‘Demodara looping the loop’ marvel

Saturday, 15 March 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

What has been accepted as a marvel in railway construction is the theme of a recently released set of two stamps (both of 5 rupees denomination.) Categorised as ‘Civil engineering marvels of Sri Lanka Railway,’ the stamps depict the spiral railway track at Demodara and the Noine arch viaduct at Gotuwala. The diamond format stamps are a rather rare shape. Demodara railway station on the Main Line is located between Ella and Uduwara railway stations in Badulla district in Uwa province. It is 277.71km away from Colombo Fort railway station with an elevation 912.50 m high above mean sea level. The station has only one platform with a crossing loop. Popularly known as ‘Demodara loop’, the spiral railway is recognised as one of the most fascinating colonial railway civil engineering marvels in Sri Lanka. The need for its construction was to transport the production in tea estates in the Uva region down to Colombo. A broad gauge line was being constructed and the engineers and surveyors found that elevation of hills apart at Demodara was too much for the track to negotiate from one side to another. With maximum inclination allowed in the CGR (Ceylon Government Railway as the department was known) being one foot per 44 feet (1/44) an innovative track design had to be devised. According to folklore, when the engineers were wondering how to they could proceed beyond Demodara, a farmer had suggested to them to build the track similar to the way his turban had been tied. This suggestion had got them thinking and of course, whether they actually followed his advice is not known. However, they cracked open the problem and the final design enabled them to take the track to a higher elevation as required for it to reach the height to the point where it could ascend to the central hills keeping to the specified gradient. The Demodara Loop is where the track passes under itself, going around the loop and emerges from the no 42 tunnel. The Loop is 441 feet long. The station is situated exactly over the tunnel. Also that’s the centre of the crossing point of the loop. This type of loop is known as the ’spiral loop’ or ’circular loop’. It is also known as ‘Demodara looping the loop’. It is considered the only loop in the world with a railway station situated exactly over a tunnel at spiral loop. Among the better known loops are the Septemvri-Dobrinishte two tunnel loop in Bulgaria and the one tunnel Tehachapi Loop in California. The station, the spiral railway line, the tunnel below and the ‘Black Bridge’ across the Baulu Oya were complete and commissioned in 1921. The bridge in the sky The second stamp features the nine-arch viaduct at Gonawala. Also known as ‘arch bridge,’ ‘nine heart bridge’ and the bridge in the sky,’ it was a popular and commonly used method in yesteryear railway engineering prior to the development of more advanced bridge-making designs. In spite of the more modern and hi-tech designs and new types of materials, these old solid bridges are yet in use. The 100-feet high viaduct between Ella and Demodara railway track has been built entirely of solid rocks, bricks and cement without using a single piece of steel. It has survived for 94 years. At the time of construction this was considered to be the longest viaduct in the East.