Reconstruction of two Uda Pussellawa Carriages for the National Railway Museum, Colombo
Background In its heyday, the Uda Pussellawa Railway (UPR) rolling stock consisted of four-wheel and bogie carriages and wagons. There was more four-wheel stock than bogie stock. Due to the sharp curves, UPR carriages and wagons were shorter in length. Upon the closure of the Uda Pussellawa Railway for passenger traffic in 1942 and total closure in 1948, most of these wagons and carriages were transported to Maradana and assigned to the Kelani Valley Railway (KVR) stock. Specifically, four-wheel wagons were not assigned as they are not suitable for the comparatively high speeds of KVR trains. Additionally, by 1948, due to the decrease in passenger demand, there was no short supply of KV passenger carriages and other rolling stock. Due to these two reasons, most of the UPR carriages and wagons were abandoned in yards and later scrapped. As of now, only two Uda Pussellawa wagons survive. One is half a body of a Bogie Covered Goods Steel (BCGSU) at the Dematagoda facility, which