Cochin State Forest Tramway
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_In_Census_of_India,_1941,_Vol_XIX,_Cochin_by_B_V_K_Menon,_Census_Commissioner,_Cochin,_printed_1944_(retouched).jpg)
| Headquarters | , |
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Key people | Rama Varma XV |
| Products | Teak and Rosewood |
| Revenue | Rs 17.5 lakhs |
| Rs 2 lakhs |
The Cochin State Forest Tramway was a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
History
Inception
The idea of a forest tramway was put forward by J.C. Kolhoff, first Conservator of Forests of the city of
Tram routes
The tramway was divided into three sections: the first started from Chalakudy and ended at Anapantham, covering a length of 21 miles; the second ran from Kavalai to Pothupara, covering six miles; and the third ran from Komalapara to Chinnar, covering 22.5 miles. The total length of tramway was 49.5 miles (79.5 km).[2]
Machinery
Demise
In 1926, the special finance committee recommended the abolition of the tramway, but was rejected by the Government in 1928. Another special committee was set up in 1950 under the chairmanship of the Chief Conservator of Forests, which recommended discontinuing of the tramway. In 1953, another commission was appointed but given the report that tramway should be revived at any cost. Finally in 1963, after serving 56 years and making modern
Legacy
The tramway was an engineering wonder in that period for South India. The money was used for building ports, bridges, roads, colleges, schools, etc. Cochin Port, a major port on the Arabian Sea – Indian Ocean sea-route, was constructed by the earnings from the tramway. Willingdon Island, which was created during construction of Cochin Port, was also bankrolled by tramway revenues.[2]
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Rama Varma XV was the brain behind the idea of Cochin State Forest Tramway -
A section of the Tramway without locomotives -
Steep incline section of the Tram -
Cochin Port, the cherry in Kerala's growth, was constructed from the earnings of the tramway
References
- ^ "Journal on the Cochin State Forest Tramway." (*.doc file) Retrieved on 10 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Prabhakaran, G. (4 January 2010). "Tramway to a trade empire". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ "Public to get glimpses of the marvel of erstwhile tramway". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ Edward Harran: "The Cochin Forest Railway. In: Scientific American," 26 February 1910, p. 184-185. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
Further reading
- Jackson, Harold V. (August 1971). "The Cochin State Forest Tramway". The Industrial Railway Record. No. 38. www.irsociety.co.uk. pp. 104–105.
- Travel article: "Forest Track", Outlook Traveller (November 2006). Text and photographs by Sanjiv Valsan "The mountain route of the long forgotten Cochin State Forest Tramway is reborn as a jungle trail."
- Joseph, Sebastian (2016). Cochin forests and the British techno-ecological imperialism in India. Delhi: Primus. ISBN 9789384082659.
- From UC College, Aluva, Department of History: An extract from the "Environmental History" chapter of Dr. Sebastian Joseph's 2010 thesis, Cochin Forests and the British, submitted as part of the Kerala Council for Historical Research's (KCHR) Post-Doctoral Fellowship. The thesis was the basis of above 2016 book.
External links
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