Metric Musings

2006-07-25

by R. Sivaramakrishnan

Metric Musings - I: Four Cauvery Delta Branches.

1. Intoduction.

The Cauvery Delta, in the south Indian state of Tamilnadu, has been the granary of the state. As the river enters the old Thanjavur district (now trifurcated into Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam dts.), past a barrage, it fans out into numerous canals, many of them dug by a Chola king 1800 years ago, forming an irrigation system which was modernized by the British Indian Government early in the19th century. The base of the delta is along the E coast of Tamilnadu facing the Bay of Bengal just above the Gulf of Mannar which separates India from Sri Lanka. The northernmost point is where R. Coleroon (Kollidam), the main distributary of R. Cauvery flows into the sea and the southermost, 110 km. below on the E coast, is Point Calimere, though another distributary, R. Pamani, reaches the sea through a lagoon near Muthupettai, some 40 km to the west of the Point. The main river, nearly a km. wide as it enters the district, and flowing in the N-ENE direction close to an edge of the delta than through its middle, is worn thin after feeding so many canals, and is less than 25 metres wide just N of Mayiladuthurai Jn., looking like a drain. Rightly, the river is venerated as 'Mother Cauvery'. By contrast, R. Coleroon, that flows NE deviating ever so slightly from Cauvery, remains wide throughout, acting as a buffer to discharge the excess water whenever there are very heavy inflows of it in the Cauvery, as happened in Oct. - Nov., 2005.

Thanjavur (or Tanjore as the British called it), the historical capital of the Cholas, is near the head of the delta on the W at an altitude of 57 m and the land slopes down towards Nagapattinam (Negapatam) 78 km to its E on the Bay of Bengal coast by a gentle 1 in 1400 on average. Two crops of paddy (rice), the principal produce, can be raised in a year on the fertile, alluvial lands when there is an assured supply of water; also grown are sugar cane, some pulses and oilseeds. Coconut and plantain (banana) trees abound the fields, painting them a verdant green from June to January.

The greater Thanjavur district had a hoary past and has always been densely populated. The principal language is Tamil, with some Telugu and Marathi spoken. The towns and villages on both the banks of Cauvery and its distributaries are dotted with Saivite and Vaishnavite temples, built by the Cholas, each associated with a touching story. For the presiding deities of these temples, wandering saints, known as Nayanmars and Azhwars, composed hymns, which are priceless gems of devotional Tamil literature. About 1000 years ago, Saivism and Vaishnavism were at loggerheads and to bring about peace between the two Hindu sects, the Chola kings built temples for both Siva and Vishnu, but the Delta is predominantly Saivite and so Siva temples outnumber those for Vishnu. Buddhism and Jainism were evident in the Delta in earlier times but did not thrive for long. The Muslim invasions from the North did not affect the district much in political terms, but Arab traders had reached the delta's coast over 1300 years ago and some locals were converted. Their descendants are the marikars, 'the sailors of wooden ships'. There is a sprinkling of Muslims all over the district, engaged in agriculture, trade and, of late, providing manpower to the Middle East. Nagore and Karaikal have famous darghas of Muslim saints, venerated by the Hindu population as well. Protestant missions, arriving early 17th century onwards, contributed much to the cause of education in the district. Velankanni, 10 km S of Nagapattinam has a church to Our Lady of Succour, held in esteem by the Hindus too, as the Lourdes of the East.

The Great Southern of India Railway, formed in Britain 1859, was the last of the eight companies to which the Govt. of British India had guaranteed a 5% return on the invested capital, to encourage the construction of railways in India. The GSIR was to exploit the densely populated southern part of the then Madras Presidency. Opting for the broad gauge, in 1861 it laid a 78-km line in the delta from Nagapattinam on the coast to Thanjavur in the W, extended next year by 50 km to Tiruchchirappalli (Trichinapoly) further to the W., and subsequently by another 142 km upstream to Erode in WNW to meet the Madras Railway. GSIR merged with Carnatic Railway to form the South Indian Railway in 1874. Since the mainstay of SIR's strategy of expansion was the cheaper metre gauge, the Nagapattinam - Tiruchchrappalli line was converted to metre in 1875. It was also extended by 8 km. N of Nagapattinam along the coast to Nagore. The railway workshop, initially located at Nagapattinam, was shifted to Golden Rock, next to Tiruchirappalli, the headquarters of SIR. The process of (re-)conversion of the Thanjavur - Tiruvarur section of this line to broad is nearing completion.

The "main line" of the metre gauge in SIR connected Chennai (previously, Madras) with Tiruchchirappalli via Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai (Mayuram) and Thanjavur junctions, the line running 1 - 10 km south of the main river from Mayiladuthurai to Tiruchchirappalli. As on date, the Villupuram - Mayiladuthurai segment remains to be converted into broad.

Taking off from Mayiladuthurai in the north of the delta, a m.g. line runs S, parallel to the coast some 20 km inland, to Tiruturaipundi Jn., then SW, up to Arantangi in the adjacent Pudukkottai Dist. This 160 km. long line was constructed and for a time owned by the Tanjore District Board, but operated by the South Indian Railway. Later it was extended 26 km to SW to link up with the Tiruchirappalli - Rameswaram m.g. line at Karaikkudi.

The N/S Mayiladuthurai - Tiruturaipundi line intersects the W/E Thanjavur - Nagapattinam line at the temple town of Tiruvarur, the birthplace of the three greatest composers of Carnatic music.

Three m.g. branches took off towards the coast of the Bay of Bengal from the N/S Mayiladuthurai - Tiruturaipundi line:

1. The Mayavaram Jn - Tranquebar (Tharangambadi), 30 km - closed since 1987;
2. The Peralam Jn - Karaikal line (23 km), running E - also closed since 1987; and
3. )The Tiruturaipundi - Point Calimere (Kodikkarai) line, running first ESE up to Thopputhurai (32 km) and then, S, close to the coast to Point Calimere (46 km). Traffic remains closed on this line since 1987over the last 9 km stretch from Agasthiyampalli to Point Calimere.

To minimize construction costs, the companies laid their trunk lines as straight as the topography of the land permitted, often bypassing major population centres. The "Sepoy Mutiny" of 1857 had spurred on the construction of a network of railway lines, deemed essential for the quick movement of troops in order to maintain law and order in such a vast country; the next major consideration in the laying of railway lines was the movement of goods - freight movement still remains the major source of revenue for the Indian Railways in the 21st century. This was particulary accentuated by the famines in Bihar and the Deccan in the 1870's, leading to the extension of railways into famine-prone areas for providing quick relief. Passenger traffic was the last in their reckoning, as they did not expect the poor, illiterate, native population to become mobile. But the natives, except for a few diehards, took to the trains with alacrity and started visiting distant religious centres in great multitudes. Before the advent of the railways, an Indian would try to find a bridegroom for his daughter only in the immediate vicinity of his own village or town, so that he and his family could visit her frequently. With the railways providing reliable and quick means of transport, daughters were married off in distant districts and in even other provinces. Boys left for higher studies in far-off towns and sons to cities to earn a better livelihood. The passenger traffic increased beyond expectations and the railways were forced to construct branches to reach the major population centres that had initially been bypassed. The W/E Tanjore - Negapatam line passed some 10 km N of Mannargudi, in the heart of the delta, with a considerable trade in paddy. The claims of this important town could not be ignored for long and a metre gauge branch was laid.

4) Nidamangalam Jn. - Mannargudi (13 km), running almost straight S; it was the first of the four m.g. branches to be closed, in 1975.

Lines (1), (2) and (4) are typical examples of the branches which were forced to close in the 1970's or thereafter due to stiff competition from the roadways which started gaining momentum from the sixties onwards. For some time a valiant attempt was made to keep them going for goods traffic but that too became a losing proposition, particularly with agricultural production dipping sharply in the district after the state of Karnataka built dams in the upper reaches of R. Cauvery and its tributaries to impound water for its own increasing agriculture, greatly diminishing the availability of water to the delta. The vexatious dispute between Tamilnadu and Karnataka, on the sharing of the river waters, remains unresolved till date.

There was/is nothing spectacular about these plainly utilitarian branch lines. Running across very flat paddy fields and crossing a few irrigation canals, they required minimal earthwork and just light ballasting. The stations were/are also plain and utilitarian. The trains had just 2-4 carriages and were hauled by relatively light, yet hardworking, engines. The last nine km. stretch of the Point Calimere branch, however, traversed tidal swamps with a bird and wildlife sanctuary, but, sadly, that stretch is gone now.

