Question 1328: No highway option

India's first aqueduct was constructed over the Solani river, near Roorkee, part of the Ganges canal project, which itself was India's first irrigation work in North India, started by the British in 1845. The Ganges Canal also led to another first.

The Solani viaduct had 15 arches and spanned the 4km-wide Solani valley (about 14 km north-east of New Delhi). Earth for the approach embankments was transported from Piran Kaliyar, 10 km away from Roorkee. Standard gauge wagons were used for the purpose, built from parts brought over from England, and hauled by men and later horses along the 'sundry lines of rail at Dhunnowree, Peeran, Kulleear, Mahewar and Roorkee' (as stated in the Administration Report 1851-52). The number of wagons in use needed to be tripled leading to the introduction of ___X___.

Assembled in Calcutta (todays 'Kolkata'), ___X___ obviously came from England, possibly second hand. It is described in a contemporary account as "a small but compact machine, with both driving mechanism and tender on one frame and to be able to transport 200 tons on the level at four miles per hour". The Bengal Sappers of the Indian Army operated it for the first time on 22/12/1851 for carrying earth to the duct.

X? What distinction does it hold?

Answer: Thommason- the first steam engine to haul any train in India. Arguably it was India's first train, running before the much-famed Bombay-Thane passenger train which ran in 1853. A prototype of Thomasson is on display at Roorkee Railway station.