THE
96.54-km-long Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge track in India has 102 operational
tunnels that constitute about 8 per cent of the total length of the
route.
This rail track, which was open to passengers on November 9,
1903, is a living tribute to those engineers who dared to bore a total
of 107 tunnels and set an example of how a railway line could pass
through a rough mountainous terrain without destroying the splendour and
beauty of the hills.
Barog, the place:
Barog was settled in the early 20th century during the building of the narrow gauge Kalka-Shimla Railway in India. It is named after Colonel Barog, an engineer involved in building the railway track in 1903.
 |
| Barog tunnel as of now |
Barog, the engineer, was responsible for designing a tunnel near the
railway station. He commenced digging the tunnel from both sides of the
mountain, which is quite common as it speeds up construction. However,
he made mistakes in his calculation and while constructing the tunnel,
it was found that the two ends of the tunnel did not meet. Barog was fined an amount of 1 Rupee by the British government. Unable to withstand the humiliation, Barog committed suicide. He was buried near the incomplete tunnel. The area came to be known as Barog after him.
 |
| Barog Tunnel
Facts |
Later it was constructed under Chief Engineer H.S. Harrington's supervison guided by a local sage, Bhalku, in a short period from July 1900 to September 1903 at a cost 8.40 Lakh rupees (Rupees 840,000).
This tunnel is the longest of the 103 operational tunnels on the
route of the Shimla-Kalka Railway, which is 1143.61m long.
Barog station
is immediately after the tunnel.
Barog tunnel is the straightest tunnel
in the World.
Trains take about 2.5 minutes to cross this tunnel, running at 25 kilometres per hour.
And The Man lies forgotten
He was buried in front of the tunnel,
near
the Kalka-Shimla national highway,
about 1 km from Barog.
Ironically
neither the Railway authorities nor the state government has done
anything
to maintain his grave.
A signboard giving details about the sad
end of Barog was put up near his grave
but that too has now disappeared.
As a result, it is now even difficult to locate the whereabouts of his
grave.
The forlorn tunnel has now been closed.
The tunnel has a natural
water source
that meets the water demand of the Special Service Bureau (SSB),
Dharampur.
# Reference notes:
* On July 8, 2008, the Kalka–Shimla Railway was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the World Heritage Site Mountain Railways of India. The Mountain Railways of India (including Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and Nilgiri Mountain Railway) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai have already been declared as world heritage properties.
* Kalka–Shimla Railway
|
|
0 km |
Kalka |
|
|
6 km |
Taksal |
|
|
11 km |
Gumman |
|
|
17 km |
Koti |
|
|
27 km |
Sonwara |
|
|
33 km |
Dharampur |
|
|
39 km |
Kumarhatti |
|
|
43 km |
Barog |
|
|
47 km |
Solan |
|
|
53 km |
Salogra |
|
|
59 km |
Kandaghat |
|
|
65 km |
Kanoh |
|
|
73 km |
Kathleeghat |
|
|
78 km |
Shoghi |
|
|
85 km |
Taradevi |
|
|
90 km |
Totu (Jutogh) |
|
|
93 km |
Summer Hill |
|
|
96 km |
Shimla |
# Consulted and thankfully shared from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalka%E2%80%93Shimla_Railway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barog
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020615/windows/main4.htm
