The Hindu Memories Come A Tram-Full

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Online edition of India's National N
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Monday, August 20, 2001 
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Memories come a tram-full

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'OLD AAN, old aan!' an elderly couple would shout, taking hurried
steps towards the stand. It was a familiar sight in the 1940s
when electric trams were in vogue in the city.
There were more than 100 trams connecting residential and
commercial areas those days. Some trams took slightly longer
routes like between Custom House and Mylapore, Custom House and
Barber's Bridge, Washermanpet and Purasawalkam, Royapuram and
Egmore. Other were shorter like Central to Elephant Gate on
Waltax Road and Simpsons to Chintadripet along Harris Road.
As a child, trams were always a source of excitement for me. I
could never tire of simply gazing at the slow juggernauts winding
their way though the city. The whines of the trams which
prominently displayed ads such as Amrutanjan, Ovaltine and
Kesavardhini, are still vivid in my memory.
I lived in George Town and often took the tram to visit my
grandfather, who lived in Royapettah. I would board at
Washermanpet and go via Purusawalkam and Broadway to Pachiappa's
College (the old location). Then I would catch the tram that went
to Mylapore.
While waiting at Pachiappa's, if I took a stroll down China
Bazaar, I would behold some beautiful buildings...the light house
(not the one that was shelled by the German submarine, Emden in
1914), the High Court and Law College.
Further down one could spot the Corporation fruit market, Central
telephone Exchange, Flower bazaar, Parry's and Co's Warehouse,
Ramakrishna Lunch Home, the YMCA building and Modern Cafe...
landmarks that are still standing straight.
From Pachiappa's the tram would make a journey passing the
General Hospital, over the Cooum, past the Railway Booking Office
and Ripon Building, and into Mount Road to Royapettah before
reaching Luz. The ride would take less than an hour. The tram was
quite a popular mode of transport with the bus service not being
nationalised. In fact, at that time, buses ran on charcoal power,
not petrol!
The ticket to Mylapore was just two annas and a return ticket,
three annas! On Sundays, you could travel throughout the day to
any chosen destination, for just six annas! The monthly season
ticket was Rs. 6 for a specific route while it was Rs. 10 for any
route.
The tram was driven by electric motors with power fed from
overhead cables. The conductor and the driver wore khaki uniforms
and once in a while, an Inspector would board the tram for ticket
checking. When he finished his task, he would wait for another
tram to pass by in the opposite direction and skilfully swing
from one tram to the other... an event we youngsters would wait
for!
Trams were inaugurated in Madras in 1885, and were run by a U.K.based company. In 1904, the Madras Electric Tramways was formed
which operated till 1953, when labour problems led to its
closure.
Those were wonderful days when life progressed with an even
tenor, no rush or speed and not much crowds on the streets. The
cost of living was very low and public facilities fairly
reasonable. Above all, people were understanding and sympathetic,
respected one another and led a simple life.
* * *
Mechanics involved
- The tram was driven by electric motors with power fed from
overhead cables.
- it had small diameter wheels, their rims running along grooves
on steel rails embedded on the tarmac road.
- there was no horn. The driver would bang his floor on the pedal
which would produce a clanging sound. That was the warning
signal.
- there is a control handle for accelerating and a brass handle
pivoted to the tram floor for applying brakes.
-The tram rails were never removed. They have been interred deep
down by successive laying of roads.
- there were two tracks, one each for to and for transit and one
overhead feeder wire per track.
- Trams were introduced in the U.K. six years after they were
introduced in India, and 10 years later in the U.S.
Trams were a popular and cheap mode of transport in Chennai
during the 1940s. Take a long-forgotten journey on the slow
juggernaut ...
R. GANAPATHI


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<pre>Section : <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/2001/08/20/13hdline.htm">Featur
es</a>
Previous : <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/2001/08/20/stories/13201287.htm">Mad
ras miscellany</a>
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