IRFCA Mailing List Archive


Messages 1921 - 1940

From: GlynThomas <GlynThomas@aol.email

Subject: Great Railway Journeys

Date: 10 Nov 1997 15:50:00 -0500


Kumar is correct that Great Railway Journeys featured Mark Tully in Pakistan.
His description of the earlier series is actually of the original Great
Railway Journeys series, of c.1982. The BBC also produced a 'Great Little
Railways' episode about the Western Railway Meter Gauge network in about
1985, but this may not have been syndicated worldwide.

Another BBC film to look out for is 'Railways of the Raj', which features
Mark Satow, and is the best documentary on Indian Railways I've seen,
although it dates from the 'World About Us' series of the early 1970's. I
think it has been issued on video if you know a specialist shop.

Glyn Thomas

From: sank <sank@telco.email

Subject: National Railway Museum

Date: 12 Nov 1997 19:38:00 -0500


Hi, All:

I was passing through Delhi a couple of days ago, where I decided to
drop in on the National Railway Museum ( I do this about once a year or
so). Every year I see a further degeneration of the place which is
painful
to look at. I get the impression that the museum has become nothing more

than a large playground for children, littered with rusting hulks. The
condition
of most of the stock is decrepit, even that of the newer ones. Mainly,
the
undersides of the boilers are flaking off. All the tracks are overgrown
(to
a railfan, what can convey "disuse" more effectively than overgrown
railtracks ?), and the information plaques are frugally scripted.

Maybe it is necessary for all of us who care about Indian railway
history
to at least talk about such things. At a time when Indian Railways seems

to be a bit mixed up about its own priorities ( bullet trains proposed
for India
when we do not yet have ATC/AWS is one example), we should at least have
a better
sense of our remarkable railway heritage. On seeing one of the original
WP/P
locos already in serious decay only two years after withdrawal, I don't
feel too good.

Another question on a different subject: I remember hearing about the
proposed
South Asian rail link (from Singapore across India to the west) on this
list.
It occurs to me that Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Bangladesh all
have
MG networks. Should we not retain some part of the Indian MG network to
cut down transhipment, rather than go all out for the "unigauge policy "

Just wondering........all opinions welcome !

--
Jayant Sankrityayana
ID Studio*TTIL*TELCO
Pimpri*Pune 411 018*INDIA
tel:91-212-774261 exn 2534

From: Auroprem Kandaswami <kandaswa@apple.email

Subject: No funds? No sweat, says Railway Minister

Date: 12 Nov 1997 04:34:00 -0500


EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE


NAGPUR, Nov 11: Union railway minister Ram Vilas Paswan
said on Monday that in spite of the funds crunch faced by the
Railway Ministry coupled with a lack of external financial
support, all developmental works assured by him all over the
country would be completed. He was speaking after
inaugurating the gauge conversion survey work of the
149-km-long Nagpur-Chhindwara narrow gauge line of the
South Eastern Railway (SER) at Nagpur railway station here.

The minister also assured the locals that those demands which
were found to be viable and within the jurisdiction of the
ministry would be fulfilled. Paswan said that although the
Railway Ministry was weighed down by an additional
expenditure of Rs 6,200 necessary to implement the Fifth Pay
Commission report, there would be no cut in the budgetary
sanction for developmental work. The common man would not
face the additional burden of a rise in fares either, he assured
the gathering. Besides, he said, the Railways had resolved to
increase its income in several ways.

Paswan said he would look into the proposition of constructing
a railway over-bridge at Central Avenue, adding that if the
State Government was ready to partially finance it, the Union
Government would bear the additional expenditure. About the
grant of railway land to the slum dwellers of Dobinagar, he
said although the Railways could not sell or transfer its land,
the dwellers would not be disturbed if no developmental work
was planned for the land.

Regarding the demand for a retiring room, he said a proposal
had already been sent to the Railway Board and that the
requisite budgetary provision would be made in the next
budget. BJP MP Banwarilal Purohit presided over the function.
Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and MP from
Chhindwara, Sunderlal Patwa, MPs Datta Meghe and
Shrikant Jichkar were among those present.

