McLeod's Light Railways

McLeod's Light Railways (MLR) consisted of following four 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow-gauge lines in West Bengal in India.

The Bankura-Purulia Light Railway(BPLR) was a similar proposal to connect Bankura with Purulia via Dhaldanga, Puabagan, Kumidiya, Teghori, Hatgram, Bishpuria, Hura & Hutmura.

The plan was to connect Bankura & Purulia belt with a 84.4 kilometres (52.4 mi) long Narrow Gauge railway line.

But a catastrophic flood in 1917-18 washed away line from Bankura to Dhaldanga & lack of Passengers prompted McLeod Russell & Co. Ltd. to scrap the route.

Kalighat–Falta Railway connecting Gholeshapur in Behala to Falta was opened on 28 May 1917 and was extended a further 0.92 miles (1.48 km) to Kalighat, now Majherhat in West Bengal on 7 May 1920.

[18] The KFR line was the first in India to use three brand new 2-6-2 side tank AK16 locomotives, built in November 1916 by W. G. Bagnall Ltd. of the Castle Engine Works at Stafford in England.

The West Bengal Government also took up the matter with us and they gave an assurance that they would make all possible efforts; they said that the road services would be sufficiently developed in that area to cope with the normal traffic; That is the position so far as public are concerned[19] As regards the staff of the Kalighat-Falta Railway, it had been decided by the Government of India to offer fresh employment(during 1952) to such of the staff as are below the age of superannuation and are otherwise found suitable.

[19] Due to ever-increasing losses, the KFR was closed in 1957.The land where the tracks used to be was used to construct a road, the James Long Sarani, in Behala.