Guyana Then And Now

June 4, 2010

Trams of British Guiana

Peter Halder fired over an interesting link to the Tramways of British Guiana by Allen Morrison (Click photo below to go to the article, it’s well done, and has a good map of the tram lines in Georgetown).

Coincidently, while scouring the net for info on BG Airways I ran into a related article in The Montreal Gazette from Dec 3, 1935. They reported that in 1930 the Demerara Electric Company (A Canadian Company) after 30 years of operation closed the tramway service. The track was purchased by Edward Sill who employed about a third for use in his lumber operation at Sandhills, 30 miles up the Demerara river from Georgetown, the rest was sold to Japanese interests. Edward Sill’s lumber operation at Sandhills provided wood fuel to the Demerara Electric Company supplying electricty to Georgetown. The Gazette went on to say that Wallaba wood could be burned green and that two and three quarter ton of Wallaba wood provided as much heat as one ton of the best Welsh coal.

Another interesting British Guiana article also from The Montreal Gazette Nov 6, 1935.

Tram number 14 in Georgetown, British Guiana

Trams of British Guiana (click photo to goto the article)

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