of operation | 1905–1951 |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) |
Length | 76 miles (122 km) |
The Cyprus Government Railway was a
History
Background
When the first British
Construction
The proposal was approved in November 1903 and the earthworks began in May 1904; the existing line at
Motive Power
Locomotives
Summary of the 12 locomotives:[3]
- No. 1 – 0-6-0T built by Hunslet Engine Company(846 of 1904)
- Nos. 11–12 – Nasmyth Wilson and Company
- Nos. 21–23 – Nasmyth Wilson and Company
- Nos. 31–32 – Nasmyth Wilson and Company
- Nos. 41–44 – 4-8-4T built by Kitson and Company
Railcars
Summary of the 9 railcar units:[4]
- 6 by D Wickham & Co
- 3 by Drewry Car Co.
Operation and uses
By the time the total 76 miles (122 km) of the CGR had been completed, running costs had spiralled to £199,367, which remained constant throughout the operation period of the line.
The Cyprus Government Railway was used in a number of ways and served both the colonial authorities and the local population. Principal operations were as follows:
- It served the port of Famagusta, as a freight transfer system.
- It transferred timber from the Troodos Mountains to towns and cities across Cyprus.
- It carried freight, ore and minerals on behalf of the Cyprus Mines Corporation.
- The local railway stations functioned as a place of exchange of goods and services, while some also operated as telephone centres, telegram offices and/or postal offices.
- CGR trains carried mail, which arrived in Famagusta via the Egyptian Khedivial Mail Line[5](1912–1939).
The existence of a railway in Cyprus brought many benefits to the population of Cyprus. However, during the first years of its operation, many reportedly viewed the railway as a spectacle to be viewed rather than a means of transportation. Overall, the CGR carried 3,199,934 tons of commercial goods and freight and 7,348,643 passengers during its history.
The various stations were designated by large trilingual (Greek, Turkish and English) white signs. The CGR owned a total of 12 locomotives, 17 coaches and about 100 multi-purpose wagons, 50 of which were purchased from Egypt and Palestine. The CGR employed around 200 people in total.
Railway Stations Halts and Sidings
Harbour Section
Section 1
- Varosha, Famagusta
- English Halt
- Enkomi Halt
- Styllos Siding
- Prastio Station
- Gaidhouras Halt
- Pyrga Siding
- Yenagra Siding
- Vitsadha Halt
- Marathovouno Siding
- Angastina Station
- Monastir Siding
- Exometochi Halt
- Epikho Siding
- Trakhoni Station
- Mia Milea Halt
- Kaimakli Siding
- Nicosia Station
Section 2
- Nicosia Station
- Ayios Dhometios Halt
- Nicosia Aerodrome Halt
- Yerolakkos Halt
- Kokkino Trimithia Station
- Dhenia Siding
- Peristerona Siding
- Kato-Kopia Siding
- Argaki Siding
- Morphou Station
Section 3
- Morphou Station
- Nikitas Halt
- Baraji Halt
- Gaziveran Halt
- Pendayia Siding
- Karyotis Junction
- Kalokhorio Station
- Skouriotissa Halt
- Vlasio Halt
- Evrychou Station
Events
During the 46 years of its operation, the CGR was involved in various events concerned with the
- During the Enosis riots in October 1931, 120 yards (110 m) of line were torn up, as the railway was regarded as a symbol of British colonial rule.
- The transportation of Allied troops to and from Famagusta, Nicosia Airport and Xeros during both World Wars.
- The track was targeted by the Axis powers during World War II.
- The railway was used for the transportation of a large number of the 50,000 Jewish refugees to Karaolos internment camps, during 1946–1949.
Closure
The line never made a profit and by 1932 the Western terminus station was at Kalokhorio Lefka, while from 1948 onwards it only reached Nicosia aerodrome. After World War II the ramshackle equipment and competition from the improved road network led the Government to the decision to definitely terminate the CGR. The last train departed from Nicosia Station at 14:57 on 31 December 1951 and arrived at Famagusta at 16:38. The process of dismantling lasted up to March 1953.[2] After an auction was announced in Cyprus Gazette, 10 of the 12 locomotives, the tracks and part of the rolling stock were sold to the company Meyer Newman & Co, for the price of £65,626. Locomotive 1 was preserved as a monument outside Famagusta Station. Most of the former CGR employees were re-employed in state services and semi-governmental organisations. Some wagons were bought by locals, acquiring novel uses, while the equipment was distributed amongst seven governmental departments. The stations were either demolished or turned into police stations (Angastina,[1] Kokkini Trimithia) or Public Works Department warehouses (Famagusta, Nicosia); Morphou Station became a grain storehouse, while at Evrychou it operated as a sanitary centre and a forest worker dormitory.
Heritage
A large part of the Nicosia-Famagusta motorway was built along the former railway track. Engine 1 can now be seen in front of the station building in Famagusta. Wagon 152 was restored and placed in the linear park in Kaimakli in 1995, then after a restoration it was moved to an exhibition featuring CGR relics in the Cultural Center of Laiki Bank in Nicosia. After a recent restoration work in 2012, this van together with a hand-powered trolley are now under a new shelter at Evrychou station with informative posters about its past and present. Evrychou station and its surroundings were rebuilt to become the Cyprus Railway Museum, with a total of about 100 metres (330 ft) of new tracks laid in 2010–2012, in a Y-shape, almost with the original 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge. The museum finally opened in November 2014.
Tracks (more precisely: non-continuous portions of tracks) have also been laid in the Kaimakli area, but with different gauges: about 280 m with a 1380 mm and 18 m with a 595 mm gauge from the Agiou Ilaririonos street to the West and to the East directions, respectively. There are also posters with old pictures and time-tables exhibited along this
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-85043-747-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-906008-13-0.
- ISBN 978-1-906008-13-0
- ISBN 0-85298-408-1
- ^ "Khedivial Mail Line - Pharaonic Mail Line". www.timetableimages.com. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- Ο Κυπριακός Κυβερνητικός Σιδηρόδρομος (1905-1951)/The Cyprus Government Railway (1905–1951) by Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra; Nicosia, 2006.
External links
- Media related to Cyprus Government Railway at Wikimedia Commons
- Roxey Mouldings: narrow gauge models inc Cyprus Government Railway - OO9 loco kits
- (in Greek) CHRONICLE for the Cyprus Government Railway by Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra
- Informative brochure for the Cyprus Government Railway by Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra
- Narrow Gauge image gallery of Cyprus Government Railway
- Cyprus Railways Museum