Cochin State Forest Tramway At Parambikulam Forest, 1919 Photo
A 1919 photo of the Cochin State Forest Tramway at Parambikulam forest. See post Vintage Book 1938 – Kochi Calling The Cochin Tramway was constructed in 1903. It was solely for the transportation of valuable timber from the virgin forests of Chalakudy and Parambikulam. However, because of the dense virgin forest the timber could not be accessed by road or by river.
One reason was that trucks in 1903 did make an appearance yet and transporting by animal power was not feasible. The water level in rivers during summers would be low and carrying heavy logs just could not be considered. It is when the light railway was thought to be more of a practical solution, the construction of a tramway line was finally decided.
Although constructing of a rail system in a hilly forest was not an easy piece of engineering. Considering the rough topography of dense wooded forests, hills and valleys and rocky surfaces. Despite the many barriers, the tough task was accomplished and a steam-driven tram was introduced, which had to go through an unsurveyed tract of rugged land covered by dense hilly woodland. Thus the Cochin State Forest Tramway successfully operated from 1903 to 1963. The photo shows one of the five inclines of the Cochin State Forest Tramway.
Did you know- there were thick dense forests in Kerala more than 100 years ago which were systematically cut for their valuable timber of teak, rosewood, mahogany, and so on by the British.
From the collection- Old Photographs Kerala Village & Backwaters., Vintage Print Worli Fort Bombay 1930s., Postcard British India Military Parade., c1964 M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal Art Abstract (#1).