The following four parts of the report are based on my travels on the four branch lines in 1967-68, when steam traction still held sway in SR.

2. The Nidamangalam Jn. - Mannargudi M.G. Branch (16 April 1968 - from the Mannargudi end). (12 posts/km)

Mannargudi is a typical town in the heart of the delta and also the hq. of a taluk. It is nearly a square with 2.5 km sides; R. Pamani, one of the distributaries of R. Cauvery, flows along its Nn. and then En. sides, irrigating the fertile lands around it. There is a famous 12th century temple dedicated to Rajagopala Swamy on the W. of the town. The roads from Mannargudi radiate to Kumbakonam (37 km. in the N, past Nidamangalam), Tiruvarur (22 in NE), Tiruturaipundi (27 in SE), Muthupettai (37 in S), Pattukkottai (37 in SW) and Thanjavur (22 in WNW). With direct bus services to these important towns, the railway was fighting a losing battle. I had travelled this line a number of times as a boy, since Mannargudi was my late father's native place and I spent 1947-48 with my grandparents there [1]. This journey in April 1968 turned out to be my last.

13-0 Mannargudi (alt. 50') Reached the rly. station, which was about 1.5 km to the N past R. Pamani, from the bus stand, having arrd. there by bus from Nagapattinam via Tiruvarur. The station, aligned nearly W/E, was approached by a macadam road leading to a rectangular open space in front of the 45 m long, tiled [2] block of Class III waiting space - entry -Booking & Parcel office - SM's room - upper class waiting room, the last a hangover from a more glorious past. The road then led E to a block of three small railway qrs., and, past a couple ferilizer godowns, to a modest goods shed constructed of corrugated, G.I. sheets. On the 120 m. long, unpaved pfm. were a few shady trees and cement benches. Beyond the line served by the pfm., to the N, were two loops and a siding. The line extended a little to the E and had a siding with a loop for the goods shed. These rails had been laid in 1915. There was no turntable or triangle. To all N and E were flat, open paddy fields.

The train from Nidamangalam arrd. at 11:18, hauled tender first by an F class engine (0-6-0). I normally do not note down the serial no. and other particulars of locos, but this one was F 37272, made in DUBS, Glascow 1903; 1 axle SIR 1901; crankshaft 1926. It had a 3 ft. tall chimney [3]. There were just two carriages, GT & TYLR. I counted 30 adults and 15 children getting off the train and exiting. There were fewer passengers for the return trip to Nidamangalam. The engine moved along the loop and attached itself to the other, now front, end. d. 11:38 (sch. 11:35). Smooth right curve, heading WNW, with R. Pamani, some 200 m to the left, the road to Kumbakonam on its bank. Level flat fields on both sides, then passed a long row of large, brick-walled, asbestos-roofed paddy godowns. Gradients were L or 1 in 1000 up or down most of the way. Past more paddy godowns, a gentle right curve, and entered

11- 4: Haridranadhi (54'), a 11:43, d 11:44. Served by a slightly curved pfm. at left (W) with a modest single room, tiled office and a waiting hall jutting outside. No loops or sidings. A village to fore-left and some paddy godowns at some distance on the right, all surrounded by flat fields with brown/light grey soil. Then passed occasional clusters of coconut and tamarind trees, also bamboos; stacks of paddy straw on the fields. A short stretch with 1 in 200 up, another right curve, heading nearly N-NNW. Some patches of young sugarcane. This train accelerated quite fast, and settled to a brisk 48 kmph. Pleasantly surprising, since the track was so far ballasted with brown red earth, occasionally mixed with cinder and no gravel. Was it because the engine had so little to haul?

5-1: Rajappaiyyan Chavadi (60'), a 11:52, d 11:53. Modest brick office-cum-waiting hall on pfm. at left with shady banyan trees. Siding to right with small G.I. goods shed. Continued across flat fields, R. Pamani running some 200 m to the left all the while with the road to Kumbakonam on its En. bank. Approaching the Jn., the ballast had a small proportion of red sandstone chips. Another river, Koraiyar, came into view on the right. The Kumbakonam road suddenly left the bank of R. Pamani and, as the line curved a little to the left, level-crossed over to the right to the bank of Koraiyar. The line then took a sharp right curve, and level-crossing the Thanjavur - Nagapattinam road, turned E as the Thanjavur - Nagore m.g. line joined at the left (N). The twosome crossed R. Koraiyar on 5 x 30' adjacent girder bridges and the train entered.

0 (= 30-0 from Thanjavur Jn) Nidamangalam Jn. (75') a 12:08. A low island pfm at right (S), beyond which were two more loops. The 150 m. long, high main pfm.to the left (N) served the main line beyond which were two sidings with two small goods sheds between them. The main pfm. was sheltered for 1/3 of its length, past light refreshment and fruit stalls, in front of the block of Parcel office / SM's office/ waiting hall at the En end. A few steps down the exit to the N was the Booking Office, opening out to the road leading to the bus stand 200 m. to the N.

Took a bus for the return journey via Tiruvarur to Nagapattinam, where my parents were then residing.

Notes:

1. Life in the Delta in the days just before and immediately after independence was cosy for the rich and carefree for the middle class. Many aged couples, like my grandparents, preferred to live on in their peaceful hometowns or villages in the delta, rather than join a son working in a distant town, where good rice was not readily available and the rented accommodation was cramped. My grandfather was a mirasdar - absentee-landlord - who, though owning just two acres of paddy land in a village nearby, liked to append Esq. after his name! The land was tilled by a contract labourer, who handed over 75% (in later years, 60%) of the harvest every January in lieu of rent. Storing it in a wooden bin in his large house, he would sell it later in the year when the price ruled higher. Supplemented with Rs. 5/-, dutifully remitted by my father from Pondicherry out of his monthly salary by money-order, every need of my grandparents was taken care of. For, in 1947, gold sold at Rs. 20/- per sovereign (of 8 grams) and one could fill his stomach in a decent hotel with a full rice meal for just 4 annas (25 Paise). My grandfather did not trust the trains and preferred to go by a bus which required minutes of hard work by the conductor at a handle to rotate a fan that would blow air through a bed of hot charcoal at the bottom of a tall column fixed at the rear of the vehicle. What fuel that war period contraption used, I still speculate. But around that time the trains ran quite full, as most people preferred them to the rickety buses that ran bouncingly on metalled, but unasphalted, roads. As the roads became better and the buses faster and more frequent in the sixties, the situation started changing.
2. "Railway" tiles, also known as Mangalore tiles, were widely used on the houses of coastal Kerala and Karnataka; rectangular, flat, made from fine red clay and fired at a high temperature, they could withstand the heavy downpours of many SW monsoons, and were standard material for the roofing in most SI and M&SM railway buildings. The much cheaper "country" tiles, used for roofing houses in much of the delta, were smaller and curved; made from coarser clay at a lower heat, they were brown with larger pores and weathered quickly, requiring replacement in five years or so. They too were used, but rarely, in the smaller railway stations.
3. My Australian friend travelled this branch a few months later, with the two-carriage train being hauled by a class E (4-4-4T) engine "with an extended coal bunker, but no side tanks." Still later, in 1972 (?), passing through Nidamangalam Jn., I noticed that a rail car had been pressed into service on this branch; it was perhaps one of the number which had been running between Tiruchirappali and Manamadurai Jns. The Mannargudi branch was closed in 1975, much earlier than the other three m.g. branches in the Cauvery delta. The locals protested half-heartedly, but were not really willing to patronize the train.

3. The Mayavaram Jn. - Tranquebar M.G. Branch (4th Oct., 1967)

Mayavaram Jn (now, Mayiladuthurai), situated near the northern corner of the delta, is the gateway to it. Arriving from Madras, 285 km in the north, by the m.g. mainline, one crossed the innocuous-looking R. Cauvery by a 3 x 25' girder bridge just before entering the Jn. The mainline to Tiruchirappalli, via Kumbakonam and Thanjavur, here turned S-WSW, keeping quite close to the river. The erstwhile District Board line to Tiruturaipundi via Tiruvarur runs S, while the branch to Tranquebar, ran first E for about 19 km up to Akkur with R. Cauvery fairly close to the N, then SSE for 9 km up to just short of Poraiyar, veering away from the river, and E for the last 2 km. to reach Tranquebar on the coast. Mayavaram town itself, with the bus stand, lies 4 km out of the junction on this route, another instance of the companies laying rail lines as stright as possible, bypassing major population centres. The fields beyond are a little rougher and less fertile than those in the heart of the delta, yet quite productive of paddy, with clusters of coconut and mango trees; the soil, of course, becomes sandy and saline as one approached the sea.