Speaking on the occasion, Patwa, while expressing gratitude to
Paswan for fulfilling his demand for gauge conversion,
requested him to make budgetary provision for the conversion
in the next Railway budget, so that the work could completed
soon. Meghe called for conversion of all the narrow gauge
railway lines in the region, saying it would promote
development and help generate employment.

From: Kartik Pashupati <kpashupa@mailer.email

Subject: Re: Great Railway Journeys

Date: 12 Nov 1997 15:31:00 -0500


>Sundar Krishnamurthy writes:
>
>"Has the BBC program "The Great Railway Journeys of the World" featured
>IR?? The National Geographic video on IR is also not available in
>India."

Kumar is absolutely right in his recollections of the earlier "Great
Railway Journeys," also from the BBC. The episode on IR was called
"Deccan," and the narrator (whose name I forget) mentioned specifically
that he wanted to avoid traveling "coast to coast," and that's why they
started off on the Mumbai-Chennai route, but then veered off to Bangalore,
Mettupalayam and Ooty.

Incidentally, the transcripts of that series of "Great Railway Journeys"
was published in book form by the BBC. (I will post the details if I can
dig it out in my book collection somewhere.) Other journeys included trips
in Peru (Machupichu), Australia (Coast to Coast from Sydney to Perth),
Europe (particularly Switzerland) and trainspotting in Britain (with host
Michael Palin).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday."

Kartik Pashupati, Ph.D. (kpashupa@mailer.email

Florida State University
Department of Communication
356 Diffenbaugh Building
Tallahassee FL 32306-2064
Phone: 850-644-1809; Fax: 850-644-8642
Website: <A HREF="http://mailer.fsu.edu/~kpashupa">http://mailer.fsu.edu/~kpashupa</A>

From: Samir K Bhattacharya <skb@hogpa.email

Subject: Re: Great Railway Journeys

Date: 12 Nov 1997 15:57:00 -0500


> Kumar is absolutely right in his recollections of the earlier "Great
> Railway Journeys," also from the BBC. The episode on IR was called
> "Deccan," and the narrator (whose name I forget) mentioned specifically
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Michael Wood ?

Samir

From: Pushkar Apte <apte@spdc.email

Subject: Re: Trains in Indian Movies

Date: 13 Nov 1997 09:33:00 -0500


A movie I can think of that had a railway station as a critical element
( not necessarily the train though) is Ijaazat by Gulzar. Then there
was Abhi Bhatacharya and Dharmendra in the classic song "Gaadi bulaa
rahi hai, seeti bajaa rahi hai..." - can't remember the movie. One more
was an Amitabh-Moushumi Chatterjee starrer in which a little kid gets
kidnapped in a Mumbai local. Finally, there was a movie where Rajesh
Khanna was a stationmaster of a small station and the whole movie is
played out there ... If anyone knows the names of these three films,
please do write...

On the regional front, there are two Marathi film songs that are
considered all-time classics and involve trains. One is "Hirvya hirya
paananchi zhaadi ghandaat, saango chedva dista kaso khandaalyacho
ghaat.." It is impossible to translate without murdering the original
poetry, so I'll only say that the line eulogizes the dense green trees
as the train speeds through the Khandala ghat. The second song is "Zhuk
zhuk zhuk zhuk ageen gaadi, dhuraanchya resha havet kaadhi, palati
zhaade paahu ya, mamachya gaavala jaao ya.." The rough idea here is of
kids singing about the rhythm and smoke trails of the steam engine as
they head for their uncle house on their summer vacation.

-Pushkar

Auroprem Kandaswami wrote:

> Discussion on "Trains in Indian Movies" is probably incomplete
> without
> mentioning a couple of goodies from Tamil movies.
>
> Here are a couple of ones, which I enjoyed and would like to share :
>
> 1. This is from the classic, "Thillana Mohanambal" - a Sivaji Ganesan
>
> -Padmini starrer, where a music/dance troup travels in an
> unreserved
> coach (seats are laid long along the windows, rather than
> face-to-face).
> There is a famous comedy scene on this train journey, where
> all the actors "emulate" a train journey by moving their bodies
> up and down, comedian T S Baliah snores and falls repeatedly on
> Manorama, pick up a quarrel, etc...
>
> 2. This is another one from a popular old Sivaji starrer, "Raman
> Ethanai Ramanadi", where Sivaji travels on a MG passenger train
> (steam) on Dindigul-Tiruchi section. "Pudur" station is shown
> where he gets down, waking from a dream - where he sees K.R.Vijaya
>
> singing "Theril Vantha Raja rajan enpakkam ..."
>
> 3. "Pachchai vilakku", where Sivaji stars as a Guard/Station Master
> (can't remember exactly)
>
> 4. Bombay-Madras train journey by Sujatha in "Avargal", covering
> Renigunta, Arakkonam stations.
>
> 5. Journey from Tirunelveli Jn. - Madras Egmore pictured for about
> half an hour where Y.G. Mahendran carries lots of cash in a
> suitcase, dies of heart attack in Villupuram station, Sivakumar
> (comes as villain, -ve character in this movie) swaps his
> suitcase
> with the "heavy" one and becomes rich by the end of the journey
> at Madras Egmore station. Rajini watches this helplessly and
> disapprovingly.
>
> 6. Coimbatore Jn. being shown couple of times in the movie "Ilamai
> Kalangal".
>
> Talking of more recent ones, I can recollect,
>
> 7. Mohan and Revathi travelling on Tamil Nadu (TN) express in
> Manirathnam's debut "Mouna Ragam"
>
> 8. "Kaadhal Kottai" - where the hero and heroine eventually meet
> for the first time, when the Kovai express is about to leave
> from Chennai Central station.
>
>
> Can someone recollect other interesting train clips ?
>
>
> Auro



--

Regards,
Pushkar
-------

From: Prakash Tendulkar <prakash@us.email

Subject: Delhi Railway Museum

Date: 13 Nov 1997 17:00:00 -0500


Look at URL <A HREF="http://www.rediff.com/travel/sep/25enghom.htm">http://www.rediff.com/travel/sep/25enghom.htm</A>.
Expand the miniatures at the bottom and you'll love them.

One of the pictures, <A HREF="http://www.rediff.com/travel/sep/eng7.htm">http://www.rediff.com/travel/sep/eng7.htm</A>
needs correction in description. It is the first electric
loco on metre guage section of SR, class YCG1.

Prakash


Notes Address: Prakash Tendulkar/Santa Teresa/IBM@IBMUS
VM Address: IBMUSM50(PRAKASH)
Internet Address: prakash@us.email
Phone: (408)463-3536
=

From: sank <sank@telco.email

Subject: Re: Trains in Indian Movies

Date: 14 Nov 1997 18:28:00 -0500


Mustn't forget Kamal Amarohi's 'Pakeezah' ! A steam
train plays a pivotal romantic role in this film: specially
dominant in the scene where Meena Kumari gets her
saree caught between the point blade and the rail. and
the loco runs over her (fortunately, she is between the
rails).

I also remember a file called 'Mere Huzoor' which
had a song sequence aboard a train. Was it a WP that
was hauling it ?

--
Jayant Sankrityayana
ID Studio*TTIL*TELCO
Pimpri*Pune 411 018*INDIA
tel:91-212-774261 exn 2534

From: sank <sank@telco.email

Subject: Re: Great Railway Journeys

Date: 14 Nov 1997 18:50:00 -0500


Kartik Pashupati wrote:

> Kumar is absolutely right in his recollections of the earlier "Great
> Railway Journeys," also from the BBC. The episode on IR was called
> "Deccan," and the narrator (whose name I forget) mentioned specifically
> that he wanted to avoid traveling "coast to coast," and that's why they
> started off on the Mumbai-Chennai route, but then veered off to Bangalore,
> Mettupalayam and Ooty.
>
> Incidentally, the transcripts of that series of "Great Railway Journeys"
> was published in book form by the BBC. (I will post the details if I can
> dig it out in my book collection somewhere.) Other journeys included trips
> in Peru (Machupichu), Australia (Coast to Coast from Sydney to Perth),
> Europe (particularly Switzerland) and trainspotting in Britain (with host
> Michael Palin).

Oddly enough: I have a copy of the book with me (borrowed from the
British Library Pune). I can put up the details tomorrow on this list.

