The Headquarters of Tunnels – Rail Hike Stage 08

Hiya folks, hope you guys are doing great. It’s been a while since I did a rail hike. Of course I’ve done quite a few since my first hike from Bandarawela to Uduwara with Atha and Prasa. Since then I managed to cover till Nawalapitiya and the stretch between Kadugannawa and Rambukkana almost completing the upcountry railway line. However there was this one piece of it (between Haputale and Ohiya) that I missed due to many reasons. It kept getting postponed until I decided enough was enough. However I had promised Hasi not to do this stretch without him and finally a great opportunity presented itself when he could squeeze a day off amid his ultra-busy schedule. Unfortunately the rest of my crew couldn’t manage it leaving it only the two of us.

I just checked out the time table of trains so that it’d give us a sense of times so that we could take precautions. These new Chinese trains are very quiet compared to the grumbling old German ladies. However I don’t think when it comes to performance, technology and endurance, the Chinese can come anywhere near. I’ve seen how they operate in my Exclusive Journey on the S12 some time ago. Hasi took over the meals with the help of his wife. Even though she wanted to join us, a sudden illness confined her to the house. We were very excited, especially Hasi as this was going to be his first ever rail hike. I could imagine how he felt coz it was the same when I was getting ready for my first rail hike.

We left around 3am (a habit of Ana) for Haputale taking the E-01 to the Gelanigama exit, then continuing to Ratnapura. The sun was getting ready to pop up when we went past Belihul Oya. The sky was full of cotton wool like clouds and the reflection of the morning rays turned them into pink and magenta. In between the royal blue sky glowed beautifully making us stop at Beragala for a few pictures. They turned out to be couple of hundred by the time we finished. It was exquisite and we enjoyed the morning chill admiring this unbelievable beauty.

The Walawe Basin looked greener than ever. There were layers of mist rising out of the tanks and the morning rays fell on the Gon Molliya Mountain Range. We stayed beyond them last month at Nagrak enjoying the beauty of the Horton Plains and the Gon Molliya Mountain Range. This was a different view and we spent some half hour or so taking in the scenery. I practically had to drag Hasi and it was closer to 7am when we reached the Haputale station.

To the left of Walawe Basin

Good morning Walawe Basin!

Cotton wool sky

Further to the right is Gon Molliya Range with Balathuduwa and Wangedigala

Uneven terrain mixed with lush green

Being lighted slowly

The left of the road where it’s bordered by rocky hills

Gorgeous

Towards Diyatalawa

The sun fully up and the sky glittering

We went into the isolated and waking up station looking for the station master seeking permission to leave our car at the car park. Thankfully one of the workers came into our rescue and asked us to leave it. He even showed us a place when we said what we were planning to do and even offered to keep an eye out for it. The day was beginning beautifully and we hoped it’d end the same way. So leaving the car and having packed our meals and drinks along with this and that, we got on the track. There was some 16km of railway for us to cover.

Haputale to Idalgashinna

The sun was behind us giving a clear field of view and made it easy to take pictures. Hasi kept taking pictures of virtually every sleeper, nut, bolt and anything that came to view. He was like a kid who is just been given a new remotely controlled car. We made very little progress in the first hour because of this intense picture taking. There were acres of tea to our right and some hills in the far distance sort of marking the border. Most of the clouds hung over them as if not willing to leave the peaks. The sky was clear and blue. There was the typical smell of spilled diesel and oil. The wooden sleepers had their own unique aroma. We trod on the concrete, wooden and metal sleepers carefully.

After a km or so we arrived at what looked like a tiny railway platform to our right. There was the unmistakable look about it and the name Glenanore written in large letters. We thought initially this is a tiny substation but coming closer it didn’t look like one. However I was lucky to have found out later from Indaka (check out my Bandarawela report to know who he is) that this was specifically built to bring in the materials to build the Adhisham Bungalow off Haputale. Apparently everything was imported from England to build this and this Glenanore station was built to unload them from the train. Plenty of history behind these seemingly unimportant structures.