0 (=285-2 from Madras) Mayavaram Jn. (alt.43'), a large station, aligned N/S, with the main pfm. on the E. side and two large islands to its W, all high, nearly 160 m. long and 10 m. wide, fully concrete-floored and sheltered in the middle half. As of 1967, there was a big RMS office [1] in the Nn. end, adjoining the long block of Parcel office, III and upper class waiting rooms, SM's office, room for ticket examiners, bookstall, Veg. and non-veg. refreshment rooms and RPF. The RMS used to be very busy at nights, as many trains, including the Rameswaram Express, carrying mail, arrived and departed between 20 and 06 hours. There was a refreshment stall on the first island as well. There were a number of loops and long sidings beyond the second island to the W, extending way down to the S. An FM class (0-6-0) engine often did shunting duty around, its 2.5' tall chimney slightly shorter than that of the F (also 0-6-0).

I arrd. at the junction from Thanjavur on the mainline by the Madurai-Madras Parcel Pass. at 1726 and hastened by the foot overbridge to pfm. 1, where the Pass. for Tranquebar, with just two carriages, both III class, was waiting with an ST (2-6-4T) engine, tank foremost. There was only a sprinkling of men and women in the two carriages. d 17:43, heading S. First a level cross with the trunk road from Kumbakonam. At 0-8, the mainline took off into SSW and at 0-10, our branch curved smoothly to the left into E-ESE, veering away from the Tiruturaipundi line, which continued S. Flat fields with young paddy on both sides, a screen of trees 500 m to the N. hiding R Cauvery from view. At 3-0, level-crossed the road to Tiruvarur to the S. Curved gently to left to enter.

4-0 Mayavaram Town (36'), a 17:52, d 17:54. A loop before the station with a small G.I. goods shed. Pfm at left with railway-tiled SM's office, B.O. and waiting space, beyond which was the town with country-tiled and thatched houses, leading to a temple, on the bank of R. Cauvery where, as the legend has it, Parvathy did penance in the form of a peahen for Lord Siva who came to marry her in the form of a peacock, giving the place its name (mayur - peacock). There is also a famous Vaishnavite temple with Ranganathar in a reclining posture.

The ST continued to chug E, with level paddy fields, clustered with trees, including plantains on both sides. After an unmanned levelcrossing.

8-6 Mannambandal (34') a 18:03, d 18:04. Modest office on pfm at right, no loops or siding. A village close to the left (S), but there is, to the N, just past the road to Poraiyar, a college the students of which took the lead in staging demonstrations whenever the Railways proposed to close down the branch, for many of them, coming from the direction of Tranquebar, depended on the morning and afternoon trains to commute to the college and back to their homes; the students from Mayavaram, however, travelled on the frequent town buses. But there was no student crowd at that hour and we steamed on to the E, across more fields with light red-brown soil, the terrain getting a bit rougher.

12-3 Sembanar Koil (27') a 18:12, d 18:14. A loop with brief siding before the pfm to left (N), with solid, tiled office, beyond which a small but densely-built town. Continued E, with the land distinctly getting poorer, with small patches of waste here and there.

Passed a defunct Halt, Kalahasthinathapuram, with a small corrugated, G.I. shed that had once served as the office for an agent who sold tickets on commission basis. Further E, fewer trees on the paddy fields. Doing a steady 48 kmph. A sudden right curve to turn SSE and entered.

(19) Akkur (18'), a 18:23, d 18:25. Pfm at left with office, past the En end of which a loop with a small goods shed, beyond which a sizeable town partly hidden by trees. Further on, crossed Ammanar by 4 x 30' girder bridge, then more paddy fields on slightly rougher land. Curved further to right, then.

(22) Tirukkadaiyur (15') a 18:32, d 18:41. A loop with a brief siding ahead of the pfm. with the usual type of building at left. The engine collected water here from a 1400 gallons overhead tank just past the upper end of the pfm. Dusk was descending and one could see the light atop the tower of the famous temple in the town at some distance. This is the place where, in the epic past, Lord Siva intervened to protect his devotee, young Markandeya, from the mortal coils cast around his body by Yama, the God of Death. Well-to-do Hindus from distant places come here to offer worship and perform Mritunjaya homam for further longevity on the occasions of their 60th and 81st birthdays.

Across more treed fields, crossed an irrigation canal by a 30' girder bridge, then a slight left curve to do E-SSE.

(26) Thillaiyadi (10') a 1847, d 1849. No loop or siding. Modest office on pfm. at right, with a small electrified town beyond to S, but the pfm. had only a few blinking kerosene lanterns on posts. This place had contributed to the freedom movement Valliyammai, a brave woman, who worked with Gandhi in South Africa as he was perfecting his non-violent methods before World War I. It was she who gave him the concept of Indian tricolour, but she died when she was just 16.

Terrain got rougher, more shrubs on the fields; then turned E, and past a level cross.

(29) Poraiyar (7') a 1855, d 1901. no loop or siding again; modest office building at Wn. end of the pfm. Unloaded some parcels. The ticket checker who boarded my compartment found one among a small group of fisherwomen travelling without a ticket. She offered him a 50 paise coin, but he refused it with disdain, scolded her and went away. Most of the few passengers in the train got down here. It was getting dark.

The Tranquebar - Mayuram road ran some 500 m N of the station, past some fields. But Poraiyar, a large town of some antiquity, lay to the S. of the station. It had always been bustling with commercial activity and, till late 70's, was the hq. of a large, private road transport company (subsequently taken over by the state), which operated scores of buses all over the En. part of the delta. Buses of this company, as well of some lesser ones and state-owned, ran WNW to Mayavaram, NW to Sirkazhi, S to Karaikal, Nagore and Nagapattinam, and W to Poonthottam. These ultimately spelt doom to the branch which operated four pairs of trains a day [2].

Ran further E on some semi-open land, parts of which passed off as fields, on whiter, sandier and more saline soil.

(30) Tranquebar (Tharangambadi; alt. 5') a 19:05 The oldish terminus looked ungainly in the night, with a firly large office block at the lower (W) end of the pfm. at right. There was a loop at left which was used by the ST to attach itself the other other end of the train for the return trip. There were just a few of us getting off here, including the four fisherwomen and exited to the S. for the road from Poraiyar which joined in the E the N/S Tranquebar - Nagapattinam road. I took a bus for Nagapattinam.The terrain, though level, was brackish and open towards the Bay of Bengal beyond the road to Nagapattinam. Tranquebar town itself lay to the NE of the railway stn. and could be reached along the Nagapattinam road, past Uppanar, a backwater.

Tranquebar was a Danish settlement from 1616, ante-dating the British one in Madras, and circulated Danish India coins. It was ceded in 1845 to the British, who had, by then, established their dominance over much of India. The Dutch built a fort, which now houses a museum, but there was no vestige of the anchorage which those days would have received many a Dutch ship on its way to the East Indies. There is a Siva temple at the shore, at some distance from the waves in 1967, but sea has intruded since. The first girls' school in the whole of India was founded here in 1707 under the aegis of the the Lutheran mission, which spread its activities into the Delta and now runs a college in Poraiyar. There exists a church in Tranquebar with a two-century old bell.

Notes:

1. Till about 1980, most junctions and major stations had a Railway Mail Service office, where one could purchase postal stationery and post mail till an hour before the departure of trains carrying RMS vans (marked P in time tables), included mail trains (for which fact they were so named), most expresses, a number of long-distance, passenger trains, and the late evening up and early morning down passenger trains on branch lines. Much sorting of the postal items was done by RMS personnel travelling in the vans. One could also post letters, carrying a stamp for late fee. in these vans at ANY station where the trains stopped. The sorting of mails in trains is no longer in vogue, though mail is still transported by select trains, but one cannot post mail in these trains. Now post offices function only in big stations.
2. The branch was closed in 1987 and the tracks pulled out. With road transport having firmly established itself for the movement of both passengers and goods, there is no chance of a revival of this line.

