Horse-Drawn Tram In Calcutta, 1880 Photo
An old 1880 photo of a horse-drawn tram in Calcutta, now Kolkata. Calcutta was introduced with the horse-drawn trams in 1873. The first run was between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street. By 1902 electric trams replaced the horse-drawn ones in Calcutta. This photo features the Old Court House Street of Kolkata. Check the enlarged view of the tram’s board that reads “Clive St to Kali Ghaut.”
Shown also are several British business establishments- Ranken & Co, Rosier, Harry Clark, F. W. Baker & Co, and son. The famous St Andrews Church (or Scottish Church) with its high clock steeple is also visible at the far end of the street. This photo image also appears on the “Tramways of Kolkata” India Post’s first-day cover of 2005. That is also in my collection see images in this post. Bombay (Mumbai) and Madras (Chennai) were the other cities that once had trams that were drawn by horses.
See post- Mumbai Horse-Drawn Tram – Old Print 1897. Read also- Trams in Kolkata.
Did you know- in the 1900s Steam-powered trams were introduced in Kolkatta for six months but failed to take off because of frequent maintenance problems.
From the collection- Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” Oleograph c1894., St Andrews Church In Bangalore – Old Postcard 1906., Fort At Coylan – Antique Map / Plan 1764., Vintage Book 1967 – Kerala A Portrait Of The Malabar Coast
