Colonel Barog: tall upright man of Barog Tunnel

THE 96.54-km-long Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge track in India has 102 operational tunnels that constitute about 8 per cent of the total length of the route.

This rail track, which was open to passengers on November 9, 1903, is a living tribute to those engineers who dared to bore a total of 107 tunnels and set an example of how a railway line could pass through a rough mountainous terrain without destroying the splendour and beauty of the hills.

Barog, the place:

Barog was settled in the early 20th century during the building of the narrow gauge Kalka-Shimla Railway in India. It is named after Colonel Barog, an engineer involved in building the railway track in 1903.

Barog tunnel as of now

Barog, the engineer, was responsible for designing a tunnel near the railway station. He commenced digging the tunnel from both sides of the mountain, which is quite common as it speeds up construction. However, he made mistakes in his calculation and while constructing the tunnel, it was found that the two ends of the tunnel did not meet. Barog was fined an amount of 1 Rupee by the British government. Unable to withstand the humiliation, Barog committed suicide. He was buried near the incomplete tunnel. The area came to be known as Barog after him.

Barog Tunnel Facts

Later it was constructed under Chief Engineer H.S. Harrington's supervison guided by a local sage, Bhalku, in a short period from July 1900 to September 1903 at a cost 8.40 Lakh rupees (Rupees 840,000).

This tunnel is the longest of the 103 operational tunnels on the route of the Shimla-Kalka Railway, which is 1143.61m long. 
Barog station is immediately after the tunnel. 

Barog tunnel is the straightest tunnel in the World. 
Trains take about 2.5 minutes to cross this tunnel, running at 25 kilometres per hour.

And The Man lies forgotten

He was buried in front of the tunnel, 

near the Kalka-Shimla national highway, 

about 1 km from Barog.

Ironically neither the Railway authorities nor the state government has done anything 

to maintain his grave. 

A signboard giving details about the sad end of Barog was put up near his grave 

but that too has now disappeared. 

As a result, it is now even difficult to locate the whereabouts of his grave. 

The forlorn tunnel has now been closed. 

The tunnel has a natural water source 

that meets the water demand of the Special Service Bureau (SSB), Dharampur.

# Reference notes:

* On July 8, 2008, the Kalka–Shimla Railway was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the World Heritage Site Mountain Railways of India. The Mountain Railways of India (including Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and Nilgiri Mountain Railway) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai have already been declared as world heritage properties.

* Kalka–Shimla Railway

 

	0 km	Kalka
	6 km	Taksal
	11 km	Gumman
	17 km	Koti
	27 km	Sonwara
	33 km	Dharampur
	39 km	Kumarhatti
	43 km	Barog
	47 km	Solan
	53 km	Salogra
	59 km	Kandaghat
	65 km	Kanoh
	73 km	Kathleeghat
	78 km	Shoghi
	85 km	Taradevi
	90 km	Totu (Jutogh)
	93 km	Summer Hill
	96 km	Shimla

# Consulted and thankfully shared from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalka%E2%80%93Shimla_Railway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barog

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020615/windows/main4.htm