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'''Ceylon Government Railway'''[[File: Ceylon Railways Map 1909.png|thumb| '''Ceylon Government Railway Map 1909''' <br>from the “Imperial Gazetteer of India”, 1909]]The main reason for building a railway system in the British colony of [[Ceylon]], (today the state of Sri Lanka), was to transport tea and coffee from the hill country to Colombo. The railway was totally independent of the Indian Railway system <ref name =SriGov>[http://www.railway.gov.lk/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137&Itemid=181&lang=en Sri Lanka Government "Railways/History"]; Retrieved on 20 May 2018</ref>.

The '''Ceylon Railway Company''' Rail was formed as a joint stock company in 1847 introduced to establish and operate a railway line transport coffee from [[Colombo]] to [[Kandy]] plantations in the British colony hill country district of [[Ceylon]] (today Kandy to the state port city of Sri Lanka), principally Colombo on its way to facilitate Europe and the local plantersworld market. The coffee blight of 1871 destroyed many a fine plantation and tea replaced coffee. Construction commenced With the development of tea plantations in 1856 butthe 1880s, after not a great deal the joint stock companies swallowed up the former individual proprietorship of progressthe coffee era. Under corporate ownership and management control by companies, concerns were voiced as the process of production of tea became more sophisticated and needed more and more railways built to the economic viability Kandyan highlands. To send tea to Colombo and to transport labour, machinery, manure, rice and foodstuff, etc to Kandy, another 100 miles of railways were constructed in the enterprise (whether the 5% guaranteed return was disproportionate tea planting districts to serve the escalating cost of construction)expanding tea domain. The Secretary of State for To serve the Colonies- subsequently annulled coconut plantations flourishing in the contract west, south west and took over all north west coastal areas of the company’s assets and liabilities country, and the Company was dissolved wet inland rubber plantations below the tea belt, railway lines were built in 1862the wake of these agricultural developments. Once Thereafter, the government had taken over need for cheap and safe travel in order to open up the hinterland of the country led to the company’s assets it set about fulfilling construction expansion of a the railway system for the island by inviting tenders from interested building contractors and taking over three existing contracts, one with Robert Stephenson & Co., locomotive engineers.<refname =SriGov/> [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228649/8330.pdf H.M. Government “Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report : Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill; April 2012"; pages 121-122, paragraphs 3.29-3.31];. Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref>

The '''Ceylon Government Railway'''(CGR) was established by the British Colonial Government in 1864. The main reason for building a railway system in ==Ceylon was to transport tea and coffee from the hill country to Colombo. The railway was totally independent of the Indian Railway system <ref> [http://www.railway.gov.lk/web/index.php?option=com_content&viewCompany=article&id=137&Itemid=181&lang=en Sri Lanka Government "Railways/History"];. Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref>. Initially the service began with the mainline of 54 kilometres connecting Colombo and Ambepussa <ref name=wiki>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Railways Wikipedia "Sri Lanka Railways"]; Retrieved 13 Dec 2017</ref>. The ‘[[Colombo Port Railways, Ceylon|'Colombo Port'Railway Company]] ’(CRC) was established formed as a joint stock company in 1875 1847 to establish and connected operate a railway line from Colombo to the CGR mainline [[Colombo Port Railways, Ceylon|''see separate page for information'']]Kandy.

Extensions were made to In Dec 1856 [[William Scarth Moorsom|Captain W S Moorsom]], Chief Engineer of the Corps of Royal Engineers was instructed by the main line in 1867Governor of Ceylon, 1874Sir Henry George Ward, 1885, 1894 to undertake a survey and 1924, extending its service produce a Report on the provision of a rail link from Colombo to Kandy, Nawalapitiya, Nanu Oya,Bandarawela and Badulla, respectively. This Report dated Many other railway lines were added to Ceylon Railway System within May 1857 examined six possible routes and recommended the first century adoption of its life Route No.3 via the Parnepettia Pass, such as with a total length of Railway line to Matale in 1880of 79 miles(126km), Coast Railway Line and a ruling gradient of one in 189560, Northern Line in 1905with a short Tunnel. The summit at this pass is 1, Mannar Line in 1914, Kelani Valley in 1919, Puttalam Line in 1926, and 780 feet(540 mtr) above sea level. This became the route of the first railway line to Batticaloa and Trincomalee in 1928 Ceylon. <ref name=wiki/br>.[[Ceylon Government Railway Survey, 1856-57|''See separate page'' ‘Ceylon Government Railway Survey, 1856-57’]]

