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By 2005, there weren't many countries to see 'real' steam at work. While Pakistan had finished with steam on broad gauge lines, there was still steam activity on the metre gauge system based around Mirpur Khas in Sindh Province. Services were sparse but it was possible to see trains on each of the three extant lines over a four day period - two had a passenger train once a week, while the third was even less frequent - twice a month.
Time for a visit was running out as the line to Khokhropar was due to be converted to broad gauge with the intention of reconnecting the railway across the border to India. In the days of British rule, the metre gauge used to run from Hyderabad to Jodhpur; the Indian side had been broad gauged some years ago as had the section from Hyderabad to Mirpur Khas.
When booking the flight to Karachi I spotted it was possible to upgrade to 'Premier Class' for a fairly modest £45 return, which I did. The plane was a 'Jumbo' and I enjoyed sitting in spacious upper deck comfort while everybody else in our group sat crammed in downstairs.
After arrival from London on Monday 30 May, we went by coach from Karachi - complete with armed security personnel - to Mirpur Khas (or 'Mir').
The report I compiled at the time is reproduced below. The map has railway lines marked in green.
A YD 2-8-2 receives attention in the loco depot at Mirpur Khas.
Two SP 4-6-0s,138 and 140 dead in the depot yard. They were built by Kerr, Stuart of Stoke on Trent in 1921, part of a class of BESA designed locos for the Jodhpur Railway in India and their running numbers may be unchanged from that railway. Both are working engines, with 138 hauling the Nawabshah service two days later. Similar 4-6-0s were once seen all over the Indian sub-continent on metre gauge tracks.
Left: A stationary boiler next to the shed - don't know anything of its history.
Above: YD 519 took water on shed before moving to the station to work the Khokhropar train. The YDs were an Indian Railways Standard design, with examples working in India and Burma as well as Pakistan.
YD 519 crosses an irrigation canal with the Khokhropar train en route to Pithoro Junction which has a fairly imposing station building.
YD 519 about to depart in the fast fading light from Pithoro Junction, 36 kms from Mirpur Khas with another 90 kms to travel to its destination of Khokhropar near the Indian border. Note the very British signals.
Next morning 519 returned from Khokhropar and is seen at the next station - actually probably only a halt - being photographed by the tour group as a camel train passed by. I found this quite a magical place even though it was just a small village with a very basic truck stop. The sand dunes, bright early morning skies, large insects scuttling around in the sand, the kraal-like dwellings, the local inhabitants, the camels and of course the train combined to make the scene memorable, making one glad to have started the journey to get here from our hotel at 4.30am! I was so taken with the scene that the train started to leave without me and I had to run down the hill through thick sand - not easy - and scramble aboard as it pulled away up the line.
519 trundles through the desert, then accelerates away passing a large sandhill..
Passengers waiting at an important station.
The materials train for the relaying to broad gauge was shunting at Mirpur Khas Junction with YD 522 when we returned. The white building behind the train is the signal box controlling the numerous signals and points here. The track gang are attending to a motor trolley, possibly the same one seen in the previous photo.
SP 138 leaves Mirpur Khas on the twice monthly service to Nawabshah. Our tour group and a track gang were the only passengers. The signalbox was constructed in 1925, the date being shown below its name.
Left: The train at the small wayside halt of Khan and, right, crossing a river. Nevertheless the loco needs to tow a large tankerful of water as it may not be available at stations in desert areas.
The only scheduled passenger work for the SP 4-6-0s was this twice a month service from Mirpur Khas to Nawab Shah. SP 138 steams past a group of goatherders and their charges on Wednesday 1 June.
'Photograph my best side' the camel seems to be hinting as the train approaches. Finally the train arrived at Nawabshah around 18.00, having been due at 13.40. With the searing heat and a buckled rail en route that had to be replaced, the crews and workers did well to run at all. Nawabshah is a junction with a broad gauge line that came up from Hyderabad.
Next morning we were at the loco shed early before getting the once a week train around the Jhudo Loop. Our loco was to be YD 524. 138 has just arrived back from Nawabshah after its overnight working, glad to see it got back safely. At the other end of the shed YD 518, on the left, was also in steam to work the materials train, with 519 and 522 alongside. The shed was kept creditably clean and tidy.
524 leaving on its journey of no less than 228 kilometres, around 140 miles, a pretty decent distance for a steam loco by 2005.
Jhudo Loop line train MG-3 on Thursday 2 June with YD 524 approaching a fine mosque at Mirpur Khas.
Busy scenes showing the service is well used.
524 running alongside a decidedly bent broad gauge track!
After a very worthwhile and well organised trip we flew back to London on Friday 3 June.
Naturally, I returned in 'Premier Class' luxury. One couple decided to upgrade and I believe the one-way cost was £100 each!
In retrospect, I am very happy to have participated in this trip. With regular steam pretty well finished by 2005 in most countries it gave a real impression of how railways were in the days of the British Raj.
Footnotes:
More information on metre gauge railways in Sindh is here - http://www.irfca.org/articles/mg-sindh.html
and photos from 2005 here https://www.irfca.org/gallery/Foreign/MirpurKhas1/?g2_page=2
Locos seen were built by:
127 Hanomag
138/140 Kerr, Stuart
518/519 Vulcan Foundry, Newton-le-Willows in 1929
520/522/524 Ajmer Works, India in 1932
524 is believed to have been overhauled in 2004 at Mughalpura workshops, Lahore.
A 2007 report suggested there were no metre gauge trains running.
A video dated May 2010 shows YD 520 (which was out of use in 2005) shunting a long rake of carriages at Mirpur Khas station. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWlweLdsAvE
Mirpur Khas in 1987
In the dying days of December 1987, I was part of a group visit to Mirpur Khas, when there were more trains than in 2005. One morning we saw three passenger trains arrive and three depart between 8am and 9.30am, all steam, with another loco shunting, plus movements on and off shed.
One morning we were aboard the departure to Mirpur Khas from the other end of the line at Nawabshah, a journey of 129 kms, hauled by 4-6-0 140. Here it is with plenty of local passengers at Tando Sarwar.
140 in full flight. This was a runpast specially for our group, hence the black smoke. I had a footplate ride on the loco. The wagon behind the loco is a water tender.
Some scenes at Mirpur Khas. Left above: 4-6-0 127 leaves with the 15.20 to Nawabshah. Left below: YD4 523 shunts stock. The loco is supposed to be a 2-8-2, but was running as a 2-2-6-2! Above: YD5 722 with an incoming service a few minutes after 127's departure. 722 was one of a batch built in Japan in 1952, a contrast to 127 which dates from 1914.
Left above: 140 is turned at Nawabshah by one man and has attracted a crowd...Left below: The sun sets on Mirpur Khas. Above: 140 catches the last rays of the sun before going into the shed.
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