The Thangamale Forest was to our left and stayed with us almost all the way except a few patches. The scenery was breathtaking in many ways and we both enjoyed it to the fullest. Around 8am, the Udarata Menike coming from Badulla met with us. Hasi took a long burst before she went past. There were more foreigners than Sri Lankans. Time was getting closer to 8.30am when we decided to stop for breakfast as I could wait no longer. Hasi produced a large packet of toasted sandwiches (apparently his wife had burned the midnight oil making them), boiled eggs in their shells and fruit juice. We stopped at a place that looked very much similar to the Sensation Rock (remember that in my previous rail hike?) and spread out the breakfast.

Entering the station

Isolated

Sunbathing doggies

1431.4m from sea level

This used to be a healthy sunflower bed but maybe the demanding cost of living has turned it into a beans farm

Dripping water

Cotton wool sky and the isolated railway line

Plenty of history behind them

Towards Diyathalawa and beyond

On the track

Entering greenery

The valley to the right

Distant mountains, do you notice the white speck just below the mountain line?

Here it is… a beautiful Stupa

Thangamale is close by

Looks like a Japanese Ikebana

Along the railway

Lush purple

Many curves

Brilliant color combination

The distant hills

Glenanore former railway platform

Blooming

Here’s one of the many signs

Here we go

Hasi’s first encounter with a train on a rail hike

The sky added flavors to the settings

Sun lighting the railway

Plenty of shade too

He wouldn’t spare anything

Portrait of the railway

The Adhisham Bungalow is somewhere to the left

Entering another curve

Now I’m hungry

Grand place for a break

Can see a beautiful house

Here it is, note the bicycle in the garage

Endless view, great for panos

Here’s a cluster of buildings

“Shall we stop here? “

A tiny trickle of water helped us wash up

We were ravenous and wolfed down more than half the meal in record time washing it down with mixed fruit juice. The valley below was a part of Diyathalawa. We could see the famous Fox Hill in the distance with the fox and the year marked with white stones on the hill. Having finished a hearty meal we decided to make it a bit quicker. Nevertheless the endless scenery gave us very little chance to step up the pace. Then came the next surprise, a railway worker who carries the flags, train crackers (I guess you can remember them despite my own name for them. I even called them in one of the reports as Ali Don aka Elephant crackers. They are used to warn the trains especially at night or when misty of possible dangers ahead. They are stuck on the line using a metal strap so that when the wheels of the train go over them, they burst like a cracker giving a warning to the drivers) and a can of oil. He applies the oil to the inner side of the track at bends to minimize the friction and wastage of the wheels and the track itself. He kindly agreed to show his armory to us, especially Hasi who had never come across them before. They all like the hikers like us and offer to help in any way they can. He even took the trouble to show the equipment and how they work. Great personalities these people. Everyone I’ve met along the upcountry railway line has been friendly and helpful. Every worker has to cover 3-3.5 miles of the track up and down a day, he said. We thanked him profusely and kept going. The sun got fiercer but the cool mountain breeze kept up nice and cool. We then arrived at some kinda gap where we could see the Walawe Basin to our left over a tea patch and the upcountry villages of Diyatalawa and others to the right. So far only the right side was visible but this point signaled that we were closer to Idalgashinna.

Idalgashinna is a famous gap where both southern and central parts meet. The scenery is believed to be sensational and breathtaking. It was one of the reasons for our rail hike as well. We then arrived at the first tunnel of the day, No. 36. She was small but it gave Hasi’s first ever walk through a tunnel experience. I guess by now you know how he must have behaved so I’ll just let you speculate that.  Finally we saw the Idalgashinna station in the distance and hurried towards it. We had walked closer to 3hrs but covered around 7km. Well we were behind by a big margin. The station was small but similar to almost all upcountry stations, still looks grand. Idalgashinna town is located around the station and we saw the white washed buildings beyond. There is a prominent peak further to all with pine trees that looks like giving a good view towards Walawe basin. It was a dream come true coz I’d always wanted to come see this station since 2002.

Back on the track

Oh, hello!!!!

Looking back

And forward too

The sun bearing down on us

Hasi got lucky to have come across him

See what he’s doing?

Was kind enough to educate us on his part of work

Showing how to set ‘Train Crackers’

Here it is. Wish we could test it while a train was going over!

The bare bit of the railway

Gosh, where’s Idalgashinna?