4. The Peralam Jn. - Karaikal M. G. Branch (Oct., 1967 - from the Karaikal end). [usu. 12 posts / km.]

The French colonies in India included the small territories around Pondicherry, 150 km S of Madras, Karaikal, another 150 km to S, both on the east coast; Yanam, a tiny enclave a little inland on R. Godavari near Kakinada, Chandranagore (Chandan Nagar), on R. Hooghly, 34 km N of Calcutta (now Kolkotta) and Mahe, also tiny, 60 km N of Calicut (Kozhikode) on the west coast. While Chandranagore was handed over to independent India by the French in 1951, the other four had to wait till 1954 for their merger. These four became the Union Territory of Pondicherry, with Pondicherry its hq.

Karaikal lies in the middle of the base of the Cauvery delta, irrigated by Nandalar in the N, Arasalar in the middle and Tirumalairajan in the S. Cultivation of paddy flourished till mid-1970's, after which the Cauvery dispute with Karnataka has taken its toll. The neatly-laid town is small and rectangular. Karaikal region which is in the delta used to supply rice to the rest of the French territory before merger, but now the other regions of the union territory get their supplies from Andhra Pradesh. This is the place where, Karaikal Ammaiyar, nee Punithavathy, one of the 64 nayanmars, i.e., Saivite saints, lived in the 6th century. Utterly devoted to Siva, she voluntarily accepted the form of a hag in lieu of that of the young woman which she was, and started walking on her hands towards Kailas, rather than on her feet lest she polluted the abode of Siva. Siva was so moved that He beckoned "Ammaiye (Mother), welcome!" Which mortal could attain that glory, of being called "Mother" by the Lord who had no birth but exists eternally? One may not believe in this tale, but the heart-moving hymns sung by her are there to attest to her devotion. Tamil is the local language, the population mainly Hindu, with a significant number of Muslims and some Roman Catholics. There are a few families of Indian origin who still hold French nationality, with sons and/or daughters in France. A government college started functioning in 1967-68; then there was no industry to speak of, though ONGC had been drilling in the region for some time.

The railway station was situated on the En side of the town, and the track continued S for a distance, then turned E on the bank of R. Arasalar for a small jetty, though no one could remember having ever seen a loco in its vicinity.

In 1967, the competition from the roadways, with fairly frequent services to Mayavaram (40 km to NW) via Peralam or Tranquebar, Kumbakonam (56 km to W) via Peralam and Nagapattinam (18 km to S) via Nagore, was already telling on the railways, which tried to attract patronage by extending one of the two daily services on the branch up to Mayavaram.

23-1 Karaikal (3'). I reached the station, aligned N/S, with a fairly large, railway-tiled block of BO + SM's office + store room, and a quite large Class III waiting space just outside, and got into a compartment as its sole occupant. There were three carriages, TYLR, T and GT, with a 4-wheeler goods wagon behind. The oldish F class Engine (0-6-0) with a 3' tall chimney had been reversed at the turntable past the loop to the E; there were three short sidings, jutting out of the station to its N, with a small, G.I. goods shed.

d. 07:23. Ran straight N, with young paddy on flat fields to the right (E), beyond which some low sand dunes with palmyrah trees concealing the sea from view. Paddy on fields also to the left (W) for some 250 m., beyond which was the town. 22-0: steady left curve, then a short strech of 250 up, with huts on fields, completed the curve and entered in a Wly. direction

20-11 Karaikkoilpathu (14') a 07:31, d 07:34. Pfm at right (N) with small, brick office and a corrugated GI-roofed waiting hall; no loop or siding. Very quiet. A few passengers boarded. Just past the pfm., to the W., level cross with the Nagapattinam - Poraiyar road, with houses and buildings of the Nn. outskirts of the town. Ran W, L then 1 in 300 up. Young paddy on L fields on both sides. 3 x 25' girder bridge across Vanjiyar at 20-0, more paddy crops on light brown fields, then curved right into WNW, passing clusters of coconut tress on more paddy fields,

16-6 Tirunallar (11') a 07:44, d 07:47. Pfm at left, with a modest, tiled, block of offices and an ample waiting space. No loops or sidings again. The town lay to the left (S).

Well, Tirunallar was the place where King Nala was relieved of the severe ordeals of the 19-year long Sani (saturn) dasa (period) after he prayed to Dharbharanyeswara (Lord of the jungle of dharbha grass) here. The temple has in its corridor a shrine for Sani, attired in black and mounted on a crow, who is held in greater reverence than the presiding deity inside. For which Hindu is not afraid of Saturn? To please this malevolent planet, many flock to his shrine on saturdays, offering worship with a mud lamp lit with gingelly (sesame) oil. And once in two-and-a-half years, as saturn migrates from one zodiacal sign to the next, lakhs rush to Tirunallar. Special trains used to be run for a week, opening temporary booking counters and sheds in the space outside the station. But that day in October 1967, it was all very quiet.

Then curved gently to the right into W-NNW; occasional huts on open, flat fields of paddy watered by 10' wide irrigation canals; more palmyras than coconut trees. Left curve to turn into W-WNW and entered

13-4: Pathakudy (15') a 07:55, d 07:58. The name of the station appeared on the board also in French, spelt as Pattecoudy, besides in English, Tamil and Hindi. For, along with English, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu, French is also an official language of the union territory. No loop or siding. Small, tiled office at the En end of a short pfm at the right, beyond which, to fore-right, a sizeable village; another village, past paddy fields, some 800 m to the S with minarets rising above The train ran at 36 kmph, the ride a bit lilting and bouncy, on wooden-sleepered tracks, ballasted with sand admixed with some porous stones. Past more fields, gradients of 1 in1660 up and 1 in 2000 up. At 9-10, again curved left, the tarred road to Peralam joining up at left (S), beyond which a town with large houses; curved slightly right to W and entered

8-2: Ambagaratur (22') a 08:08, d 08:10. No loop or siding. Unloaded baskets of dried, salted fish; medium size office again close to the lower (E) end of a 50 m long, unpaved pfm. Open paddy fields on both sides (N and S) with coconut and tamarind trees and clusters of bamboos. The town to the S has a famous Bhadra Kali Amman temple. It was to this border town, just inside the French territory, people would come to celebrate weddings of children, a practice restrained in British India from about 1930.

Since none of the four stations between the junction and the terminus had a loop or a siding, no crossings/overtakings would have been feasible.

Continued W, across fields and at 7-6 left the Union Territory of Pondicherry and entered Tamilnadu. More L fields, with some sugar cane as well. Then to the right (N) the single-storeyed houses of Peralam; held up for a while at the outer signal, then curved steadily into N, at 0-7 met the S/N Tiruturaipundi - Mayuram line at its 16-3, and entered.

0 Peralam Jn (34') a 08:36, arriving on the line that terminated on the En side of the semi-island pfm. with a loop and siding with turntable to hind-right. The Mayavaram - Tiruturaipundi trains used the fuller Wn. side of the pfm. There were two loops and a siding for a medium sized, brick and tiled goods shed further to W. Solid block brick offices, tiled and waiting space in line with the dead end of the Karaikal line. The Sn. half of the pfm still had the large, corrugated GI-roofed shed that, during the French period in Karaikal before 1954, served for the customs check: passengers arriving from Karaikal would be herded into the shed, then having corrugated G.I. sheets for walls, to be physically searched for any contraband they might be trying to smuggle into India - these would be some France-made items such as toilet soaps, talcum powders, a French velvette saree or even a Swiss watch, which were all cheap in the French colony, and, in the case of daring smugglers, a small bottle of an alcoholic buverage, unavailable in Madras Presidency, which was dry. People carrying the former items would be imposed a customs duty if voluntarily declared, and a duty plus fine, if found out. In the case of alcohol, it would be confiscated and the offender booked and detained to be produced before the railway magistrate. The customs check would take some 45 mins. before they were allowed to exit the station or take the next train towards Mayavaram or Tiruvarur. For passengers towards Karaikal, customs check was perfunctory, taking just a few minutes, as there was no cheap item to be smuggled in that direction. The importance of the junction declined after the French left and the shed, pruned of its walls, was the only reminder of a more bustling past. Peralam Jn. was famous for the masal vadas sold in its VLR stall and by the platform vedors in the 1940's and 50's, tasteful ones costing just half-an-anna (three paise) each. The stall I found in 1967 was a ghost of it, had no vadas, but served a cup of quite good coffee for 15 paise.

