Horse-Drawn Tram During British Era In Calcutta, 1880 Photo

Horse-Drawn Tram During British Era In Calcutta, 1880 Photo

An 1880 photo of a horse-drawn tram in Calcutta (Kolkata) during the British Era. This famous image appears on India Post’s first-day cover titled “Tramways of Kolkata”.

Horse-drawn tram was introduced in Calcutta in 1873. Its initial run began from Sealdah to Armenian Ghat Street, later expanding to a wider area in the city. However, by 1902 electric trams replaced the horse-drawn trams in Calcutta.

This photo shows the Old Court House Street during the British Raj days. The tram board reads “Clive St to Kali Ghaut” on a closer look. Many of the British business establishments are also seen namely Ranken & Co, Rosier, Harry Clark, F. W. Baker & Co, and so on. The famous St Andrews Church (or Scottish Church) with its pointed clock steeple is visible at the far end of the street. The other colonial presidencies viz. Bombay (Mumbai) and Madras (Chennai) too began originally with horse-drawn trams.

See post Mumbai Horse-Drawn Tram – Old Print 1897. Also read Trams in Kolkata.

Did you know- Steam-powered trams were introduced in Kolkatta in the early 1900s 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