The line to the hills

How a railway climbed from the coast to the coffee and tea country, one tunnel at a time.

The railway reached Kandy in 1867. Its purpose was commercial as much as anything: coffee from the hill estates had to get down to the port at Colombo, and bullock carts were slow and costly. To reach the old royal capital, engineers had to lift the line up the steep Kadugannawa incline, cutting a narrow shelf into the rock.

The line on its ledge, with the flat top of Bible Rock on the skyline. Details

The overhanging crag known as Sensation Rock, a favourite subject for photographers and passengers alike. Details

From Kandy’s junction the line kept pushing into the high country: to Nawalapitiya in 1874, Nanu Oya in 1885 and Bandarawela in 1894. It would not reach Badulla until 1924. The works seen in this archive show how much of this was done by hand, with timber frames holding up freshly cut tunnels while crowds of labourers cleared the spoil.

A tunnel under construction, propped with timber. Probably on the extension into Uva, though the exact spot is not recorded. Details

Workers crowd the slope above another tunnel mouth. Also probably the Uva extension. Details

Tunnels strung along a steep hillside, probably on the Haputale side of the line. Details

A very different railway was going up along the southwest coast at the same time. Running through coconut groves and across wide river mouths, the coast line opened in stages and reached Matara in 1895. Sources differ on exactly when it reached Galle, with some giving 1893.

A bowstring bridge on the coast line, probably at Kalutara or Bentota. Details

A crowd beneath a decorated arch at a station. This looks like an opening ceremony on the coast line, but the occasion is not recorded. Details

Next story: The making of Colombo