After closure in 1987, the tracks were pulled up. Since there is very frequent, quicker bus servive between Peralam and Karaikal, there not much demand for the revival of the line, but a b.g. link to Nagore in the S has been included in the proposed coversion of Tiruvarur - Nagapattinam - Nagore line. However no one is certain whether the 10-km link will really materialize, as thre are many rivers to cross. The striking of oil and natural gas at Narimanam close to the proposed link augers well.

5. The Tiruturaipundi Jn - Point Calimere (Kodikkarai) Branch (10 April 1968; from the Point Calimere end) [usually 12 posts/km].

This m.g. branch was 45 km long and had three trains, class III only, each way daily in 1968; presently, just two trains, all second class, are operated up to Agastiyampalli (36 km). Vedaranyam (34 km) is the most important town on the route and has a 1000+ years-old temple dedicated to Siva. Further S. is Agasthiyampalli (36 km), from where much salt is transported by goods trains to the other parts of South India, as well as to Northern states. And that is one of the reasons to keep the line running, despite its being in the red. There are regular bus services from Vedaranyam to Muthupettai in the W, Tiruturaipundi in the NW and Nagapattinam in the N (55 km).

This line passes through the tail-end of the delta which does not receive much water and so agriculture is less intense than elsewhere. The 9-km section, now closed to traffic, ran slightly W of S across a swampy reserve forest on to a sand dune, facing the Palk Strait that separates India from the Northern tip of Ceylon. The railway terminated just past Kodikkarai village, which is not Point Calimere, though the station was thus named. Point Calimere is actually some 5 km to the E of the railway station and is the point where N/S Bay of Bengal coastline makes a more or less an abrupt turn to the W. The coast then runs W for about 50 km up to Adirampattinam. The sand dune or bar varies in width from 0.4 to 1 km (N/S) and 2-4 m in height, extending from Point Calimere for a distance of nearly 38 km to the W to the mouth of a lagoon situated some 5 km SE of Muthupettai, into which a number of the distributaries of R. Cauvery empty after irrigating the Sn. half of the delta. From Point Calimere, the sand bar, now 200 to 400 m wide, runs N for 12 km just past Thopputhurai, with the Bay of Bengal to its E. The swamps thus extend for about 40 km W/E and 6-8 km N/S, the railway running closer to its En side, 2-5 km inland from the Bay. There are huge tracts of "spontaneous" salt swamps to the W of the extinct railway line [1].

I arrived at Vedaranyam from Nagapattinam by road, and after spending some time at the temple, reached the station to catch the passenger train from Tiruturaipundi to Point Calimere, which arrived at 12:52, some 15 mins. late, and reached Point Calimere with the same delay.

45-(2?): Point Calimere (Kodikkarai) (alt. not marked), a 13:14. Station aligned nearly N/S, situated on a flat, wide sand dune, with the sea a few hundred metres to the S, some 3 m below the station level. Rather a desolate place with an eeriness even at the early afternoon hour. The pfm. on the Wn. side opened past a large waiting hall to a small, quiet town of old, tiled houses, with an old temple, also very quiet, on the asphalted road to Vedaranyam. A small corrugated GI goods shed was served by a short siding at the Nn. end of the pfm. and, just past the points, was a provisional water tank. I went out to the village and found a small hotel, where the owner would prepare tiffin items on demand if one did not want any of the cold items stacked in a glass almirah. Had just a coffee and returned to the station.

Though only a handful of passengers travelled that day, large crowds would arrive on new moon days to take bath in the sea and conduct a ceremony for their departed ancestors.

d13:53, after the ST engine (2-6-4T) reversed by the triangle past the loop to the E to attach itself at the other end of the train with four carriages, GT, TYLR, GT, GT. Ran N-NNE on the flat dune for about 500 m, passing the village to the W, edging slowly towards the Bay coast on the E, invisible some 4 km. away. Soon 1 in 600 up / a culvert on L with sluice to hold the backwater / 1 in 1000 dn, then across tidal swamps.

That was Kodikkarai reserve forest, which had only the previous year been declared a sanctuary. That day, from the train I saw just a few birds on the swamps and no animals; any that might have been around would have been scared away by the frequent, shrill hooting of its whistle by the ST [2].

Then across sandy plots of tobacco grown to the W, the air reeking of its aroma. Some huts to the W, some old, tiled houses with more tobacco to the E. 43-5: Entered a dense scrub jungle with 5-10' tall shrubs and stunted trees, an occasional palmyra or a small cluster of casurinas rising above them.. Ballast here was red sandstone chips embedded in sand. Then a short stretch of 1 in 500 dn, running NNE. Past an unmanned level crossing for a sandy jungle track; more of dense jungle. 40-4/0: Across a creek in low tide, again more of the jungle. Some brief stretches of 1 in 200 up, curved left almost straight into N; jungle abruptly disappeared and we were on 8' embankment with salt pans on both E and W. 38-8: 4 x 20' girder bridge across Uppanar (tr. "salt river"); 37-11/7 curved right across pans glistening with salt on the sandy, flat, open terrain for more than 2-3 km to both E and W - could not make out the sea to the E. 40' girder bridge across Vedaranyam canal. Salt pans receded, level-crossed an earth road, soil again sandy and land bare as we entered

36-9: Agasthiyampalli a 14:07, d 14:08. A sizeable station; 100 m long, low level, unpaved pfm. at left, with a modest, country-tiled, oldish office with a bit of waiting space; four loops to the right, a high island between the last two loops for loading salt, with a large goods shed made of corrugated GI sheets. Salt traffic was evidently more important than passenger; much of the salt being brought by a forest road running W for about 20 km along the Nn edge of the salt swamps. Town of old, tiled houses 400 m to the W, with the gopuram (tower) of another old and famous temple.

Gradients 1 in 200 up or down; the Bay of Bengal visible to the E at about 2 km away. but veered away from it, curving gently left and heading N-NNE again across scrubland. Passed the famous temple of Vedaranyam to the left (W), its tower rising above the houses of the quite densely-built town that extended up to the station.

34-3: Vedaranyam (8') a 14:14, d 14:16. The station was much less impressive than Agasthiyampalli. 100 m long, unpaved, low pfm at left, with brickwalled SM's and Booking offices and a moderately large waiting space, walled with corrugated asbestos sheets. No loop, but just a siding to a 50 m long goods platform stacked with logs of casurina to be loaded in 4-wheeler wagons. To the right (E), the sea was about 3 km away past rolling scrubland dotted with palmyras and patches of casurinas.

More of scrubland on still sandy terrain; The gradients then remained 1/1000 or 1/2000 most of the way with L runs in between. Steady left curve, with a backwater to the right, settling into W-WNW, entering.

31-9: Thopputhurai (13') a 14:20, d 14:21(?) Small GI goods shed on a sand mound on the left served by a short siding. Piles of casurina logs, but no salt. 70 m long, unpaved, low pfm at right, beyond which a town of large and medium sized houses. The train then headed inland. Light scrubland on quite sandy soil occasionally carved into thin fields with palmyras and casurinas. Level run for nearly a km., as sandy soil started acquiring a semblance of earth, grey.

27-5: Neyvilakku, a 14:31, d 14:34 No loop or siding; 150 m, unpaved low pfm. at right, with 3 kerosene lanterns on posts. Small, asbestos-roofed office walled in part with thick cardboard! A couple of houses to the right (N). Casurina clusters and scattered palmyrahs gave a one-third tree cover to the terrain. 25-6/24-10 gentle right curve into N-WNW. Some plots of tobacco around a few huts as the landscape became a little more open.

24-2: Kuravappulam (12') a 14:40, d 14:45. A loop at left on which stood a few open wagons, being loaded with casurina logs; a 60 m long, unpaved, low pfm at right with a tiny GI shed at the upper end, a small, tiled office with a new rectangular waiting hall just outside the barbed wire fencing of the station. Land on both sides semi-open. As the soil became less sandy, thin fields with pulses and coarse grains appeared; terrain flatter. More casurinas clusters and palmyrahs. Did a steady 40 kmph.

