Udupussallawa railway
| Uda Pussellawa Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Native name | උඩුපුස්සැල්ලාව දුම්රිය මාර්ගය | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | Ceylon Government Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Closed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Sri Lanka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini |
Nanu Oya railway station Ragala |
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| Stations | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daily ridership | 7279 as in 1934 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1904 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1 March 1948 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Ceylon Government Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Ceylon Government Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 31 km (19 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest elevation | 1,925.6 m (6,318 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Uda Pussellawa railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Uda Pussellawa Railway (UPR) or Udupussallawa Railway was a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway line that existed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) between 1903 and 1948. The line connected Nanu Oya railway station with Ragala via Nuwara Eliya.
The closest station to Nuwara Eliya on the existing heavy gauge railway line (Main Line) was Nanu Oya railway station. The distance from Nuwara Eliya to Nanu Oya was approximately 6.4 km (4.0 mi) and colonial planters in Nuwara Eliya faced many difficulties when transporting goods from Nanu Oya to Nuwara Eliya. They asked for a railway track from Nanu Oya to Nuwara Eliya from the British governor Sir West Ridgeway, who was on a trip to Nuwara Eliya on 25 April 1895. Considering their appeal initial work on the track was commenced in November 1900. The first stage up to Nuwara Eliya was completed and opened on 14 December 1903 by Sir Henry Blake, Nuwara Eliya to Kandapola on 21 December 1903 and the final stage from Kandapola to Ragala was completed in July 1904. The cost of construction was about £5,500 per mile.
The line was constructed in 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge. The total length from Nanu Oya to Ragala was 31 km (19 mi), and five main railway stations were built on the line: Blackpool, Nuwara Eliya, Kandapola, Brookside and Ragala. The highest elevation on the line was at Kandapola railway station. It's elevation was 1,925 m (6,316 ft) above sea level.
The first steam engine to run on this line was imported on 1902 from the Fast Stewart company in England. The famous CGR class H1 steam engine has also performed on this line for few years.
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Wikipedia