Construction started in Oct 1857 of the broad gauge ([[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]]) from Colombo to Kandy under the supervision of the [[William Thomas Doyne]), Chief Resident Engineer <ref>[https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/William_Thomas_Doyne ‘Grace’s Guide’ – “William Thomas Doyne” ]; Retrieved on 20 May 2018</ref>. In 1859, [[Guilford Lindsey Molesworth]] was appointed as Engineer and Locomotive Superintendent <ref name=Molesworth>[https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Guilford_Lindsey_Molesworth ‘Grace’s Guide’ – “Guilford Lindsey Molesworth” ]; Retrieved on 14 May 2018</ref>. However it was found that the costs involved were far higher than [[William Scarth Moorsom|Capt. Moorsom’s]] estimateand finally the CRC contract was terminated in 1862 with the Government taking over the assets and liabilities of the Company<br> [[Ceylon Railway Company|''See separate page'' ‘Ceylon Railway Company’]] ''for more detailed information'' Once the government had taken over the company’s assets it set about fulfilling construction of a railway system for the island by inviting tenders from interested building contractors and taking over three existing contracts, one with Robert Stephenson & Co., locomotive engineers <ref name=HMGov>[https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228649/8330.pdf H.M. Government “Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report : Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill; April 2012"; pdf 128-129; paragraphs 3.29-3.31];. Retrieved on 20 May 2018</ref>. ==RecordsCeylon Government Railway==An At the close of 1862 the Crown Agents for the Colonies accepted, on-line search behalf of the Government of Ceylon, a tender from [[India Office RecordsWilliam Frederick Faviell]] for the construction of about 73 miles(IOR117km) records held at of railway between Colombo and Kandy and in February, 1863, he left England with a large staff to carry out that important work. The railway, the first constructed in Ceylon, was ''“full of rank vegetation, and malaria so infested the district that many lives were sacrificed, and the progress of the works constantly interrupted before this portion of the railway could be completed”''. The heavy works and tunnels on the Kadugannawa Incline, of 1 in 45 for 12 miles, ''“also involved much anxiety and responsibility to the contractor”''. The whole broad gauge([[British LibraryRail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]] relating ) line was completed to this railway Kandy and opened through for traffic in August 1867 <ref>[httphttps://searcharchiveswww.gracesguide.blco.uk/primo_libraryWilliam_Frederick_Faviell Grace’s Guide ‘William Frederick Faviell’]; Retrieved on 14 May 2018</ref>. It is recorded that ''“The line was opened up to Polgahawela for both passenger and goods traffic on November 1, 1866. The first tunnel on the Main Line is at Mirigama, and is 274 ft. long. Thereafter, up to Kandy, there are 9 tunnels, the longest being 1,095 ft. Tunnelling is a masterpiece of railway engineering, and their construction with antediluvian tools and equipment strikes wonder.The railway line was pushed to the top of the incline in December 1866, and the first material train steeped up the incline, puffing and coughing, and reached Kadugannawa on March 20, 1867. The bridge over the Mahaweli ganga and the girder bridge over the Maha Oya, were soon completed, and the final section to link Kandy was laid on April 25, 1867. The first train to Kandy from Colombo, ran on April 26, 1867.”''<ref>[http://libwebcolombofort.com/1st.railway.htm “Cutting the First Sod of Earth for the Railway in 1858” by Aryadasa Ratnasinghe]; Retrieved on 20 May 2018</actionref>. == Railway Network==An extension of the ‘Main Line’ to Kandy was made the ‘Northern Line’ to the ancient city of Anuradhapura, going further north to Kankesanturai and west to Talaimannar to connect the island with South India by ferry, to bring Indian labour for the tea and rubber plantations, and also import rice and other food stuffs not indigenously produced in sufficient quantities.Towards the east, there was little economic justification to lay a line to the dry zone in that direction, but it became strategically worthwhile to lay a line to the natural harbour of Trincomalee and also connect it to the provincial capital of Batticaloa. These lines were laid with light (21 kg) section rails, as was the narrow gauge section to serve the rubber plantations east of Colombo, known as the ‘Kelani Valley