One of the resting places for the railway workers

Another turn

Going to Haputale from Idalgashinna… No trains at this time and public transport is not reliable so have to walk

Atmospherical haze making it hard for the camera

Reminded us the hike from Kadugannawa-Rambukkana

This is where I told you that we could see both Upcountry and the Southern Valley

Maha Rathmal

Vital lifelines

The Walawe Basin

Endless scenery was with us

First tunnel encounter for Hasi

No. 36

Not so long

Out comes Hasi

Hurraaaah… Idalgashinna is close be

Pines to the left

Estates below to our right

There’s the Idalgashinna Peak

Abandoned

There’s the Idalgashinna Peak

Not so big

But no mist

Tiny buildings of the station

Yeah!

Waiting for the next Colombo-bound train

Can you guess the age?

Note the signs used for the trains

This station is now a big hit due to a teledrama being telecast nowadays

On the way to either Colombo ro Kandy

Very famous place now

Beauty

Friendly one that didn’t pester us for anything to eat

Towards the Idalgashinna Estate

Was there to pose

Idalgashinna to Ohiya

Idalgashinna looked good but one of the most important things was missing, the mist. Whenever you talk about Idalgashinna, it’s the mist that comes to mind. Just imagine a picture of mist covered the old white washed station, the smartly dressed station master standing with the tablet on the platform. You can hear the grumbling of an M6 in the distance. Couple of people clad in thick sweaters and woolen caps are getting up from the seats hoping to get onto the train. All of a sudden, a powerful beam of yellow light pierces the thick mist and slowly green and red German lady appears out of the mist carrying seven chocolate brown carriages behind her. She comes to a standstill while the usual hustling and bustling of the people goes on. That is what everyone wants to witness at Idalgashinna. But we were not so fortunate and I will have to keep dreaming about it until hopefully it comes true.

We got behind the station to see the Walawe basin. However the haziness of the sun prevented us seeing much. We could barely see the Udawalawe reservoir and a couple of other tanks and hills. There was a friendly looking doggy that got fascinated by these hikers and followed us everywhere. He might even have kept an eye out for the strangers guarding the station. We rested our feet and had a long pull from the mixed fruit juice. The dehydration is a real danger if you don’t keep topping up yourselves with plenty of liquids. We cut short our break and got back on the track hoping to increase the speed. Well, a big fat chance we had when Hasi was taking pictures of everything that was on the track.

About 500m into the walk, we heard the unmistakable roar of a train coming to the Idalgashinna station. A quick note on the noise of the new S12 Chinese trains. They used to be very quiet compared to other German and Canadian engines. I guess they are not so silent anymore. This was the second Chinese one that came across for the day, Udarata Menike and now Podi Menike coming from Badulla. They were as noisy, if not noisier, as the 40-60 years old German and Canadian ladies. Are they already feeling the heat and the toughness of the the upcountry railway line? I was wondering if they have come to the end of their lifespan after a few years of traveling up and down coz they are after all Chinese and they have a notorious reputation for the quality and endurance. You might wanna disagree and say that many things even Apple IPhone is now built in China. Well that’s a different thing coz they have to build them according to the original manufacturer’s specs whereas Chinese originated ones don’t have the same luxury. “Enough of tarnishing the image of the Chinese”, I hear some of you grumble so let’s move on, shall we?

We waited for her to appear on the scene and Hasi took another long press on the shutter button. As usual the number of foreigners exceeded the locals. I was wondering if we were in a foreign country. She went past with her usual grace and the foreigners waved at us smiling from ear to ear. We returned to the track and walked on. All this time closer to 7-7.5km we were walking through an open area despite Thangamale forest standing to our left but now we were entering a full blooded forest that covered the track all around giving loads of shade for which we were really grateful. We had been sweating like nothing but for the first time could remove the sweat-soaked caps and cool air brush our boiling heads. The tea estates paved way to the towering turpentine trees and typical upcountry forests. The track became curvier and more beautiful thanks to the shade. So far we hadn’t encountered any of the tunnels (there are 14 of them No. 35 to 22) between Idalgashinna and Ohiya. However we came across all of them within the last 6-7km thus giving the name for this report.

