I believe that this is a part of our heritage. Irrespective of the motive of the British administrators, this kind of work should have been preserved for the future generations. When I was working at Nuwara Eliya, I also tried to explore about this railway line. Few times I thought why don't we restore this scenic line again? My nurse Leelawathy Aunty was able to recall some of the memories of this line, back in 1940s. What my belief is, we should have at least kept the Rail Track intact so that we can start the railways again if necessary.
Similar kind of story can be seen Walhalla, Victoria, Australia. They also had a Narrow Gauge railway, opened in 1910 and closed around 1940. As in SriLanka, they have removed the rail track as well. But later, some group of people got together and restored the rail track. Trains are now running as a popular scenic attraction. You can visit
www.walhallarail.com for full details.
What we are missing in Sri Lanka is such spirit to restore our heritage.
Finally I would like to appreciate the hard work done by you. The article is complete and comprehensive.
Keep up the good work Shivantha. All the best.