Industrial Locomotives of South Asia (ILSA)
Compiled by Simon Darvill
Acknowledgements
A Bibliography can be found at here
However, a debt of gratitude must be paid to the works of the late Hugh Hughes and his series of books Indian Locomotives. It is a series of books that nobody who has an interest in Indian railways should be with out.
All works of this nature, whilst compiled by one person, are really the work of many. I would like to thank the following individuals and organisations (in no particular order).
Chris West, Frank Jux, Mike Kennard, Robin Waywell, George Toms, Mike South, David Love, David Hall and the members of the IRFCA list. The staff of The India & Oriental Collection and the Newspaper Library sections of the British Library, the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester, and the Central Library, Manchester.
A special thanks to all of the individuals who have reported their sightings in the following publications - the Industrial Railway Society bulletins, the Narrow Gauge Railway Society bulletins, the Continental Railway Journal. Also anyone I may have inadvertently forgotten. I would also like to add that any mistakes in the list are down to me and not them!
I would like to give two very special thanks. The first is Satish - he very kindly offered the original HTML version of my research, has maintained the website for the last three years and has done this updated version. My eternal thanks to you, Satish. The other is my father, Bob Darvill, without whose vast library of books, magazines, workslists and personal knowledge, I would never have even started this enterprise. My deepest thanks to you Dad.
Links
The Industrial Railway Society was founded in 1949. The Society is a leading organisation devoted to the study of all aspects, and all gauges, of privately owned industrial railways and locomotives, both in the UK and overseas. They deal with such diverse locations as collieries, opencast coal pits, steel works, gas works, peat bogs, Ministry of Defence depots, engineering works, docks, electric power stations. Also details of various railway preservation groups and their locomotives are also part of their remit.
The Narrow Gauge Railway Society is a society devoted to the study of any railway less than 4' 8 1/2", worldwide. They cover mainline as well as industrial and preserved locations.
The IRFCA forum/mailing list. A group of people of whom have one common link - a love of Indian railways, whatever the aspect. The debate can be lively and the information can be technical but it is certainly never dull. If you are interested in joining, then find details here. Also, check out the rest of the IRFCA FAQ pages (which is host to this list) which is a mine of information for things Indian and railway related.