Historic Images Of Old Ceylon - Automotive And Otherwise

[waka]

For more images.

http://www.imagesofceylon.com/ioc-transport.htm

[Sampath Gunasekera]

Already 50 years passed after withdrawing tramcars, but still can see the remains of tram tracks at “Gas Paha Handiya , Pettah”

[Davy]

Maaan... another great set of photos. Awesome stuff Sampath! Keep 'em coming!

[whmsujith]

Congrats sampath, keep it up!

[Sampath Gunasekera]

Historic Colombo Fort & Delft Gate

Colombo Fort:

http://colombofort.com/fort.htm

Delft Gate (One of the main gates of Colombo Fort)

http://home.planet.nl/~krane127/ceylon/colombodelftgate.htm

Portuguese Map of Colombo (1518)

Portuguese Colombo

Colombo Map (1800)

Colombo Fort Plan

Colombo Fort wall and Old Lighthouse (1860)

Delft Gate

Detail from a painting by Steiger, showing the Delft Gate

Delft Gate

Demolishing Fort wall for expanding the town (1865)

Where is the Delft Gate now???

The Delft Gate around 1970.

[Sampath Gunasekera]

Continued...

The restored remnants of the Delft Gate At Commercial Bank Head Office (Now)

(View from 'outside' the Fort)

Remains of Colombo Fort Wall (Now)

Colombo Fort Today

[kaju]

  On 10/12/2012 at 1:09 PM, Sampath Gunasekera said:

1970s

1970s – Fort

Hi Sampath, Great thread. I'm big fan of old photos of sri lanka.

The photo's you have shared from 1970 are mostly from a person called Douglas Campbell who travelled Ceylon in 1973.

The whole photo set (484) can be viewed here.

The flickr page has more information about the photos. Enjoy.

Edited October 15, 2012 by kaju

[Crosswind]

Here's a little contribution from me (being the armchair airline enthusiast I am)..

Had hundreds of these pics in my e-mails but I seem to have lost many....

Air Ceylon Douglas DC-8-53 Zurich Switzerland, June 1977

Air Ceylon Douglas DC-8-53 Miami - International (MIA / KMIA) USA - Florida, May 1979

Douglas DC-8-41 Singapore - Paya Lebar (QPG / WSAP), November 1976

Air Ceylon HS-121

The same HS-121 getting scrapped

Air Ceylon DC-3 Dakota

DC-4, 4-engine propeller aircraft

The days when US Aircrafts used to fly to Ceylon... note that the advert says Ceylon is an 'important world center'

'Maha Devi' the great goddess in the sky

Another example of the importance of Ceylon as a world centre. The longest non-stop flight in the world, back in 1943 was between Australia and Ceylon. This was flown by the RAAF. They called it the 'double sunrise'. You can guess why.

[SeanD]

Hey, I had no idea that any US airline, especially one as big as TWA ever flew to Sri Lanka? Do you know around what year this was, and how long the service lasted before they stopped?

[Sylvi]

Members,

There is a board of a Tram car service Tram stop stand from the last remaining memory, of good old Tram service at near Colombo side of grand pass road close to police station. Junction, to inform wait for the car. Will try to take a photo. It is inside the municipality road maintaining office. Upload same.

Sylvi Wijesinghe

[Crosswind]

TWA ad was from 1953 apparently. I guess the change of government in 1956 and subsequent wave of nationalism would have had some effect on the country's decline of international importance.

Edit: Wikipedia says TWA flew to colombo from 1953 to 1961

Edited October 15, 2012 by Crosswind

[Sylvi]

  On 10/15/2012 at 3:58 PM, Crosswind said:

TWA ad was from 1953 apparently. I guess the change of government in 1956 and subsequent wave of nationalism would have had some effect on the country's decline of international importance.

Edit: Wikipedia says TWA flew to colombo from 1953 to 1961

'Crosswind',

I hope I am not OT because this TWA topic came up. I thought of posting this post with my past memories.

I remember Trans World Airlines Aircrafts landing at Colombo Air port Ratmalana good old days, they were propeller rotator engines Don’t think they had any jet engine aircrafts at that time.

Pleased to have your more comments.

I remember first jet landed in Air force base air strip in 1952 (Katunayaka) just before the Queen Elizabeth’s visit with British forces to find out safety of her visit to Ceylon if there was any security lapse how quick they can do all arrangement of her life threat.

I was a small boy, one senior officer was known to my late father who arrived on that Aircraft wrote to him, his arrival to our country.

We two were there to meet him he was a RACS Aircraft Technician in 1^st WW, who had worked in Basra modern Iraq with my late father. That aircraft was here only for few hours and left to Australia.

We two were able to go and meet this old friend of my late father. Because my late father used to do maintenance work for their Electrical generators, of British forces at that time stationed in Katunayaka air base and he had an permit to visit there.

Later I used to do work for BOAC and Air Ceylon maintenance of their electrical units specially ground equipments.

Sylvi Wijesinghe,

.

[Crosswind]

  On 10/16/2012 at 1:02 AM, Sylvi said:

I hope I am not OT because this TWA topic came up. I thought of posting this post with my past memories.

I remember Trans World Airlines Aircrafts landing at Colombo Air port Ratmalana good old days, they were propeller rotator engines Don’t think they had any jet engine aircrafts at that time.

.

Yes you got a good memory. A quick web-search revealed that the aircraft that flew to Colombo was a Lockheed Constellation (http://en.wikipedia....d_Constellation), which is a four-engined propeller aircraft. Must have been a very very long uncomfortable ride for its passengers.

Edit: Here's a timetable from 1955. TJ902 and 904 terminated in Colombo.