--
Jayant Sankrityayana
ID Studio*TTIL*TELCO
Pimpri*Pune 411 018*INDIA
tel:91-212-774261 exn 2534

From: sank <sank@telco.email

Subject: Help needed:

Date: 14 Nov 1997 18:53:00 -0500


This one was forwarded to me by the Travel editor on the Rediff site.
Is there anyone who can help this gentleman ?

Subject:
Nilgiri Railway
Date:
Wed, 22 Oct 1997 14:40:45 +0000
From:
Paul Davies <8daviep1@uk.email
To:
<travel@www.email


Re: your web page on the rail museum in New Delhi. Thanks very much for
a very informative page. Can you tell me where I can get more
information on
the Nilgiri Rack Railway in southern India? I need photos and plans of
the
locomotives used on the line so that I can make a working model of one
of them.

Thanks,
Paul.


LAN Support Specialist ---- Basingstoke Location Technical Support ----
IBM UK Ltd, Alencon House, Alencon Link, Basingstoke. UK.
Tel +44 (0)1256 344522 (internal 314522)

--
Jayant Sankrityayana
ID Studio*TTIL*TELCO
Pimpri*Pune 411 018*INDIA
tel:91-212-774261 exn 2534

From: John Browning <ceo8@rocknet.email

Subject: Re: Delhi Railway Museum

Date: 15 Nov 1997 21:12:00 -0500


Prakash wrote:

>Look at URL <A HREF="http://www.rediff.com/travel/sep/25enghom.htm">http://www.rediff.com/travel/sep/25enghom.htm</A>.
>Expand the miniatures at the bottom and you'll love them.


Oh dear! The Darjeeling loco <<A HREF="http://www.rediff.com/travel/sep/eng15.htm>">http://www.rediff.com/travel/sep/eng15.htm></A>
is described as follows:


>Built by Sentinel Wagon Works, UK in 1926. This
> small loco was built for the construction lines of
> various irregular works in Punjab state. It was
> used on canal schemes in Punjab and later as a
> shunting loco.


A shame!



John Browning
Rockhampton
Queensland
Australia

From: sank <sank@telco.email

Subject: BBC: Great Railway Journeys of the World

Date: 15 Nov 1997 18:21:00 -0500


Details about the book that was being discussed yesterday:

'Great Railway Journeys of the World'
BBC - printed 1981,1982,1985
by BAS Printers Ltd, Hampshire, England
ISBN 0 563 17903 1

List of Articles:

1. Introduction : Roger Laughton
2. India : DECCAN : Brian Thompson
3. South Africa : ZAMBESI EXPRESS : Michael Wood
4. Australia : THE LONG STRAIGHT : Michael Frayn/Dennis Marks
5. America : COAST TO COAST : Ludovic Kennedy
6. South America : 3 MILES HIGH : Miles Kington
7. Britain : CONFESSIONS OF A TRAIN SPOTTER : Michael Palin
8. Europe : CHANGING TRAINS : EricRobson


--
Jayant Sankrityayana
ID Studio*TTIL*TELCO
Pimpri*Pune 411 018*INDIA
tel:91-212-774261 exn 2534

From: sank <sank@telco.email

Subject: The Book By BBC

Date: 16 Nov 1997 16:43:00 -0500


Our mail server was down, and this may not have reached the list.
I am sending it again: Sorry if it is a repeat !

Details about the book that was being discussed yesterday:

'Great Railway Journeys of the World'
BBC - printed 1981,1982,1985
by BAS Printers Ltd, Hampshire, England
ISBN 0 563 17903 1

List of Articles:

1. Introduction : Roger Laughton
2. India : DECCAN : Brian Thompson
3. South Africa : ZAMBESI EXPRESS : Michael Wood
4. Australia : THE LONG STRAIGHT : Michael Frayn/Dennis Marks
5. America : COAST TO COAST : Ludovic Kennedy
6. South America : 3 MILES HIGH : Miles Kington
7. Britain : CONFESSIONS OF A TRAIN SPOTTER : Michael Palin
8. Europe : CHANGING TRAINS : EricRobson


--
Jayant Sankrityayana
ID Studio*TTIL*TELCO
Pimpri*Pune 411 018*INDIA
tel:91-212-774261 exn 2534

From: Prakash Tendulkar <prakash@jps.email

Subject: CR's mega woes

Date: 24 Nov 1997 08:28:00 -0500


CR's mega woes

Ashish Wagh, Times of India

MUMBAI, November 23: Conceived with the idea of extensively
repairing sections of the Central Railway (CR) tracks, the
megablock is an idea now beset by a time crunch. In addition,
frequent rail accidents, 25 of them in the last one year, have
already raised serious questions on the efficacy of megablocks.