17-5: Kariappattinam, a. 14:56, d 14:57(?), A 60 m., low sand-filled pfm. at left, with medium-sized, tiled office-cum-waiting hall and a stall selling buscuits and tea. A 250 m long loop at left, with a bare siding beyond it. Continued N-WNW for a while, then curved left into W-WSW, as soil attained a better texture, but still with frequent sandy intrusions growing casurinas. A tank to left, then across Mullaiyar by 2 x 40' girder bridge, at once level crossed the Vedaranyam - Tiruturaipundi asphalt road; Curved right to enter

10-11 Melamarudur (8.5') a 15:14 (?), d!5:16. A short siding at left with a tiny goods shed. 70 m pfm at right with medium-sized, tiled office-cum-waiting space. Absolutely open fields to the left (SSW) for over 4 km, beyond which dense casurinas. To the right also L fields with scattered trees around old houses and huts, beyond which were more casurinas. Again curved right settling into a W- NNWly direction. Soil grey, no more sandy; all around flat, bare paddy fields, with the coconut tree-lined road zigzagging some 400 m to the right, following the rail track faithfully; landscape virtually the same for over 4 km.

5-10: Adirangam (8.5') a 15:24, d 15:29. No loops or sidings. 60 m long, low, beaten earth pfm at right, with electric posts; tiled office-cum-waiting space. A track outside led to a village 400 m. away. On both sides, flat, harvested paddy fields on grey, earthy soil, with coconut trees beyond. Continued W-NNW. Culvert across a 10' irrigation canal. Then absolutely flat, bare paddy fields on both sides. 1-2 curved right, joined on the left at 0-13 by the line from Tiruturaipundi. Ran together into N-NNE, crossed Mulliyar by a 2 x 20 girder bridge, entering

0 (64-0 from Mayavaram Jn) Tiruturaipundi Jn. (15') a 15:41. The junction, aligned nearly N/S was rather large. The 120 m. long, fairly high, mostly unpaved, main pfm. on the En side, was well-sheltered, with a row of parcel, SM's and booking offices and then a VLR room, and a waiting hall outside. A 80 metre long, low island served tracks 2 and 3 to the W, beyond which were four loops extending into short sidings. The last loop was served by a short goods loading pfm, with a fairly large goods shed, beyond which, away from the loop was another, larger shed. All trains and engines were watered here. The large, fairly old town, hq. of a taluk, lay to the E. Despite the frequent buses on the roads towards Tiruvarur in the N, Nagapattinam in NE, Vedaranyam in SE, Muthupettai in SW, and to Mannargudi in NW running full, the trains towards Tiruvarur and Muthupettai were also well patronized in 1968, and there was always a passable, if not big, crowd on the trains towards Vedaranyam.

Took the Karaikudi - Mayavaram Passenger, also hauled by an ST, with the carriages TPPQLR (with mail van from Pattukkottai), T, T, FST, GTY, TYLR, a. 16:51, d 17:08, to reach Tiruvarur Jn at 18:26, then by the Tanjore - Nagore Pass., d 18:51, reached Nagapattinam at 19:37.

Notes:

1. Google gives a good image of the extensive salt pans to the W of Point Calimere.
2. On a November afternoon in 1972, when I was a lecturer in the College at Karaikal, I took a group of my students on a day's tour, walking through the forest on the swamps along the railway track from Vedaranyam to Point Calimere. It was a pleasant trek with so many birds (from the North and from Siberia, I was told) flocking the swamps for fish - I saw many varieties of them, but did not know the names of the species - I could just tell a crane from a crow and nothing more. Suddenly, ahead of us, along the track, was a black bear, walking erect at a swift pace and then disappearing in the jungle. We saw some deers, of three different kinds, and a pack of wild dogs, besides a porcupine, amidst the shrubs. I was told that jackals and monkeys too abounded, besides wild boars; and that, further to the west, wild horses roamed open land, being the descendents of the stallions reputed to have been brought in ships by Arab traders during the Chola period. But we did not see any of these. And past the station at Point Calimere, goaded by my students, I ventured neck-deep into the calm sea waters and froze at the sight of a big shark heading towards me. I screamed "shark, shark", but the fishermen in their catamarans around did not rush to my aid. Instead, they watched non-chalantly, as the beast came within touching distance of me, sniffed at me a few times and went away to swim elsewhere. The fishermen had a good laugh and told me that it was not a shark nor a whale, but only a dolphin, harmless like a pup. They were often found in those waters; and sea turtles, which I could not spot. Of course, the sharks and whales existed further out into the sea.
3. We had no time to visit the actual Point where the coastline makes a sharp turn and the Palk Strait meets the Bay of Bengal some 5 km to the E of the rail terminus along the sand bar. At that time there stood a 12-foot stump of a light house there, built by a Chola king nearly 1000 years ago and lit by burning wood. It was said that, on a clear day, one could see from its top the coastline of the Nn. tip of Ceylon across the Palk Strait, though it was some 50 km away to the S. The tsunami of December 2004 was reported to have further reduced it, but otherwise did little damage to the sanctuary as it is sheltered by the Strait. Rama is said to have first surveyed Sri Lanka from the dune thereabouts, leaving a pair of his His foot prints on a stone, before moving on to Dhanushkodi to attempt the crossing.
4. One year after the section was closed to traffic in 1987, the sanctuary was enlarged to include the swamps, mangove forests, creeks and lagoons up to Muthupettai some 35 km to the W. Point Calimere is certainly worth visiting by all nature lovers; while railfans will miss the travel by the 9 km strech, and an occasional bus runs from Vedaranyam to Point Calimere, the trek on foot will be more rewarding. I am not aware whether the tracks have been pulled up or still remain there - most likely they are not there.

Metric Musings II: The Villupuram Jn. - Pondicherry M.G. Branch (OCT., 1967)

Pondicherry, 150 km S-SSE of Madras (Chennai), was founded by the French in 1674 on the site of a village purchased from the Sultan of Bijapur. Around 100 A.D. a Roman emporium and, in 1000 A.D. a Vedic university, had flourished in nearby localities. By 1817 the British had won the race for India and the French were confined to five small territories which were handed over to India in 1954 to constitute the Union Territoy of Pondicherry. When the freedom movement gained strength in India, Pondicherry offered sanctuary against British persecution to a number of freedom fighters including Subramania Barathi and Sri Aurobindo Ghosh; the latter turned to philosophy and founded the well-known Ashram, which has adherents from all over India and abroad. At the time of merger with Indian Union, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru granted certain privileges to the Union Territory, so that it continued to remain 'a window to the French culture' - the main advantage being that the territory gets large grants-in-aid from the Centre, accounting for its prosperity.

The soil is partly weathered Cuddalore red sandstone, which extends from Marakkanam (30 km to N-NNE) to Vriddhachalam (65 km to SW) and is often associated with underlying layers of kaolin (china clay), artesian water and seams of lignite. Lignite has been discovered, though not yet exploited, in Bahour. It is the plentiful availability of good quality ground water that has been a strong attraction of Pondicherry. The red soil is not that very conducive to the growth of paddy, but well suited for sugar cane, cashews and groundnuts. The weather in summer is hot but October to March are pleasant.

The development of Pondicherry since merger in 1954 has been phenomenal. In l948, it was a town lit dimly by 110 volt D.C. supplied from a generator burning coal near the beach. Compact and nearly rectangular, built on the pattern of the towns in France within four boulevards with a grid of N/S roads and W/E streets, it has not expanded since, but is bursting at its seams. A number of 'nagars' (residential colonies) have come up in the areas all around which, just thirty years ago, were rough fields or cashew jungles; even government offices have been forced move out into these outskirts. Instead of just two banks till 1954, including the Banque de l'Indochine which printed and circulated French Indian currency, there are now over forty. Whereas only high schools and just a French College existed in 1954, there now are numerous arts and science colleges, engineering colleges, polytechnics, medical and dental colleges, a veterinary college and a law college, besides the centrally-administered Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, all affiliated to Pondicherry University.There are two old textile mills but have been sick for a long time. Many small and medium scale industries are operating in the peripheries of the town.

