Train Travel of Yore

by HM NISSANKA WARAKAULLE

In the early part of the last century traveling by train was both cheap and interesting but time consuming. Though the train fare was a little more than the fare charged for the journey by bus, it was definitely more comfortable. For example, the train from Colombo Fort to Kandy cost Rs.2.50 while the bus fare was Rs. 2.25. As recently as the 1970s, a regular Kandy-Colombo train traveler said the fare from Kandy to Colombo was cheaper than the taxi ride from Maradana to his father’s Colombo home!

The trains at that time were powered by steam engines and they used to run on steam generated by burning coal. The commuters who used to put their heads out of their carriage windows used to get cinders in their eyes which was irritating at best and painful at worst

The most interesting train rides were to Kandy and Badulla from the Fort railway station. There were so many tunnels after Rambukkana, the passengers counted the number of tunnels the traindpasses through while younger travelers made a din. During the steam engines days, the Kandy and the Up-Country trains would have an extra engine fixed behind as a ‘push factor’ at the Rambukkana station as the climb was too steep for one engine to tackle. The ‘push’ engine would be detached at Kadugannawa as the climb ended there.

The then Ceylon Government Railway (CGR) used to run rail cars over short distances. I recollect the rail cars that used to run from Matale to Gampola and Kadugannawa. There were rail car halts at important places where there were schools or offices. And this indeed was a boon to schoolchildren and office workers. This service was done away with after some time as is usual in Sri Lanka.

The devastating floods in Kandy in 1958, especially at Getambe did a great deal of damage to houses and other buildings on the side of the Mahaweli river. One of two buildings that withstood the ravages was the Getambe temple. That is the reason motorists traveling to and from Kandy stop to pay their respects at this temple. Most of them do not know the reason why but continue to do so.

The railway too was affected adversely by this floods as the railway bridge at Peradeniya got washed away. The trains plied between Matale/Kandy up to the Sarasavi Uyana (then known as New Peradeniya) and people who wished to travel to Colombo or upcountry had to find their way to the Peradeniya Junction station to get a train to their destination.

Two train accidents I remember during that time were those at the level crossing between Polgahawela and Alawwa stations and one at Willorawatta. The accident at the level crossing was entirely due to the fault of a CTB driver who tried to cross as the train was nearing the crossing. It was one of the worst train accidents in Sri Lanka before the Peraliya disaster due to the tsunami.

The accident at Willorawatta close to the tunnel was when a train from Badulla to Colombo had derailed blocking both lines so that travel was not possible either way. I had bought a ticket to Kandy and was waiting for a long time at the Fort station with no signs of the train arriving at the platform. Then an announcement over the public address system indicated the train would be late.

After a long wait a train arrived at the platform and the passengers happily boarded not realizing what was in store for them. As we reached the Mirigama station we were asked to de-train and board one of the CTB buses parked outside. Then we were taken to the Alawwa station and we boarded the train to Kandy there.

When we reached Kandy, it was close upon midnight. As there were no vehicles in the Kandy city at that time, I had to walk the two miles home after midnight! That was the worst experience I had traveling by train.

The more interesting trips by train were those made with the Kingswood cricket and hockey teams to Colombo and Galle. From Kandy we took two trains to Galle to play a cricket match against Richmond College. We were put up for two nights in the college sick room. The two-day cricket match was played on the Galle Esplanade (now the international cricket stadium). While the match was in progress people used to walk across the ground as it was open from all sides.

We used to come to Colombo to play cricket and hockey against S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia. Here we were accommodated for the night on the balcony of the main hall. Royal College gave us accommodation in a room facing the then racecourse, with a big hornets’ nest on the gutter outside.

The most interesting and enjoyable activity on these trips was the singing of popular English and Sinhala songs of the time and of course, the famous baila. Herby always gave the lead with his repertoire of songs and baila. We were able to do this without disturbing other passengers as a compartment was reserved for us.

The most interesting railway line for some time was the Kelani Valley narrow gauge line originally built for a South African customer. When the intended buyer rejected it, the British brought it here and installed the line from the Fort station to Opanayake. This was interesting because like the then tramcars, the trains on this line were very slow moving and some people used to get in and out while the train was on the move.

In about the early 1950s the then government decided to do away with this narrow-gauge line. As such, all the stations were abandoned, and unauthorized persons encroached on the Railway Department land. Later, it was decided to restart this service on a broad-gauge line with the trains running up to Avissawella only. It continues do so at present too.

Another railway line deactivated long ago was that from Nanu Oya to Nuwara Eliya. This was very popular with tourists and locals. It would be good if they could restore this profitable line.

During that time all long-distance trains had a restaurant or buffet car where a choice of short eats and cool drinks, tea/coffee and of course cold beer were available. In fact, the restaurant car was well patronized. In the trains to Jaffna and Badulla they also served lunch and dinner. The present-day train travelers miss these facilities.

The railway track and rail bed on either side were well looked after with no weeds allowed and the two sides, generally close to stations, were full of flowering plants which added a lot of colour. Most of the stations were clean with flowering plants grown in the gardens. The ladies’ and gentlemen’s waiting rooms too were tidily kept. Many stations had restaurants or kiosks for travelers to have refreshments and a cup of tea.

There were a lot of vendors carrying various types of eats and other goods for sale. The most popular of these vendors were the vadai vendors at the Rambukkana station some of who offered isso vadai as well. They were just five cents each at that time!

The railway catering service was run by Victoria Hotel, owned by Sir Donatus Victoria. After being long run by Victoria, it was taken over by U.K. Edmund, the owner of the brewery which manufactured the popular Three Coins beer.

The night trains to Jaffna and Badulla had sleeping berths which passengers had to book early. These berths were invariably full when the trains start.Now as then traveling by train to Kandy and Badulla is a fascinating experience with the superb scenery and going across the famous nine-arch Demodara bridge on the Badulla train.