Chalti Ka Naam (Rail) Gaadi

My affair with trains began with my childhood days. Cheran, Cholan, Pandyan, and Pallavan were not names of Tamil kingdoms; to me, they were the daily express trains that screamed through Nungambakkam station everyday (except Cheran, which leaves from Central). My uncles used to take me for my evening outing most days around 5 o'clock, and the ambit of these trips invariably used to include Nungambakkam station and its environs. We used to go across Choolaimedu High Road towards the railway tracks. This particular road used to terminate at the railway embankment and there was a nice viewing spot from where one could survey all three (then) Metre Gauge (MG) lines charting a course south from Egmore. During that time of the day, we could see the Nungambakkam station a few hundred metres up the line bustling with the evening rush hour activity. This was interrupted with periodic evening departures out of Egmore to romantic destinations such as Quilon Jn. (Quilon Mail), Rameswaram (Mail), Tuticorin (Pearl City), Tirunelveli (Nellai Express), Madurai Jn. (Koodal, Pandyan, Mahal, Vaigai, etc.) to name a few. Also names like Rockfort, Kamban, Sethu, etc. never failed to invoke visions of some faraway station, bustling with activity, station masters sounding their typical whistle/gong before the trains depart, the guard waving his flag, the engine (in my dreams, steam) belching out exhaust and a long warning toot, people on the platform waving their last farewells, and the train slowly pulling out of the busy platform.

Nungambakkam used to present none of those visions. It was a sterile suburban station, with locals arriving and departing with clockwork precision. The only long distance visions were the above mentioned trains rushing on their ways behind cute YAM-1s (those were my favourites) or YDM4As. But that was enough for me build my dreams.

Later on, my interaction with trains grew more personal with my biennial trips to and from Bombay on the Mail or the (then so called) VT Express. I vividly recall sunflowers in some rural Karnataka district lining the tracks in neat rows while our train rushed past belching out diesel exhaust, which I would catch on my face as soot as I pressed my face to the window's guard rails. These experiences introduced me to more romantic destinations like Guntakal, Gooty, Wadi, Solapur, Renigunta, Cudappah, Poona and Kalyan. For some reason, I used to like the name Guntakal the most. Of course, my all time favourite was Thana (now Thane), where we would alight. I can recall early mornings on the 10 Up Mail around 0400 hrs., when we would gather our luggage and wait near the door, as the train noisily crossed the Thane creek and pulled to a stop at Thana.

As I grew up, I noticed a lot more about trains, electric or diesel, BG or MG, local or express, etc. Finding out that my grandfather had worked for the Western Railway and some his legends retold (apocryphally, no doubt) helped matters in this area. I used to enjoy my trips in Bombay suburban trains (of course, off peak hours only!), and would never lose a chance to visit a railway station. This happened when relatives arrived from elsewhere, and my Dad and I would set off to Thana to receive them. Usually, this would be an early morning trek to receive the 10 Up Mail from Madras Central. After moving south to Madras, these trips were directed to Madras Central, especially platform 1, where the legendary TN/GT used to arrive from Delhi.

Soon, I began to notice intricate details such as the type of loco, like WDM, WAM, WAP, etc. They did not hold much significance to me other than identifying if they were electric or diesel and their appearances.

Imagine my joy when one boring day in college, I discovered that I was not the only one interested in these details. Some of my close friends also used to do the same! So I was not the only nut in the world, and did not have to bear the ribbing from some of my cousins! IR served to strengthen our friendships further, and soon we discovered a wonderful website called IRFCA . An Indian Railway Fan Club, of all things! I was in cloud nine! Soon, I read about WAPx classes, WDMx, and other classes of locomotives, and gained an immense knowledge about trains that continues to grow even as I write this.

I was (and am) not the only rail fan in the world!

March of the electrics - AJJ invades TVC

Once upon a time, train number 39, called Brindavan express used to pull out of Madras Central hauled by a WP steam locomotive. Brindavan used to have the pride of place back then (some will argue, not incorrectly, even today). Here is an interesting speech that mentions Brindavan express, among others. This WP was then based out of Arakkonam (AJJ) shed.

Pic above: Madurai bound Vaigai serviced by Erode WAP-4 till Villupuram. Will it go all the way in the future?

Then came the diesels. 1965 or '66 saw diesel traction taking over from steam on most major trains out of Central. SR homed most of these diesels in Krishnarajapuram (KJM), a Bangalore suburb, and Erode. For a while, diesels ruled the roost here, and of course, our Mr. 39 used diesel power (from Waltair -WAT) with good results '65 onwards. People, they say, could set their watch with Brindavan arriving at Central.

