In celebration  of  150 years of Indian Narrow Gauge : Dabhoi Lines

Dabhoi-Miyagam was the beginning of the NG in India and line is running after 150 years.  When all over the world NG lines are becoming more a subject of nostalgia and journey into yester years, it is ferrying passengers every day, five trains, seven coaches, serving passengers as it was serving at the time of Khande Rao Gaikwad.  It is a line with difference.  When line was conceived, there were no NG lines not only in India but in any nearby country.

Dabhoi lines documents this and many other shades of history, which provided backdrop for construction of this line and its development.  This development ushered Baroda into a position, where its railway density and number of industries were way above the national average.  It is a book about railway history.  But it is more than railway history book talks about.  It delves closely into economic history, works more as a micro-history and looks Baroda as a microcosm to understand bigger processes undergoing in late 19^th century and early 20^th Century.

The book tries to map evolution of N.G. Lines in Baroda State, how its various branches grew and a strong network emerged. At the same time it also makes an attempt to look into various concerns which affect any infrastructure work today and how it was addressed by Gaikwads. Issue of land, heavy capital required for funding of infrastructure and its long gestation period, role of various regulatory authorities and many such questions always beg answer and it was fascinating that how such issues were tackled 150 years back.

. Sayajirao Gaikwad had underlined the purpose of railway development in his famous speech, ““It was of primary importance that the Baroda Territories should be opened up, and after balancing the requirements and the limitations, I decided to concentrate upon railways, provided the configuration of the country permitted, the cost was not prohibitive and there was a prospect of reasonable return on the capital on the large outlay. It was not possible however to insist too rigorously upon this last proviso, for while railways are primarily commercial concerns, their value cannot be measured solely by profits. They are for the convenience of trade and commerce and the benefit of the travelling public, but by facilitating intercourse, stimulating fresh ideas and broadening outlooks, they have a cultural value which cannot be shown in a financial balance sheet.” 

Book relies on primary sources, has an appendix which provides number of original documents, letters , time tables etc.