Line’. Up country, a similar branch line was laid from Nanu Oya on the Main Line through very difficult terrain to serve the tea plantations around Nuwara Eliya. Track alignment was defined in this section about 140 years ago, when economic considerations were vastly different. The railways achieved modal superiority with speeds of 25 to 40 kmph in the hill country and 65 to 80 in the low country and civil engineering criteria was influenced by the economic need to minimize cuts and fills, permitting gradients to 2 to 3 % and minimizing bridge lengths. As a result, the alignment here is winding with very sharp curves. <ref name =SriGov/search>.do?vid === [[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|Broad Gauge 5 feet 6 Inches (BG)]]===IAMS_VU2 [[File: Ceylon Government Railway.png|thumb|'''Ceylon Government “British Library Archives Railway Map 1910''' <br>from “The Ceylon Government Railway: A Descriptive and Illustrated Guide”, 1910, by Henry W Cave M.A., FRGS]]Following the opening in 1867 of the line from Colombo via Peradeniya to Kandy the BG network developed as follows:-<ref name=Cave29>[https://archive.org/details/cu31924023977659 “The Ceylon Government Railway: A Descriptive and Manuscripts Catalogue” Illustrated Guide”, 1910, by Henry W Cave M.A., FRGS Table of stations, mileages pages 29- Search30]; Retrieved 3 Apr 2016on 20 May 2018</ref>.gives * ‘Main Line’: Colombo to Ragama ''(Junction for Negombo Line) '', 9 miles; to Polgahawala ''(Junction for Northern Line)'', 45 miles; to Peradeniya, ''(Junction for Kandy and Matale Line)'', 70½ miles opened 1867; extended 1894 to Bandaeawala. All mileages from Colombo - Total 160¾ miles (210km). In 1865 the extension to Gampola was authorised and opened for traffic in 1873. The section from Gampola to Nawalapitiya had immense engineering problems and it was completed in 1884. The trace to Nanu Oya from Nawalapitiya was completed in three stages, i.e., from Nawalapitiya to Hatton in 1884, then to Talawakelle in the same year and to Nanu Oya in 1885, and then to Bandarawela in 1894. Bandarawela was the terminus on the Main Line until the following entryextention to Badulla was completed in 1924. <ref>‘Henry Cave’ pages 69-115, pdf84-130</ref><ref>‘Henry Cave’ pages 125-154, pdf140-169</ref>* ‘Negombo Line’: Ragama Junction to Nebombo. Total mileage from Ragama Junction - 14 miles(23km) <ref>‘Henry Cave’ pages 231-234, pdf246-249</ref>*L‘Matele Line’: extension from Peradeniya to Kandy, 4 miles opened 1867; extended 1880 to Matele. Total mileage from Peradeniya - 21 miles (34km). <ref>‘Henry Cave’ pages 116-124, pdf131-139</Fref> * ‘Northern Line’: Polgahawala Junction to Anuradhapula, 81 miles; to Madawachchi ''(Junction for Mannar Line)'', 97 miles; to Jaffna 200 miles; to Kankesanturai. Total mileage from Polgahawala Junction – 211 miles(340km), opened 1905. <ref>‘Henry Cave’ pages 168-214, pdf 183-229</7/2176ref>* ‘Mannar Line’: Madawachchi Junction to Mannar, 56 miles; "Collection 370to Taliimannar, for India) Total mileage from Madawachchi Junction - 66 miles(106km) – ‘under construction 1910’, opened 1914.* ‘Coast Line’: from Colombo to Galle, 72 miles and extended to Matara, the extreme end of the Island. Total mileage from Colombo 98½ miles(158km), opened 1895. <ref>‘Henry Cave’ pages 32-68, pdf47-83</21ref>* ‘Puttalam Line’ opened in 1926 <ref name=wiki>[https: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Railways Wikipedia "Sri Lanka Railways"]; Retrieved 20 May 2018</ref>.* ‘Batticaloa and Trincomalee’ in 1928 <ref name=wiki/>. ===[[Rail_gauge#Narrow _Gauge|Narrow Gauge 2 feet 6 Inches (NG)]]===* ‘Udapussellawa Line’: Miscellaneous: Indo-Ceylon Railway connectionsfrom Nanuoya (128 miles from Columbo) to Ragala, 19 miles(31km), disputes between serving the saniarium of Ceylon Government at Nuwara Eliya, 6200 feet above sea level, opened 1903-04.<ref> ‘Henry Cave page 23, pdf37 and pages 155-168, pdf170-183</ref>* ‘Kalani Valley Line’ , eastward fom Columbo, serving the South Indian Railway relating tea planting district, 48 miles(77km), opened 1919. <ref>‘Henry Cave’ page 26, pdf37 and pages 215-230, pdf230-245</ref>* ‘Ratnapura Line’, from Avissawella via Ratnapura to trafficOpanayaka, 26 miles (42km), opened 1912, closed 1976 <ref>[https://en.wikipedia."org/wiki/Ratnapura Wikipedia ‘Ratnapura’]; 1915Retrieved 20 May 2018</ref>. ==Colombo Port==The [[Colombo Port Railways, Ceylon|'Colombo Port']] was established in 1875 and connected to the CGR mainline <br>[[Colombo Port Railways, Ceylon|''see separate page for information'']] ==Personnel==No personnel records have been identified ==External Reading==* Archive.org [https://archive.org/details/cu31924023977659 “The Ceylon Government Railway -1926 A Descriptive and Illustrated Guide”, 1910, by Henry W Cave M.A., FRGS] ==Further Information==See'''[[Ceylon Railway Company]]''' up to 1862