Edited October 16, 2012 by Crosswind

[Supra_Natural]

  On 10/16/2012 at 3:55 AM, Crosswind said:

Yes you got a good memory. A quick web-search revealed that the aircraft that flew to Colombo was a Lockheed Constellation (http://en.wikipedia....d_Constellation), which is a four-engined propeller aircraft. Must have been a very very long uncomfortable ride for its passengers.

Edit: Here's a timetable from 1955. TJ902 and 904 terminated in Colombo.

Actually the "Connie's" as they were called were among the most advanced of the prop driven airliners and they were renowned for their comfort and smoothness from what I've heard. The early jets like the 707, Comet and DC8 were as loud if not louder than the prop airliners...

[Sampath Gunasekera]

Echelon Square - Fort

(Don't get confused Old Echelon Military Barracks with Presidential Secretariat at present)

Galle Face from Fort Clock Tower – 1875. Echelon Barracks (Military Barracks) not build up yet.

Galle Face from Fort Clock Tower – 1885 (Echelon Barracks built up )

Visit : http://en.wikipedia....chelon_Barracks

Fort in1905

Echelon Barracks - 1910

Colombo Fort in 1945 (Echelon Barracks)

In 1965

At present the World Trade Centre, Colombo stands in the Echelon Square, along with the head office of the Bank of Ceylon, Colombo Hilton and Hotel Galadari.

.................................................................................................................................................

An Aerial View of Colombo Fort

Edited October 16, 2012 by Sampath Gunasekera

[whmsujith]

Here are few comparision of old & new photos

Gale Face Hotel

Galle Face

Queens Hotel, Kandy

The Museum

Cargills Building - York Street

Edited October 16, 2012 by whmsujith

[Sampath Gunasekera]

Galle Face Hotel and Old Colombo Club House (at Taj Samudra Hotel)

Galle Face in 1880

The Galle Face Hotel, Colombo -1860

The Galle Face Hotel

Colombo Club & Galle Face Hotel

Colombo Club and Lake

Edited October 16, 2012 by Sampath Gunasekera

[Sampath Gunasekera]

Galle Face Hotel and Old Colombo Club House (at Taj Samudra Hotel)

Continued....

The Horse Races at Club House

Club House from Galle Face Hotel End

Galle Face

The Horse Races

State Council (Old Parliament)

Edited October 16, 2012 by Sampath Gunasekera

[liya]

wow man. just wow! fantastic thread!

[Sampath Gunasekera]

Belfry at Kayman's Gate , (Gas Pha Handiya) Pettha

(This is situated at beginning of the 4^th Cross Street from Main Street , Pettah

(Very close to Old Town Hall, Pettah)

Main Street at Pettah (Colombo) was known as Koningsstraat (King’s Street) in Dutch times, and terminated at Kayman’s Gate. Kayman (Kaaiman) meant alligator, and the name was given to the gate as the crocodiles, which at that period were found in large numbers in the Beira Lake, were coming to this spot along St. John’s River to eat of the garbage thrown out by the city dwellers.

The Kayman’s Gate bell is said to date back to the sixteenth century, and to have originally hung in the Portuguese Church dedicated to Saint Francis, which once stood in the heart of the Royal City of Kotte. This city was abandoned in 1565 and became a howling wilderness. In Dutch times it was re-occupied. The bell, found amidst the ruins of palaces and temples and churches, was apparently removed in due course by the Dutch, and was set up on the Belfry at Kayman’s Gate.

[Sampath Gunasekera]

Dear Friends,

I had some free time in the morning and uploaded photos and details as much as possible .

However I have to be busy with my next study project for coming 3 months.

I believe you all enjoyed the things I posted.

Hope guys will keep the thread alive....

Cheers !!!

[JayZ]

Not related to automotive history but ... what a change

[Pericles]

  On 10/16/2012 at 7:18 AM, Sampath Gunasekera said:

Galle Face Hotel and Old Colombo Club House presently at Taj Samudra Hotel

That's incorrect, that isn't where the Colombo Club is now. I dunno if it used to be the clubhouse, but that building is now Taj's Crystal Ballroom. Have an upper and lower ballroom in there. The Colombo Club is actually housed in the wing of the Taj just behind it now.

[Sampath Gunasekera]

  On 10/16/2012 at 11:23 AM, Pericles said:

That's incorrect, that isn't where the Colombo Club is now. I dunno if it used to be the clubhouse, but that building is now Taj's Crystal Ballroom. Have an upper and lower ballroom in there. The Colombo Club is actually housed in the wing of the Taj just behind it now.

The building I marked was the Colombo Club at that time as per the records.

http://en.wikipedia....o_Club_building

http://www.island.lk/2009/05/11/L1.pdf

http://www.island.lk/2009/05/11/L2.pdf

Anyway, I revised the topic not to be mistaken . Thanks Peri.

Edited October 16, 2012 by Sampath Gunasekera

[Sampath Gunasekera]

Cover of a Gramophone Record - A great song - An interesting story behind the song (1973)

These were the members of Super Golden Chimes Music Group at that time (1973).
The person holding "Kaawadi" (Corrected) The person in the far left Mr. Sri Kantha Dassanayake (ex. drummer Super Golden Chimes) once met with an accident and got injured.
His father promised a "Bhara" to "Kataragama Devalaya" that if his son gets recover , he will being Clarence Wjewardene to Kataragama Devalaya and arrange to sing a devotional song there.
However his son well recovered and he brought Clarence and the group to Kataragam Devalaya at his own expense and Clarence walked there singing the "Kanda Surinduni" song specially composed for this purpose.

I have this Gramophone record cover for years with me , but I newer knew the interesting story behind, until it published in a newspaper recently.

Edited February 15, 2014 by Sampath Gunasekera