Some photos from train trips in India

[Texan Eagle]

I was recently in India on a three week vacation and undertook a cross country train trip from Mumbai on the west coast to Kolkata on the east coast and back by a different route. I am yet to write trip reports, will share it here when I am done, but in the meantime I have uploaded some photos from the trip which can be seen here-

India By Rails - 2012

I hope you like the photos.

I will be glad to answer any questions you may have about these photos or the journey.

 

[Shanghai]

Thank you for the photos. I've been to India but never on a train there.

I didn't like the food!!

 

[jis]

Great photos!

Ib is really the only 2 letter word station name in India. Od is actually spelled Ode according to IR. I presume you mean the station on the Godhra - Anand section?

BTW, Ib is also the name of the river that one crosses near the station. Ib flows into the Mahanadi, well actually into the reservoir behind Hirakud Dam (one of the longest dams in the world - it is 16 miles long), not far from Ib station (the reservoir, not the dam - The dam is near Sambalpur, the reservoir is 55km long). Beautiful area there. Also the short name of Ib is completely compensated for by the two adjacent stations - Jharsuguda and Brajrajnagar.

I am a bit surprised that the commando dudes did not go all the way to Kharagpur. The Naxal issues must have really calmed down in Jangamahal which would be around the stations of Sardiha, Banstala, Jhargram and Gidhni between Kharagpur and Tatanagar. AFAIR that is where the Bhuwaneshwar Rajdhani was hicacked and the derailment caused by track tampering took place. Odd that it is right next door, figuratively speaking, to the huge Eastern Air Command Air Force Base at Kalaikunda - which was one of the first MiG bases back in the days.

Where was the night shot of Mumbai Mail via ALD (?) taken?

Incidentally, for those unfamiliar, Mumbai Mail via Allahabad (the train that Texan took on the way back to Mumbai) is a train that reverses direction at Allahabad and retraces its path one station back to Naini Jct. to branch off towards Mumbai from the Delhi - Kolkata Main Line. It has done so ever since its inception. Before the construction of the line between Allahabad and Jubbalpore had been completed the gap had to be covered by Elephantstitution (is that a word in the spirit of bustitution?). In Jules Verne's famous fiction "Around the World in 80 Days" Phileus Fogg, the traveler took this route.

However, the shorter route between the two cities is via Nagpur, and pre-nationalization, via BNR, which used massive De Glehn Compounds (K Class Atlantics and M Class Pacifics) on its passenger trains and huge N and P Class Garratts to haul coal and mineral trains. It was also the first railway (South Eastern Railway by then) to get 25kV 50Hz AC electrification in India. My Grandfather used to work for BNR and that is where I get my genetic railfanning streak from. The premier train on that route was 1/2 Bombay Mail via Nagpur. Texan traveled the same route by Duronto Express on his way from Mumbai CST (formerly VT) to Howrah (Kolkata).

The shot of the SDAH Rajdhani crossing Bally Bridge (that is what Vivekananda Bridge is known as locally and its original name) is a keeper! The original name of the line is CC Railway (for Calcutta Connecting Railway). It was one of the two connections between EIR and EBR.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Great photos! I look forward to the trip report. Thanks for sharing.

Someday I hope to do some 'foaming' in India... :lol:

 

[Texan Eagle]

jis, I am glad you liked the photo. The detailed explanation is appreciated

Ib is really the only 2 letter word station name in India. Od is actually spelled Ode according to IR. I presume you mean the station on the Godhra - Anand section?

Yes, that one. I checked on erail.in and the station name shown there is 'Od'. So, there is ambiguity whether Od is a joint winner or not, but 'Ib' surely is a winner in either case!

I am a bit surprised that the commando dudes did not go all the way to Kharagpur. The Naxal issues must have really calmed down in Jangamahal which would be around the stations of Sardiha, Banstala, Jhargram and Gidhni between Kharagpur and Tatanagar. AFAIR that is where the Bhuwaneshwar Rajdhani was hicacked and the derailment caused by track tampering took place.

Either the Naxal issue has calmed down in that stretch, or the other reason could be that Mumbai-Howrah Duronto does not stop at Kharagpur. Tatanagar is the last technical halt before Howrah, so maybe that is why the commandos get off there. However, if required, I don't see any reason why the train cannot be made to stop for a couple of minutes at Kharagpur to let the commandos get off.

Where was the night shot of Mumbai Mail via ALD (?) taken?

That would be Shankargarh or Manikpur Jn, I can't recollect exactly. We were running 6 hours late, departed from Allahabad at 17.45 instead of scheduled 11.45 departure hence these stations which should have come mid-day were passed in the dark.

Incidentally, for those unfamiliar, Mumbai Mail via Allahabad (the train that Texan took on the way back to Mumbai) is a train that reverses direction at Allahabad and retraces its path one station back to Naini Jct. to branch off towards Mumbai from the Delhi - Kolkata Main Line. It has done so ever since its inception. Before the construction of the line between Allahabad and Jubbalpore had been completed the gap had to be covered by Elephantstitution (is that a word in the spirit of bustitution?). In Jules Verne's famous fiction "Around the World in 80 Days" Phileus Fogg, the traveler took this route.

Are you sure about the elephantstitution? It seems to me a work of fiction. From what I have read, 12321/12322 Howrah-Mumbai Mail via Allahabad is the successor of 3 Dn/4 Up Imperial Indian Mail was started as a through train from Bombay to Kolkata in the late 19th century and the route has been served by a direct train ever since then, though the names of the trains and the quality of service has changed a lot This site has some interesting information about the Imperial Mail.