I vividly remember my first trip by train to Pondicherry in late 1948 from Madurai when my father was transferred to the to-be-opened branch of his bank in Pondicherry. The French were still ruling there and owned the last 13 km stretch of the branch line, though it was operated by SIR. Arriving by the m.g. Trivandrum - Madras Mail, we changed to the Villupuram - Pondicherry passenger, which, at 04:30 started moving S. at the same time as the Madras - Madurai Parcel Passenger, the two trains engaging in a "thrilling" race though for just about 600 m. only, before we turned E. At the border crossing in Chinnababu Samudram at dawn, we, holding Class III tickets, were detrained and herded into a large corrugated G.I. shed for the customs check. Very little was being taken by anyone towards Pondicherry, but even small quantities of rice were confiscated. The check lasted about 45 minutes, after which we boarded the train again. Passengers travelling Inter, second or first class had the privilege of staying on in the train for the customs check conducted in the carriages. We reached Pondicherry by 06:30, a station with Gothic touches, though not proportions. When travelling towards Villupuram, the customs check would be more rigorous, taking nearly 75 minutes or so, for many visitors to Pondicherry were tempted to take with them some fancy French item on which a duty would be levied.

On many afternoons, I would walk one mile to the railway station to watch the train arrive from Villupuram and the engine do a lot of shunting of goods wagons. Those days the line used to extend E beyond Pondicherry station for about 400 m to edge on to the sea shore, then curve to run N along the Eastern Boulevard (Beach Road) for another 600 m, up to which point goods wagons used to be shunted. Here, opposite the old Douane (Customs house), an old iron pier jutted out some 300 m into the sea with rails for trollies to carry the goods that arrived by ships stopping at the roadstead for loading into the wagons. Split in the middle by a severe cyclone in 1954, the pier crumbled down in the following years. Now very few ships call at Pondicherry, though the line extends E of the remodelled station to the new port with a short concrete pier some 1 km S of the location of the old one.

The following trip was made by me on an October afternoon in 1967.

.. Villupuram Jn. (139'). Arrived from Mayuram Jn. by the Tiruchirappalli - Madras Egmore Express (m.g.) at 13:20 on pfm. 4. The Jn. is aligned N/S and had to cross by foot-overbridge near its Sn. end over to the last island to the E. I was excited by the sight of an MT (2-6-2) engine bringing in the 6-carriage Pondicherry - Villupuram Pass. on pfm. 6 at 13:43, and got inside a GT carriage. But a YP attached itself to the other end and hauled the train to Pondicherry. d 13:55.

Proceeded S, first under the road to Pondicherry, then past the extensive railway quarters; soon curved smoothly into E-ESE away from the main line via Cuddalore Jn (in SE) and the chord via Vriddhachalam Jn (in SSW). A groundnut oil mill just to S, amidst level fields of young paddy and sugarcane on light red-brown soil. Then a compact cluster old houses to the left (N), more sugar cane and paddy, with bits of maize. Passing a temple for Iyyanar, the diety who guards the village in the nights, with its terracotta horses,

5-4 Kolianur Halt (116') a 14:04, d 14:05, 140 m. long, low pfm. at left, with office and waiting space; though a Halt, had a loop at right with a small goods shed. Level fields of sugar cane on both sides. Level-crossed the road to Kumbakonam, more fields of paddy, now less open with coconut tress, curved slightly to the right, then

8-14 Valavanur (104') a 14:10, d 14:11 (?) Pfm at left similar to that in Koliyanur, but with larger, tiled office and waiting hall; two loops to right with a medium-sized, corrugated GI goods shed. The town to the N has long been famous for its paddy cultivation practices. More fields, mostly paddy and bits of maize, but little sugar cane. Then a 3 x 20' girder bridge across the spillway of a large, shallow and dry tank at left. More plots of sugarcane, curved left, level-crossed a tar road.

16-0 Pallinelianur (73.7') a 14:21, d 14:22. Pfm at right again similar to the previous ones, but slightly curved, just past a brief siding to left with a small GI goods shed. Completed the curve to settle into ENE, then across open, slightly eneven fields, bare or with young paddy and stunted trees on both sides. Level-crossed the Villupuram - Pondicherry Road at a low angle, curved right to enter

22-0 Chinnababu Samudram (54') a 14:30, d 14:35. 170 m long high pfm at right (S) with a slightly large, tiled office, but with the customs sheds gone. Two loops to the left, but no goods shed. Rails, iron sleepers and bolts stacked around. Past open fields, about 1 km. to the S, the chimney of a sugar factory. Ran nearly E on tracks well ballasted with granite chips, curved sharply to left and 26-6, crossed the dry bed of R. Gingee by 7 x 150' truss bridge, entering the Union Territory. Curved right into E-ESE, ran across quite flat young paddy fields with the soil redder; level-crossed another road which ran SE towards the town with prominent towers of an old Siva temple

30-0 Villianur (29') a 14:45, d 14:48. Country-tiled office and waiting hall on 150 m long, high, metalled pfm at right (S). Two loops and a goods shed on the left. Ran E, past densely built houses, level-crossed once more the road to Pondicherry; running to its S across more of open fields; then hutments giving way to houses, the red building of a large textile mill at right (S); level-crossed the Cuddalore road running N/S, more modest houses on both sides but densely built; crossed a drain, then the Jardin Colonial, with many old, exotic trees, at the left. Sidings on the left with a turntable, three loops to the right with a large, tiled goods shed at right,

(38) Pondicherry (8') a 14:57. Just one long, wide pfm. at left, with a solid row of waiting space - booking office - exit - SM's office - parcel office and retiring room, outside which ran the Southern Boulevard with the town to its N.

In 1967 four trains ran each way daily between Pondicherry and Villupuram. But with increasing frequency of buses in the various directions, rail passenger traffic declined. The railway tried to attract traffic by running a passenger through to Madras and another to Tirupathi via Katpadi Jn. But via Villupuram the distances by rail are longer and the journeys took much more time than by buses. As commuter traffic too declined, Kolianur Halt and Pallineliyanur station were closed; Valavanur and Villianur were downgraded to Halts.

Road transport has developed by leaps and bounds in the last five decades. Instead of just two private buses every day each way to Madras till 1954, which took nearly six hours for the 150 km trip via Marakkanam using a ferry to cross the backwater there, now there is a bus every 10 -15 minutes - except between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. when the frequency is less - by two main routes, via Tindivanam and by the newly laid East Coast Road, taking just over three hours. There are frequent buses towards Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Mayavaram, Karaikal and Nagapattinam in the S, towards Kumbakonam, Thanjavur and Tiruchirapalli in the SW, Villupuram, Neyveli and Salem in the W, Tindivanam, Kanchipuram and Tiruvannamalai in the NW, besides regular, long distance buses to Madurai, Coimbatore, Cannanore via Mahe, Bangalore and Tirupathi, all running packed to capacity.

Two years ago, the branch was converted into broad, and electric traction is just to be commissioned. As befits the capital of a union territory, the station has been enlarged with a new island pfm. Two through express trains are to be introduced to Madras, besides a weekly superexpress to Bhubaneswar. The Tirupathy Pass. runs on broad gauge via Chingleput and Arakkonam. But with all these sops, it is doubtful whether the railway will pick up against the roadways. Only long-distance travellers take the trains, but have long waits to face at Madras. There are proposals for a line across to Tindivanam, thence to Tiruvannamalai and Krishnagiri on the Madras - Mangalore line; also a suggestion for a coastal line, close to the East Coast Road, via Mahabalipuram. But these will require huge outlays, and even then the railways will not be able to outwit competition from roadways. The geographical location of Pondicherry and the existing network of railway lines conspire against its really winning a place in the railway map. It is a no-win situation against the roadways as of now. A real increase in train traffic may arise if Madras Egmore is directly linked to Central, just 1 km away, as proposed, and an express train is run daily in the afternoon from Pondicherry to connect with the many trains that depart there in the evening for the distant places in India.

Metric Musings III: Bellary Jn. - Rayadrug branch (54 km) (20 Sept., 1966) (from Rayadrug end)

This was my first carefully planned railway tour of 12 days' duration, covering mainly Mysore state, now Karnataka. I had as companion, my Australian friend, who was in my College in Madras on a teaching assignment. Leaving Madras Central on 18th night, we had journeyed via Katpadi, Pakala, Dharmavaram and Guntakkal to reach Bellary on the 20th., early morning.

