Sarda Gorge Tramway

The Sarda Gorge Tramway, 1854-55, is shown in photographs in the India Office Records (IOR) stated below.

No further information has been found except for a brief references in a 1954 book :-

Page 92 “The distance between Thuli Gadh and Kaladhunga via the Sarda gorge is eight miles, and via Purnagiri, fourteen miles.”

Page 122 “The first twelve miles of the road — through Baramdeo to the foot of the sacred Purnagiri mountain —runs through forest most of the way At the foot of the mountain the road ends, and there is the choice of two tracks to Kaladhunga. One, the longer, goes steeply up the left-hand side of the mountain to the Purnagiri temples, over a shoulder of the mountain, and down to Kaladhunga, The other track follows the alignment of the tramway line made by Collier when extracting the million cubic feet of sal timber that I have already spoken of Collier's tramline — where it ran for four miles through the Sarda river gorge — has long since been washed away, but portions of the track he blasted across the perpendicular rock face of the mountain still remain.”

The Sarda River flows from Nepal, where it is known as the Kali River, into Uttarakind State,India . The river descends from the mountains, through the Sarda Gorge

Nothing more has been found concerning this forestry tramway, or on Collier.

Records

An on-line search of the India Office Records (IOR) records held at the British Library relating to this tramway gives the following: -

• Mss Eur F252/15; “Indian Journal: Haldwani”; Feb 1921-May 1922” which contains:-

Folio 52 verso: photograph ‘Up the Sarda Gorge Tramway – Rebuilding the Tuligadh Bridge’

Folio 60 verso: photograph of ‘The Passenger Gari at the Sarda Gorge Tramway

Folio 60 verso: photograph of ‘Empty Telas Going Up at the Sarda Gorge Tramway

These records have not been examined and may provide further information.