Megablocks are maintenance jobs in which a particular section of
the track is taken up and all departments involved in the running
of trains - civil engineering, signal and telecommunications,
overhead equipment among others - participate.

CR officials have been left complaining at the insufficient time
given for track maintainence, just six hours each Sunday. A
majority of these mishaps including derailments are directly
connected to track maintainence.

The facts - CR runs 1,056 trains a day carrying 29 lakh
passengers, nearly twice the stipulated capacity. Every train
trundles 504 km a day. With a train every 1.6 minutes, tracks are
the hardest hit by the excessive load.

Track maintainence in the last decade has suffered with the
growing demand for more train services. CR has conducted 61
blocks till date, a concept started during the tenure of former
railway minister Suresh Kalmadi two years ago.

During a megablock, trains do not run as smoothly as they should
on any other day. The blocks impose certain restrictions on the
running of trains thus causing delays. `Caution orders' issued to
motormen too drastically restrict train speeds. ``The suburban
system needs nothing but proper maintenance -- megablocks are
the only option,'' a senior Central Railway official said.

Express Newsline visited one such megablock between Thane and
Kalyan on Sunday, to assess its utility. Supervised by senior
railway officials at sites spread between the two stations, nearly
850 persons including contractors' staff slogged to replace old
rails, sleepers and carry out routine checks.

Jobs routinely undertaken during megablocks include track and
sleeper replacement, providing stone ballast cushions for smoother
rides and realigning tracks among others.

To ensure utmost accuracy, the railways have acquired a highly-
sophisticated machine which not just replaces old rails and
sleepers with new ones but also determines the amount of stone
ballast cushioning which is to be provided for jump-free running
of trains.

Called the Tamper Track Renewal Train (TRT), this Rs 5 crore
US-made multi-function machine is a workforce in itself. ``The
TRT saves the railways of several manhours and at the same time
is economical,'' said an official supervising a site near the
Nutan hill near Kalva.

To add to the workforce, several other machines like the "tower
wagon" which maintains the overhead equipment among others also
are pressed into the maintenance work which is done phasewise.

From: Prakash Tendulkar <prakash@jps.email

Subject: Metro Rail

Date: 24 Nov 1997 08:34:00 -0500


MUTP only a stop-gap arrangement

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI, November 23: A completely fresh look has to be taken at
the traffic system in Mumbai to explore other avenues like a mass
rapid transit system (MRTS) or a metro rail, said Arun Mokashi, a
transport expert from Tata Consultancy Services. Mokashi was
speaking on ``Mumbai's Traffic Problem: Where Are We Heading
Today?'' organised by the Institute of Engineers last week.

Added Mokashi, ``The days of optimisation of (existing) road and
rail networks (projects under the Rs 6,000 crore Mumbai Urban
Transport Project (MUTP) are over. Future requirements for
mobilisation are to evolve a MRTS (like trans-harbour links and a
metro railway system). MUTP is just a stop gap arrangement.''

He lamented that none of the projects marked out as a solution had
taken off. Admitting that funds were a problem, he pointed out that
lessons could be learnt from the successful implementation of the
Konkan Railway project where bonds were issued to mop up funds
from the public. Among the projects that needed priority, said
Mokashi, was the metro railway system as proposed by former
director of the KRC, E Sreedharan, where a metro rail corporation
was to be set up to study the project.

From: VIRAF P.. MULLA <sncf@godrejnet.email

Subject: Trains In Indian Movies

Date: 25 Nov 1997 18:43:00 -0500


Hi,

Here are some more railway featured movies that I can think of:

1.In Mere huzoor Jeetendar woos Malasinha in a song sequence aboard a
train hauled by a WP.

2.Joy Mukheerjee sings a number in Love In Simla whilst travelling in
Kalka Simla train and in Ziddi he gets robbed by Mohan Choti in the
compartment of the Nilgiri Railway.