Looking back

“Move away, the train will kill ya”, shouted Hasi. “Don’t panic, it’s going on the other line” replied the Pigeon

Hasi the Linesman

We hurried up

The view still with us

We found the best solution for landslides. “The Rail Fences” – It’ll let the water out but keep the solid stuff trapped

Here comes Podi Menike

Closer

Clouds provided the precious shade

The tough life

Two learning points: 1. Keep the Powers-that-be informed all the time. 2. Always stay away from the track when making a call

Plantations

An estate road

Now we’re into the thick forest covered all around

Hiya sweet heart!

Completely isolated

Well, not completely

Turpentine forest

Farmlands either side

Through this

A hint of mist in the air

No. 35. We walked through it without requiring a light as it was a small one. Only a couple of tunnels in this bunch would require a light coz it’s pitch dark inside. They even take curves inside the tunnel making it darker. Even a mobile phone flashlight will do the trick. There were hundreds of gulls (Wehilihini) inside the tunnels, especially the darker and longer ones screeching angrily at us for intruding into their homes. They flew all around not liking our torches one bit. We went through the 35th and reached the 34th. Before going in I saw some nests lying at the entrance to it. Closer inspection proved them to be gulls’ nests. They were built of dried tree branches, leaves and creepers put together using their saliva using it like a cement mixture to bind everything together. Those nests looked brown, grey and dull yellow (probably due to the saliva mixture) and probably had fallen from the roof.

If you can remember, there was a crazy chase for these nests not long before similar to the ones such as Wallapatta, Kimbul Huna, Rathu Komarika, etc. The world is a funny place, isn’t it? I wonder if there will ever be some manic rush for leeches. We took a few pics and carried on. Now the tunnels kept coming one after the other. We still hadn’t come across any German ladies yet but didn’t have to wait long. Passing the 33rd, we met the first one coming rumbling up carrying half a dozen fuel carriages. This was a moment Hasi was waiting for and took another long press at the shutter. If only the engine driver could hear the rapid machinegun like burst! He’d have run for his life. We met the odd person coming along the track carrying bunches of firewood on their heads. Other than that there was no human being on sight. To compensate for it, we saw dozens of Purple-faced Leaf Monkeys jumping from tree to tree not giving a chance for a picture.

Well, let me jump straight to tunnel 26. Don’t worry you will be given the whole journey in pictures. It’d make it easier for you and me. Walking through the tunnel 26, we saw the 25 immediately with only a 50m or so gap between them. The 25th tunnel is a different one compared to all the other tunnels in the upcountry railway line. They are all shaped like an oval (in layman’s terms, like a standing egg) whereas this 25th one is circular in shape. I haven’t seen anything like this before anywhere else. Well I’ve seen a few odd tunnels in my hikes; one example is the Elephant Back tunnel off Kadugannawa just passing the Lion’s Mouth. There was a group of railway workers doing a side wall to protect the track from landslides. Couple of railway carts (Dakkuwa) were parked between the two tunnels by the track. Another first for Hasi and the picture taking intensified. I was once lucky to see a rail cart full of workers going attached to the Podi Menike in 2012 through the observation saloon.

A couple of typical nosy monkeys were going through the carts in the hope of finding something other than their usual meals. One of them was nibbling at a plastic bag definitely thrown out of a window. Well I’ll just have to tell you about this as well. There were many plastic cups (coffee and tea), biscuit and toffee wrappers, plastic bottles and many other things scattered either side of the track. The number of them were so much especially inside the tunnels as those who travel probably think these dark holes are the dumping pits or do it quietly so that no one else will see. It’s just a great pity that we Sri Lankans still can’t get rid of dirty habits such as these. After having a cup of tea or a toffee or a drink, all they think of is getting rid of the wrappers and empty bottles as quickly as possible so throw them foolishly, carelessly and ignorantly out of the window both in the trains and buses not to mention the private vehicles. Please don’t do these kinda things in future if you’re still guilty of doing them. The damage caused by those plastic items to the nature is so great and the effects are irreversible.