The eighties saw the advent of the electrics. Ever since, they have been marching relentlessly, conquering new territory every year, much to the dismay of the Diesel lovers. This year was no exception to this trend. Anyway, I will come to the present presently.

Mr. 39 took an electric out of Central in the eighties. These electrics had found a home at AJJ, finally displacing those mighty elegant steamers. It was the beginning of a new era. Mr. 39's electric hauled the train till Katpadi, then Jolarpettai (JTJ), to the accompaniment of the famous twin tones of the WAMx locomotives. Diesel still ruled the territory beyond JTJ, but not for long. It was like the floodgates of Mettur dam had been forced open. The electrics expanded their territory ruthlessly, and the nineties saw complete electric traction till Bangalore. Mr. 39 came fully under electric supervision.

Alas, it did not stop there. Beyond JTJ, the Coimbatore line was the next prey, and soon Salem and Erode fell to electric power. So much so that the electrics decided to establish a camp at Erode, to rival, and eventually replace its famed Diesel shed. It has not happened yet, and for Diesel enthusiasts, hopefully will not. After consolidating their hold over Erode, eventually populating it with the largest fleet of the (then) latest WAP-4 and WAG-7 locomotives, which hauled the most important trains over SR, these folks decided to press on with their campaign. With Bangalore having fallen, the remaining interesting places were Coimbatore and Ernakulam. These fell soon after, and soon, Shoranur and Trivandrum too came under wires. India's longest-distance daily express train, the Kerala Express was now consigned to the capable hands of Erode's pride of electrics, end to end. Victory for the electrics! The period of expansion is complete.

Or so you thought! The next battle is taking place all the way back in the electric bastion of Madras. Egmore is the new frontier, with AJJ now marshalling its troops towards Villupuram, prying as many trains as possible from the reluctant Diesel stained hands of Golden Rock (GOC) and Erode. Now that Villupuram and Pondicherry are under wires, AJJ is eyeing the territory beyond to Tiruchi and Madurai, and maybe, just maybe Nagercoil and Trivandrum. Will that happen? Let us wait and watch.

Pic: Madurai still deep in Diesel territory, but for how long? WDP-2 hauled Koodal express at Madurai Jn.

I for one, would still want some Diesel action on the southern line, and hope that electrics do not proceed beyond. Much as I love electrics, I also feel the need for some variety. With innumerable WAPx at Basin Bridge, one does want some change at Egmore. Also, the Madurai bound line is single, and there is not much goods traffic, and so electrification would not possibly justify the investment. But there is already news of feasibility studies being conducted, and maybe political pressure might come into play too. It will certainly be boring in Madras if and when the diesels are sent packing!

Will AJJ invade TVC? It already has, through the main route, and I hope not the other route too.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Mr. V. Anand for coincidentally providing some nuggets of Brindavan Express history on IRFCA.

Introduction - Basin Bridge Junction

Basin Bridge Junction is an instantly recognizable name to the fans or enthusiasts of Indian Railways. However, let me provide a brief introduction here about Basin Bridge.

Basin Bridge Junction, or BBQ, as it is affectionately referred to by the railfans hailing from or familiar with Madras, is the gateway to Madras Central (now Chennai Central) station. Railfans regard it as the ultimate railfanning destination in Madras, while others might know of it as a place where all inbound trains are stopped to be assigned a platform in the busy Central station a kilometre away. Yours truly certainly does not regard this place as just another godforsaken wayside station that stops or slows down all passing trains. For me, this is where I would love to spend an early morning, before the sun unleashes what is known as the Madras heat, or late evening, when the same sun calls it quits for the day. During these times of the day, BBQ is at its busiest, coinciding with the early morning and late evening arrivals and departures at Central. However, I am told that the busy period is now extended throughout the day, for the travelling needs of a city that has crossed the 8-million souls mark are relentlessly increasing.

BBQ is ideally located at the southern end of the diamond junction that one encounters right after leaving Central. Also, since it is the gateway to Central, it has 7 platforms with almost continuous occupancy, a big and bigger AC loco trip shed (electric engine, for the non-technical person), and one of the country's largest passenger coach care facilities, all located cheek-by-jowl to the mainlines. Hence, the railfan's dream come true! One can get lost in here all day, and night too, if one is so brave :).

In future, I am planning a BBQ-only trip, walking down from Central and exploring the various components of this busy station, and shall provide reports here. The only problem anticipated is from the security-conscious Railway Police at Basin Bridge, but let me cross that Bridge when I come to it!

Purpose of this blog

This blog is intended to be my space for Indian Railways-related material. I plan to start with publishing my old trip reports, which are currently found at my Indian Railway page.

For lay users, some terms might be technical or simply incomprehensible. For those who are interested in learning more about those terms, or about Indian Railways in general, I highly recommend the Indian Railway Fan Club website.