3.How can one forget the funny train sequence in the begining and in the
end of Shammi Kapoor-Asha Parekh starrer Teesri Manzil.

4.Rajesh Khanna in a LandRover sings to his Sapno Ki Rani-Sharmila Tagore
in Darjeeling Himalayan train in Aradhana.

5.Sharmila Tagore takes school children for a picnic in Kalka Simla
Railcar in Daag - another Rajesh khanna - Sharmila Tagore starrer. The
song was Hawa Chaale Kaise.

6.In Aadmi Aur Insan there is a major portion of story shot on the
Frontier Mail where Dharmendra is carrying top secret documments to Delhi
and Mumtaz as a gangster's moll tries to steal those papers.Lovely shots
of various WPs hauling the same train between Bombay's Mahim - Virar
section of the Western Railway.One of the WP was with a Flying Ranee
Headboard and a crown on it's chimmey - a rare shot of Flying Ranee of
yesteryears.

7.Dharmendra sings a song Badal Jaaye Agar Mali from Bahaaren Phir bhi
Aayengi on what I presume is the 2ft.6in. Martin's Narrow G. line from
Shahdara (Delhi) to Saharanpur which ceased to operate in 1970

8.In a Dharmendra-Sharmila Tagore film whose name I can't recollect, Ruby
Mayers (a character artist) who is travelling in a C.R. suburban train is
a witness to a murder being committed in an first class compartment of the
express train running parellel to her train.This was lifted out straight
from Agatha Christe's movie Murder She Said.

9. In Ashirwad Ashok Kumar sings to the children in his own voice the
famous Railgadi song to the rythem of a steam locomotive.

10.Nanda gets crushed under the wheels of a CWD shunting in the Mahalaxmi
yards trying to save her deaf son in Manoj Kumar's film Shor..

11.Nilgiri Railways got featured in many films. These are Khubsoorat,
Sadma and in Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai where Rishi Kapoor tries to cheer up
sobbing Padmini Kolhapuri sitting on the roof of the carriage.The song is
Hoga Tuse Pyara Kaun.

12.Lastly how can I forget the thrill I got as a child seeing Dilip Kumar
bashing up Pran on the footplate of a YP locomotive in Ram Aur Shayam.


VIRAF MULLA

C-20/14, JEEVAN BIMA NAGAR
BORIVALI (WEST)
MUMBAI 400 103

TELEPHONE:91-22-8954510
E-mail:sncf@godrejnet.email

From: sank <sank@telco.email

Subject: Trains in Indian Movies

Date: 25 Nov 1997 19:11:00 -0500


....And what about the Dharmendra file called "Ma". which includes a
sequence where his pet elephant gets trapped on a railway
bridge: Dharmendra
has to run down the track, jump on to an approaching frieght train, run
along the top,
get into the cab (was it a WG ?) and have it stopped just in time !


Jayant S (sank@telco.email
ID Studio*TTIL*TELCO
Pimpri*Pune 411 018*INDIA
tel:91-212-774261 exn 2534

From: Sundar Krishnamurthy <coolsundar@hotmail.email

Subject: Re: Trains in Indian Movies

Date: 24 Nov 1997 20:28:00 -0500


Dharmendra gets featured in so many train songs. Nobody can forget the
philosophical "Gaadi bulaa rahi hai, seeti baja rahi hai" from
Dost. This song metaphors life against a train, and has wonderful
lyrics. Incidentally, this song is written by Anand Bakshi, who has a
positive affinity for anything trains.

Contrast against the mindless Dharmendra number in Sholay, where he
goes, "Station se gaadi jab choot jaati hai to ek do teen ho jaati hai";
on Basanti's (Hema Malini's) Dhanno-hauled Tonga. I haven't the faintest
idea, whether he's refering to the coaches of the train or the number of
hours it will end up running late!

Dharmendra plays Robinhood to assist daredevil Vinod Khanna in fighting
the blaze aboard "The Burning Train". They jump into the unmanned WDM2
of the raging Rajdhani; and finally the train comes to a safe halt on an
under-construction incline. The 1981(?) release, surprisingly, did not
succeed at the Box Office. It was inspired by IR launching the
Bombay(then)-New Delhi Rajdhani Express; and the classic Japanese "The
Bullet Train". I suspect that Jan DeBont's "Speed" is also inspired by
the Japanese movie.

