Old Barog Tunnel Trek
- 6 years ago
The Barog Tunnel with a length of 1143.61 m is the longest tunnel in the Kalka - Shimla Railway. At a speed of 25 kilometers per hour, trains take about 2.5 minutes to cross the tunnel. It is the straightest tunnel in the world, which is associated with local tales and legends. Barog railway station immediately follows the tunnell. Barog (named after Colonel Barog) is a small town which was settled in early 20th century during the construction of the Kalka - Shimla Railway. Colonel Barog was a British railway engineer who was in charge of creating a tunnel through a mountain in the Kalka - Shimla Railway.
As per the Railway chronicles, the workers used large mirrors and acetylene gas to illuminate the tunnels. The Barog Tunnel which passes mostly through fissured sandstone has a tragic tale associated with it during its construction. Colonel Barog, who was in charge of Tunnel No. 33 committed a mistake of boring the tunnel from both (opposite) ends of the mountain, which is quite common as it speeds up construction. The crew was divided in halves, which started the digging and blasting the tunnel from opposite ends. The Colonel instructed the crew members to bore the tunnel according to his calculations with a vision that both the tunnels would meet in the middle to become a single tunnel.
The workers kept on boring the from both ends, but did not meet even after crossing the center of the mountain. After some time, the workers became hopeless and began doubting the decisions on Colonel Barog. The Colonel also realized that due to his miscalculations, the alignments of the tunnels were wrong, and both the ends of the tunnel could not meet. The Colonel was already very depressed while the decision of the British Government to fine him added to his miseries. The British Government fined Colonel Barog Rs. 1 as he was accused of wasting the property of the government. The workers were also furious because all their hard work went in vain. This was very humiliating for the Colonel.
The depression of Colonel Barog increased tremendously and he felt unbearable pain in his heart. Out of frustration and humiliation, the British engineer during a walk along with his pet dog shot himself. Upon seeing the Colonel bleeding heavily, the dog was terrified and fled to the village, near the present Barog railway station. By the time people realized of some mis-happening and reached the spot, Barog was dead. He had killed himself near present state government-run Barog Pine Wood Hotel. He was buried in front of the incomplete tunnel (near the Kalka - Shimla national highway, about 1 km from Barog), and the area came to be known as Barog after him.
After the unexpected death of Colonel Barog, Chief Engineer H.S. Herlington was given the charge to bore a new tunnel. Mr. Harrington also faced similar problems in finding proper alignment of the railway track. With the guidance of Baba Bhalku, a local saint from Jhaja, near Chail the current tunnel completed.
As per the Railway chronicles, the workers used large mirrors and acetylene gas to illuminate the tunnels. The Barog Tunnel which passes mostly through fissured sandstone has a tragic tale associated with it during its construction. Colonel Barog, who was in charge of Tunnel No. 33 committed a mistake of boring the tunnel from both (opposite) ends of the mountain, which is quite common as it speeds up construction. The crew was divided in halves, which started the digging and blasting the tunnel from opposite ends. The Colonel instructed the crew members to bore the tunnel according to his calculations with a vision that both the tunnels would meet in the middle to become a single tunnel.
The workers kept on boring the from both ends, but did not meet even after crossing the center of the mountain. After some time, the workers became hopeless and began doubting the decisions on Colonel Barog. The Colonel also realized that due to his miscalculations, the alignments of the tunnels were wrong, and both the ends of the tunnel could not meet. The Colonel was already very depressed while the decision of the British Government to fine him added to his miseries. The British Government fined Colonel Barog Rs. 1 as he was accused of wasting the property of the government. The workers were also furious because all their hard work went in vain. This was very humiliating for the Colonel.
The depression of Colonel Barog increased tremendously and he felt unbearable pain in his heart. Out of frustration and humiliation, the British engineer during a walk along with his pet dog shot himself. Upon seeing the Colonel bleeding heavily, the dog was terrified and fled to the village, near the present Barog railway station. By the time people realized of some mis-happening and reached the spot, Barog was dead. He had killed himself near present state government-run Barog Pine Wood Hotel. He was buried in front of the incomplete tunnel (near the Kalka - Shimla national highway, about 1 km from Barog), and the area came to be known as Barog after him.
After the unexpected death of Colonel Barog, Chief Engineer H.S. Herlington was given the charge to bore a new tunnel. Mr. Harrington also faced similar problems in finding proper alignment of the railway track. With the guidance of Baba Bhalku, a local saint from Jhaja, near Chail the current tunnel completed.