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Forgotten `romantic' tramway

The Cochin State Forest Tramway is set to celebrate its centenary, even as a walkway along the route is in the offing, K. PRADEEP discovers

HISTORY IN FOCUS Top: The Kuriarkutty bridge, part of the tramway, is still motorable.

Had it been in operation today it would surely have been `one of the railway wonders of the world.' The Cochin State Forest Tramway (CSFT) that connected Parambikulam to Chalakudy, a distance of nearly 50 miles, through lush green forests, bubbling streams, flowing rivers, ushered in wealth and development to Kochi.

For more than four decades, from 1906 till it was decommissioned in the 1940s, this engineering marvel carried timber, forest produce and civilian passengers who paid four annas (25 paise) for the entire stretch. British officers attached salons to the tramway and travelled with servants and supplies to spend vacations at the rest houses that were built along this enchanting route. It was a route that Salim Ali took with his wife and which he found `romantic'. (See box) Today, all that remains of this tramway are stretches of broken rail, a couple of bridges and rusted wagons. Now, 100 years on, plans for a tourism project, `Walk Through History' is in the offing.

Walk through history

The Forest Department has already drawn up a project plan that hopes to revive the magic of this journey along the tramway route. "We have decided to call this eco-tourism project `Walk Through History.' This 17-kilometre trek will be through thick rain forests where the tourist will experience the full glory of beautiful Nature.

The trek will be along the banks of rivers, along the tramway route. The rails, wagons that lie on the route will provide a slice of history, of the wonderful engineering achievements and sacrifice of a bygone generation. The trek will also be a treat for the wildlife enthusiast. Importantly this project will provide permanent livelihood and empowerment to the Adivasi community in this area. They will manage the trek, providing food and lodging facilities. The project, which will be jointly implemented by the Chalakudy, Peechi, and Parambikulam Wildlife Divisions, will hopefully be commissioned in August this year," informs M. I. Varghese, Wildlife Warden, Chalakudy.

Elephants loading timber to wagons.

It was Devan R. Varma, railway historian, who was instrumental in reviving an interest in the CSFT. He was assisted in his research by two of his `rail friends,' David Churchill (United Kingdom) and Marc Ruesser (United States) who contributed valuable information and some marvellous pictures.

Rs. 2 lakh-profit

"It was while working on a journal to commemorate the centenary (1906-2006) of this unique tramway that I realised the immense significance of the tramway in building modern Kochi. According to the Cochin State Manual (1911) the tramway raked in an average profit of Rs. 2 lakhs per annum. The timber, teak and rosewood used to be carried by the tram to Chalakudy and from there transported by rail to the Kochi port. This top quality timber was exported to various parts of the world. It was mostly used for shipbuilding and as sleepers for many railway lines," informs Mr. Varma.

It was during the reign of `Rajarshi' Rama Varma XV (1895-1914) that major infrastructure projects were initiated. "The State had very limited resources to fund these ambitious initiatives. It was then that they looked at the largely untapped forest resources. The need was to generate as much revenue as possible to drive their projects ahead. This was the reasoning and thought behind setting up the tramway," adds Mr. Varma.

Started in 1901

The construction of the tramway began in 1901, formally inaugurated by Sir Arthur Oliver Villiers Russell, Governor of Madras, in 1905-06. The total investment for this project was Rs. 18.5 lakhs. "Research revealed that the idea of a forest tramway was first conceived by J. A. Kolhoff, the first Conservator of Forests of the Cochin State. But no work was initiated on his report. Alvar Chetty, who became the advisor of the Maharaja, initiated another survey and a forest engineer, Haldwell, was commissioned for the job. Haldwell suggested route alignments. Chalakudy, the forest headquarters, went on to house the tramway workshop and timber yard. Initially, the tramway was part of the Forest Department. After it was commissioned the management was entrusted to the tramway engineer who was to work directly under the Diwan of the Cochin State. In fact, the tramway engineer had a special place in the State council," says Mr. Varma.

The tramway chugging along.

In 1926 a special finance committee recommended the abolition of the tramway. However, in 1928 the government decided to give it a fresh lease of life. They did this to exploit the forests in the nearby area, which was a conceptual mistake that resulted in severe damage to forestland. By 1940 the role of the tramway was diminished with the opening of the Anamalai road. In 1950, a committee headed by the chief Conservator of Forests concluded that the tramway was a `white elephant.' In 1951 it was decided to discontinue the tramway. But in 1953 another commission under B.V.K. Menon reported that this monumental venture should be revived but it never materialised. Later, in 1957 the Government suggested that the tramway be used for tourism purposes and even allotted Rs. 5 lakhs for the project. Three diesel locomotives were bought from Germany. When this ministry fell and the new one came into existence the tramway was shelved. In 1963 the tramway was demolished and the staff absorbed in various government departments.

Engines sold

"My efforts to trace the eight engines that were used have failed. It is believed that it was sold as scrap. I'm trying to trace them."

Rremains of some of the buildings of the tramway project and a road called Tramway Station Road can still be seen in Chalakudy. The entire stretch of the tramway route can be seen from Parambikulam dam to Chalakudy. This route has been converted into jeep tracks by the forest department. There are around ten employees of this tramway who meet every month at the Chalakudy treasury to collect their pensions. The rest houses and stations no longer exist.

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