The story of Kati Patang, the runaway Rajesh Khanna whammo, has its
cornerstone on a railway accident. Asha Parekh picks up the child of a
fellow-passenger, whom she befriends on the station waiting-room, from
the wreck and masquerades as her. I guess, it is a Marklin steam set
that is shown on the screen when the accident occurs.

In Pardes, Shah Rukh Khan meets Ritu Chaudhari (Mahima?) as she flees
from Las Vegas, from her lecherous fiance, on an American suburban
station. (Anybody knows the city?) It's a double decker auto-door
push-pull commuter train that she alights from, and gets propositioned
by a few anti-social elements. There's an illogical aspect to this
movie, that the characters keep fluctuating between India and the US,
like its Dadar and Kurla!

In so many movies, as somebody leaves by train, the steam whistle is
played out; even though the train is diesel or electric hauled. Either
the directors are smitten by steam-nostalgia; or they're plain ignorant.

In Benaam, the Amitabh-Moushmi suspense flick, the villain Prem Chopra
kidnaps his kid and there is a local train chase; as Prem Chopra hijacks
the train.

In every single Hindi release of today, there is an invarible song on
the Jungfrau stations of small Swiss towns on the Alps. The lead pair
cavort around electric shunters and the narrow gauge trains - notice
Hero No. 1, Jeet, Aur pyar ho gaya and some Akshay-Urmilla starrer.
Ooty trains are passe, Eurail is in!

The best way for the villain to perish is on the railway tracks. Notice
"Yaadon Ki Baraat" where Ajit gets trapped on the railway points and
Dharmendra(again) and bros watch in retribution, as a WDS4 crushes him.
In Daraar, the villain Arbaaz Khan gets his foot stuck in the points at
Kalamboli near Panvel, MH and wife Juhi Chawla frees him. But, he frees
her for roly-poly Rishi Kapoor by commiting suicide under a rushing
WDS4(again). In Ram Lakhan, another WDS4 sends villain Amrish Puri to
hell. (You wonder, what is a WDS4 doing in meter-gauged Ooty, the
setting of the story?)

An incomprehensible scene is there in "Yaadon Ki Baraat" where an
informer gets caught and killed because there was a train running in the
background as he made the call. How can anybody confirm and locate such
a place? It could be anywhere!!

In "Roop ki rani, choron ka raja"; Anil Kapoor attempts a train heist by
jumping on it from a helicopter. It was a formidable sequence and used
extensive SFX. However, it was nowhere near the Tom Cruise saga on top
of the diesel TGV(??) in the Mission Impossible climax.

There was an old DD Tamil serial called "Irayil Sneham", the story where
the lead character Nizhalhal Ravi meets a female (I dunno the name) in
the Arrakkonam-Chengalpattu YP-hauled meter gauge passenger.

The Simla train features in many scenes in the Kajol-Akshay-Saif starrer
"Yeh Dillagi".

Lastly, in Brahmachari, Pran leaves a tempo-load of kids in a
level-crossing; and caretaker-godfather Shammi Kapoor saves them by
ramming it away from the tracks; just before a train is incident on the
crossing.

Sundar Krishnamurthy

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From: sank <sank@telco.email

Subject: Trains in Indian Films

Date: 25 Nov 1997 21:55:00 -0500


Does anyone remember what the locomotive type was that featured
in Pakeezah ? Where Meena Kumari gets caught at the points, and
the loco runs over her as she lies between the tracks ? I remember
the scene vaugely only.

--
Jayant S*ID Studio*TTIL*TELCO
Pimpri*Pune 411 018*INDIA*tel:91-212-774261 exn 2534
Email me at "sank@telco.email. Do NOT use your "reply" button !

From: Sundar Krishnamurthy <coolsundar@hotmail.email

Subject: Re: Train in Indian Movies

Date: 24 Nov 1997 21:03:00 -0500


Dharmendra gets featured in so many train songs. Nobody can forget the
philosophical "Gaadi bulaa rahi hai, seeti baja rahi hai" from
Dost. This song metaphors life against a train, and has wonderful
lyrics. Incidentally, this song is written by Anand Bakshi, who has a
positive affinity for anything trains.