Ok, let’s get to the story. While we were taking pictures of the rail carts, there was a rumbling of another German lady, the third passenger train coming from Badulla. This was a great opportunity for us, especially Hasi, to take pictures of this beauty coming out of a tunnel. She slowed almost to a standstill due to the repair works giving us a perfect chance to take pictures. We then took pictures of her entering the 25th tunnel. “So far so good” said Hasi. We passed the the workers and carried on towards more tunnels. Passing 24 & 23 we reached the 22nd or the 14th and the last tunnel between Ohiya and Idalgashinna. It was past 1pm and we were planning to catch the 1.38pm Podi Menike coming from Colombo to get back to Haputale. It looked like we might miss a by a few minutes and the next one (Udarata Menike) was due two hours later. We couldn’t afford to wait that long doing nothing so stepped up the pace as much as our battered legs would go.

I can remember our 2km run (yeah you heard right, we ran and then hopped like rabbits) from Ella towards the 9-arch bridge hoping to catch the train on the bridge but missed it by half a km. It took a heavy toll on our legs especially the knees and we suffered for a long time afterwards. The train delayed by a few minutes giving us the window we wanted to reach the station. I felt grateful for the delays after a long time. We arrived at the station at 1.40pm and had a good 10-minute break to take pics and rest our feet before the train arrived at 1.50pm. The rain gods kept rumbling in the sky threatening with dark clouds but we were safe from their threats. We felt the whole weariness goes away after completing the whole journey and within the timeframe. There were a few foreigners waiting for the train to go to Ella.

The headquarters start here

In we go

Out we come to find another waiting for us

There was a crazy hunt for these

Wehi Lihini Nests

Chipped rocky surface

I love these pics a lot

Looking back

More to go

First of rail bridge, a tiny one at that

Side view

Must be at least a century old

Passing that

Split rock and a turpentine tree fallen near

Oh wow, very tiny one

Out of it

The first one going towards Haputale

Here comes the German lady

Away she goes with the observation saloon

Another tunnel round the corner

I told you that I love these

Another, now I’ve lost count

Well finished interior

Out we came

No. 30

There’s 29

In front of it

28 in the distance

Some more tunnels to cover

Concreted walls

Hasi carrying on

This is the No. 27

There’s the circular shaped 26

Very much like a proper cylinder. Note the carts to the left

Munching on a left over lunch sheet

There she comes

Out of the tunnel

Into the 26

Plenty of foreigners were staring after us

They were repairing the road and the side walls

I told you, more circular than all the others I’ve seen

Busy at work

Strenuous stuff

Another bridge

This is the 25th

Since then some open terrain

Full of shade

All it was lacking was the mist

Mist, oh mist we are you?

Not a sign

Ramrod straight

The 24th

It’s a beautiful area

Oh yeah, watch out

The penultimate tunnel

Can you see the manholes?

Outside

The terrain

The final one

Here we are

Ok, now to the station to catch the train

Gosh, it’s gonna be a close thing

This is not for rent

At the station

Thankfully we made it

Yeah, Ohiya

Almost all of them foreigners heading to Ella

A famous picture

Now we are waiting

Famous tree too, now grown beautifully

Well, here we are after the target achieved

Signs of rain

There she comes

Ok, let’s hop in

We bought tickets and got into the train taking a place near a door to savor the journey which we just completed on foot. It’s a feeling I simply can’t express in words. We arrived at Haputale closer to 2.45pm and found the person who helped us park our car coming towards us smiling broadly. “Where did you?”, he queried. “We went up to Ohiya” I replied. He looked really pleased and we bid farewell to this friendly and helpful person and got ready for the return journey.

At Idalgashinna

Waiting

About to wave the flag

Brampton Falls

We made good ground and it’d rained in Haldummulla, Kalupahana and Belihul Oya increasing the water levels of Surathali and Brampton falls. However we couldn’t afford to stop and see Surathali but Hasi wanted a quick stop at Brampton falls. She was in full flow and we took a handful of pictures quickly and headed home.

From the bridge

Have to get down

Going towards her

Full of water due to rain

Top part

Bottom

Portrait

We arrived in Colombo just after 7pm, double quick time.

Now you can enjoy the Panos I took.

Pano 1

Pano 2

Pano 3

Pano 4

Pano 5

Well folks, thanks for being there with me in this hike. I hope I managed to take those who couldn’t, haven’t or can’t with me along this beautiful stretch.

Take care and keep traveling. This is Sri signing off for the time being.