A railway enthusiast to a fault
Monday, 4 July 2016
Hemasiri Fernando is known in Sri Lanka and abroad as a sports administrator, bureaucrat, banker and entrepreneur. He is little known as a train enthusiast, though it was his hobby from his early childhood. That was because it was kept a secret from the world at large. Only a few who were very close to him were privy to it. But that secrecy surrounding his hobby is no more. It has now been unveiled by Hemasiri himself.
Through two publications, done with extensive research but addressed to laymen like him, he has revealed his obsessive enthusiasm for trains. The first publication – The Viceroy Special – came out of press in 2013 and has run three rounds of printing now. The Second – The Uva Railway: The Railway to the Moon – was out in 2014. They are full of history, rare photographs and tech facts about trains. Thus, they should be collectors’ items for those interested in learning of the country’s railway history.
The Viceroy Special Project
The Viceroy Special was a special edition done by Hemasiri Fernando to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the refurbished ‘Viceroy Special’ that began to roll along the country’s rails from 1986 demonstrating its heyday magnificence to train enthusiasts. He himself was a part of the Viceroy Special, having worked for 18 months at the Dematagoda Running Shed and Ratmalana Workshop of the Railway Department.
Says Fernando in the preface to the book: “The Viceroy Special is a product that was meant for the upmarket tourists and the first 15 years had been volatile due to the adverse situation in the country. Nevertheless, there were some tours operated, mainly in the Western and the Southern part of the island that were sufficient to keep the project afloat. The Ceasefire Agreement between the Government and the LTTE in 2001 gave new momentum to the Viceroy Operation with a fair amount of tourist arrivals. During this period of 2-3 years, it had reached the optimum level of operation with sufficient revenue. This situation was back in the doldrums after the annulment of the ceasefire agreement.”
Tourist Board’s withdrawal from the project
The Ceylon Tourist Board was an original stakeholder of the Viceroy Project since it was the main beneficiary. Naturally, it should be so but its subsequent withdrawal from the project showed that it was not on the same wavelength as others in this enterprise.
Perhaps, it would have failed to understand, at that time, an important element in attracting tourists to the country: provision of a variety of entertainment. Except ancient ruins and sandy beaches, there are no other ways of keeping incoming tourists fruitfully occupied.