Contrast against the mindless Dharmendra number in Sholay, where he
goes, "Station se gaadi jab choot jaati hai to ek do teen ho jaati hai";
on Basanti's (Hema Malini's) Dhanno-hauled Tonga. I haven't the faintest
idea, whether he's refering to the coaches of the train or the number of
hours it will end up running late!

Dharmendra plays Robinhood to assist daredevil Vinod Khanna in fighting
the blaze aboard "The Burning Train". They jump into the unmanned WDM2
of the raging Rajdhani; and finally the train comes to a safe halt on an
under-construction incline. The 1981(?) release, surprisingly, did not
succeed at the Box Office. It was inspired by IR launching the
Bombay(then)-New Delhi Rajdhani Express; and the classic Japanese "The
Bullet Train". I suspect that Jan DeBont's "Speed" is also inspired by
the Japanese movie.

The story of Kati Patang, the runaway Rajesh Khanna whammo, has its
cornerstone on a railway accident. Asha Parekh picks up the child of a
fellow-passenger, whom she befriends on the station waiting-room, from
the wreck and masquerades as her. I guess, it is a Marklin steam set
that is shown on the screen when the accident occurs.

In Pardes, Shah Rukh Khan meets Ritu Chaudhari (Mahima?) as she flees
from Las Vegas, from her lecherous fiance, on an American suburban
station. (Anybody knows the city?) It's a double decker auto-door
push-pull commuter train that she alights from, and gets propositioned
by a few anti-social elements. There's an illogical aspect to this
movie, that the characters keep fluctuating between India and the US,
like its Dadar and Kurla!

In so many movies, as somebody leaves by train, the steam whistle is
played out; even though the train is diesel or electric hauled. Either
the directors are smitten by steam-nostalgia; or they're plain ignorant.

In Benaam, the Amitabh-Moushmi suspense flick, the villain Prem Chopra
kidnaps his kid and there is a local train chase; as Prem Chopra hijacks
the train.

In every single Hindi release of today, there is an invarible song on
the Jungfrau stations of small Swiss towns on the Alps. The lead pair
cavort around electric shunters and the narrow gauge trains - notice
Hero No. 1, Jeet, Aur pyar ho gaya and some Akshay-Urmilla starrer.
Ooty trains are passe, Eurail is in!

The best way for the villain to perish is on the railway tracks. Notice
"Yaadon Ki Baraat" where Ajit gets trapped on the railway points and
Dharmendra(again) and bros watch in retribution, as a WDS4 crushes him.
In Daraar, the villain Arbaaz Khan gets his foot stuck in the points at
Kalamboli near Panvel, MH and wife Juhi Chawla frees him. But, he frees
her for roly-poly Rishi Kapoor by commiting suicide under a rushing
WDS4(again). In "Ram Lakhan", another WDS4 sends villain Amrish Puri to
hell. (You wonder, what is a WDS4 doing in meter-gauged Ooty, the
setting of the story?)

An incomprehensible scene is there in "Yaadon Ki Baraat" where an
informer gets caught and killed because there was a train running in the
background as he made the call. How can anybody confirm and locate such
a place? It could be anywhere!!

In "Roop ki rani, choron ka raja"; Anil Kapoor attempts a train heist by
jumping on it from a helicopter. It was a formidable sequence and used
extensive SFX. However, it was nowhere near the Tom Cruise saga on top
of the diesel TGV(??) in the Mission Impossible climax.

There was an old DD Tamil serial called "Irayil Sneham", the story where
the lead character Nizhalhal Ravi meets a female (I dunno the name) in
the Arrakkonam-Chengalpattu YP-hauled meter gauge passenger.

The Simla train features in many scenes in the Kajol-Akshay-Saif starrer
"Yeh Dillagi".

Lastly, in Brahmachari, Pran leaves a tempo-load of kids in a
level-crossing; and caretaker-godfather Shammi Kapoor saves them by
ramming it away from the tracks; just before a train is incident on the
crossing.

Sundar Krishnamurthy

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Mumbai 400 022. INDIA (_Y_.)' ._ ) `._ `. ``-..-'
Tel : +91 +22 4071254 _.. `--'_..-_/ /--'_.' ,'
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