The shot of the SDAH Rajdhani crossing Bally Bridge (that is what Vivekananda Bridge is known as locally and its original name) is a keeper! The original name of the line is CC Railway (for Calcutta Connecting Railway). It was one of the two connections between EIR and EBR.

I am glad you liked that one. Being winter, by 5.15pm the light was fading fast and this is the best I could manage.

 

[Texan Eagle]

Thank you for the photos. I've been to India but never on a train there.

I didn't like the food!!

How did you manage to go to India and not be on a train there?

The food onboard trains in India is probably the only thing I don't like about Indian Railways. It's like prison food on 90% of the trains. Apart from that I enjoy being on trains in India than being on Amtrak- there is more variety in terms of landscape, people and the overall lively scenes at the stations enroute compared to dull lifeless unmanned Amshacks one encounters for a major part of Amtrak journeys.

 

[jis]

Incidentally, for those unfamiliar, Mumbai Mail via Allahabad (the train that Texan took on the way back to Mumbai) is a train that reverses direction at Allahabad and retraces its path one station back to Naini Jct. to branch off towards Mumbai from the Delhi - Kolkata Main Line. It has done so ever since its inception. Before the construction of the line between Allahabad and Jubbalpore had been completed the gap had to be covered by Elephantstitution (is that a word in the spirit of bustitution?). In Jules Verne's famous fiction "Around the World in 80 Days" Phileus Fogg, the traveler took this route.

Are you sure about the elephantstitution? It seems to me a work of fiction. From what I have read, 12321/12322 Howrah-Mumbai Mail via Allahabad is the successor of 3 Dn/4 Up Imperial Indian Mail was started as a through train from Bombay to Kolkata in the late 19th century and the route has been served by a direct train ever since then, though the names of the trains and the quality of service has changed a lot This site has some interesting information about the Imperial Mail.

EIR completed its branch to Jabalpur from Naini in 1867. It took GIPR 3 more years to complete its line to Jabalpur. In the interim there was train service available from both railheads to the respective termini (Bombay Bori Bunder and Howrah respectively, at each end. The gap had to be covered by other means - typically elephants, horses or human borne palanquins, which were the main means of transportation pre-railways in the subcontinent. Of course, Jules Verne painted additional fictional pictures around this reality in his book including the rescue of Auda from the Sati funeral pier etc. etc., Sati itself being a hot political issue having just been abolished in the British Colonies in India.

Incidentally, the Imperial Mail/Overland Express was a 20th Century artifact. I don't know what the exact relationship may or may not be between it and Bombay Mail via Allahabad. The first through service I believe was provided by a set of through carriages which were carried Howrah to Allahabad by Kalka Mail and thence to Bombay by some unidentified train, which very well could have been a Bombay Allahabad Mail of some sort. Bombay Mail via Allahabad, whenever it became called such ad became an identifiable entity apparently had the number 3/4, with Delhi Kalka Mail being EIRs premier train carrying the number 1/2 (now Howrah Delhi Kalka Mail 12311/12312 I believe). There were three main mail trains runs by EIR out of Howrah. They were Punjab Mail 5/6, Delhi Mail 1/2 and Bombay Mail 3/4.

As I said I don't know how the so called Boat Train and Imperial India Mail relate to the general Mail trains and would love to learn more about it.

Finally Bombay got a train numbered 1/2 to Howrah with the completion of BNR's Nagpur - Howrah section. Again I am not sure whether that train started initially via Asansol, which link was completed before the Tatanagar to Howrah link via Kharagpur was completed.

Incidentally this picture:

brings back vivid childhood memories. This is a picture of Toofan Express circa 1975, but in late 50s a very similar scene took place every afternoon between Durg and Bhilai Jn. as the Bombay Mail via Nagpur steamed by with a very young (5 year old) me standing trackside admiring it. The locomotives then were Baldwin built WP/P and later plain WP classes on these trains, which were attached at Nagpur, for the run to Howrah.

 

[Texan Eagle]

I finally completed writing the travelogue about my journey on the Howrah-Mumbai Mail. It can be read here-

In The Footsteps Of the Imperial Mail

 

[user 1215]

Doh - I already read that over in IRFCA. My interest is hereby piqued. Must find an excuse to get to India somehow. Never would have made the connection. Your handle on IRFCA sounds a bit more Indian. LOL.

 

[Texan Eagle]

Doh - I already read that over in IRFCA. My interest is hereby piqued. Must find an excuse to get to India somehow. Never would have made the connection. Your handle on IRFCA sounds a bit more Indian. LOL.

Well, my "handle" at IRFCA is actually my real name. Now I am curious to find out what is your handle over at IRFCA. Still haven't made the connection. LOL.

I can tell you a good enough excuse to visit India- to ride the trains

 

[user 1215]

Ok. Now I have an excuse. Now for my wife to justify the financing of such an adventure.

My handle on IRFCA is also VentureForth. I just joined and my first post won't be moderated until everyone over there wakes up. LOL

 

[Texan Eagle]

Ok. Now I have an excuse. Now for my wife to justify the financing of such an adventure.

My handle on IRFCA is also VentureForth. I just joined and my first post won't be moderated until everyone over there wakes up. LOL

The biggest expense of a trip to India to explore the trains would be your flight ticket to India. After that, actually riding the trains in India is not financially taxing, especially if you compare it with Amtrak ticket fares. An 18-hour sleeper journey in the most luxurious class (AC First Class) with unlimited meals included would be under $100. Most other journeys would cost much less than that. In fact if you feel adventurous and want to travel in non air-conditioned sleeper class (you get reserved seats though) you could do a cross-country journey for around $15, though I would not recommend that to a first-timer!