Bellary, initially under Vijayanagar empire, was part of the territory, lying S. of R. Tungabadra, which was gained by the Nizam in 1792 from Tipu Sultan of Mysore, and in turn ceded by him in 1800 to the British East India Company for military protection when he declared himself independent of the crumbling Moghul Empire. It was made part of Madras Presidency, and in 1808 was split into Cuddappah and Bellary districts, and the later, again, in 1882, into Bellary and Anantapur districts, for administrative reasons. During the reorganization of states on linguistic basis in 1953, Bellary was transferred to Mysore, while Rayadrug (now, Rayadurg), which was a taluk of Bellary district, was made part of Anantapur district of Andhra (now, Andhra Pradesh).

Geographically, the area lies on the Deccan plateau, which slopes down gently from W to E, while being crisscrossed by low hills and shallow, broad valleys on altitudes ranging from 500 to 1000 m. This region, South of the Hospet - Bellary axis, is endowed with vast deposits of haematite and lesser quantities of magnetite, both of oxide ores of high iron content. The erstwhile princely state of Sandur, lying within Bellary district, also has large deposits of pyrolusite, an oxide of manganese, which is essential in steel making, especially the steel for rails. Hundreds of companies, big and small, are engaged in mining these metal ores, and, at all times, considerable illegal mining too goes on. Much of the ore is exported, out of Goa and Madras, the rest being used by the iron and steel plants that have come up in the region. The climate is generally dry, with very hot summers.

There were, at that time, two mixed train services on the branch daily [1], but the first out of Bellary would reach Rayadrug only after noon and give barely 45 mins. to look around the place, which had a fort with Jain sculptures on a hillock; we, therefore, decided to proceed by bus to give us sufficient time there. We reached the main bus stand at Bellary, but learnt that buses for Rayadrug were starting from a different one, which took time to locate. The bus started at 08:15 and should have reached Rayadrug by 10:00; that was not to be, for, the bus, full as it was to start with, stopped at odd places to pick up more passengers; it did only about 20 kmph while on the move, with the Rayadrug line just on our left. Stopped at Rampur, a small town half way through for some 20 minutes for no apparent reason; left that place at 11:00. Made a trip to a village 2 km from cross roads to off-load a few passengers, back to the cross roads, heading slowly towards our goal. Then the tread of the tyre of a back-wheel became loose and it took some 30 minutes to peel it off. We reached Rayadrug at 12:10, tired and exasperated, myself battling a headache. The hill was a bare rock, with the Jain temple on a ledge about one-third of the way up. Gave up the idea of climbing up to see it; had an excellent coffee in a small hotel in the bazaar, encashed a Rs. 100/- traveller's cheque at the State Bank and reached the station, 1 km. from the bus stand, at 13:00. The Class III fare to Bellary was Rs. 2:60 P.

(0) Rayadrug (1784') A neat, small station with a loop for the single platform facing S, and a siding on the other side of the main line. The mixed from Bellary, with 3 passenger carriages and 2 wagons and a guard van, hauled by a Henschel YK (2-6-0), arrived some 45 mins. late. The engine did some shunting, then collected water from the tank at the end of the siding. d 14:39 (sch. 13:55). Out of the station curved to the right (N), to be joined by the road to Bellary which kept close company with us for much of the way. There was some upgradient which the train took at a sedate 25 kmph, then, as the gradient eased, it accelerated to 40 kmph, running along the comparatively wide bottom of a N/S valley, green with paddy and maize crops, flanked on either side by hillocks.

(14) Budanahallu Halt. Stopped for 10 mins. The driver went into a hut some 50 m away to come back after 5 mins. Meanwhile, the agent of the halt busied himself reading a copy of the Hindu, not minding a middle-aged, village women who rushed in at the first bell and pestered him for a ticket. The porter asked her to board the train without one, but the guard sent her back to get a ticket!. Ran nearly N, with ups and downs, at about 30 kmph. At the 20th km., crossed a dry river by a girder bridge, and then had to slow down to a crawl to cross the first causeway which was about 20 metres long with waters of a flash flood flowing over it to about a half metre height. Three men and an engineer were on the watch. The metalled road to the right, being at a lower level, was fully submerged and had led to the cancellation of the 07:00 bus from Bellary.

(23) Somalapuram. Pfm at left with a brief siding jutting past it. No loop, but an old, small, rock-walled goods shed was to the right of the line. There was a tub at a height, which supplied water to our engine. The driver again went for a loaf - to purchase some vadais from a woman seated at the goods shed. Dep. after a 5 min. stop. Crossed a second causeway but dry. Saw a bus, half-filled with passengers, speeding S towards Rayadrug; he would probably have to negotiate the flooded, first causeway on the concrete bed of the railway tracks rather than by the road.

(29) Pulakurthi Halt. Another 30 m long, low pfm at right. No loop or siding. A corrugated G. I. booking office, but no one to sell tickets. Continued N, with the road close to the right. Crossed two more dry causeways, then the Tungabadra High Canal.

(39) Obalapuram. Bigger than all the previous stations. A loop at left served by a pfm. A siding took off into fore-right past the gates of a factory. The driver again went for a loaf. My friend was dozing off intermittently - he had had a sleepless night due to "millions of poochis" (Tamil for insects) - that is the way he referred to the bugs which haunted all trains those days [2]. d 16:18. The Bangalore - Bellary highway which had been closing in steadily on the left, level-crossed over to the fore-right, just past the station, being joined by the road from Royadrug. More of maize on fairly level fields as we ran N, but curving quite frequently between disparate hillocks that dotted the valley whose bottom varied in width from 12 - 25 km, being then flanked by real hills. The lanscape was quite green with scattered, stunted trees. Curved to the right to turn E as the line from Hospet joined in on the left. The Hubli - Guntakkal - Bangalore Pass. went ahead of us a s entered

(54) Bellary Jn. (1619') a 16:45, some 15 mins. behind schedule.

While my friend stayed back in the Jn., I went 2 km. to the foot of a sheer hill, about 150 m. in height with a fort atop. Climbed half-way up, felt too breathless and so stopped for 15 mins. to have a look at the scene spread below like a map. To the W and E lay the Tungabadra valley, with the valley towards Rayadrug in the S, past the cantonment, extending like a tongue. The hills were higher to thed N.Then climbed down, went back to the junction completing an ellipse. Had supper with my friend in the dining hall, then took the Guntur - Hubli passenger for Hospet, hauled by a YP, and quite crowded, d. 2104, some 15 mins. behind time.

Notes:

1. The branch was making a loss and the service was curtailed to only one mixed each way in 1975. Now the line has been converted into broad gauge and extended to Chitradrug, from where the m.g. branch to Chikjajur Jn. has also been converted connecting with the Bangalore - Arsikere - Hubli - Pune line. But now there is just a single station, Somalapuram, between Bellary and Rayadrug. Only two passenger trains run each way on this section still, one between Chikjajur and Guntakkal and the other between Bangalore and Hospet.
2. Those days no one could travel in our trains without bringing home a number of bedbugs which haunted the seats in the compartments, the station benches, etc., and which would hide themselves in every fold and crevice in our dress and luggage. They would multiply in our homes, sucking the blood out of us, until we got rid of them after a strenuous effort, consisting of hunting out each one of them and just squashing them. Somehow, the bugs just do not seem to exist anymore in our trains. Has the sanitation improved in our railways, or has the increasing pollution of the environment just eradicated the species, I wonder.

Metric Musings IV: Hospet Jn. - Samehalli Branch (60 km.) (22 September 1966)

The two of us, myself and my Australian friend, on the 20 th. Sept., took the m.g. Guntur - Hubli Pass., hauled by a YP, dep. Bellary Jn. 21:04, some 15 mins. late, but reaching Hospet Jn. on time at 23:00. In the moonlight I could follow the adjacent, parallel b. g. line already laid from Guntakal Jn. up to Hospet Jn. for the speedy transport of iron ore from Hospet to Madras Harbour without transhipment at Guntakal. Goods trains were being hauled on the b.g. by diesel engines. The intermediate stations on the m.g. had a number long loops/sidings, as did the b.g. tracks, necessitated for the crossings of the long ore trains [1].

Booked into a room in a lodge about a km. from the station and spent much of the next day (21 st. Sept) at Hampi, 14 km. NE of Hospet. There, on the Sn. bank of R. Tungabhadra lay the ruins of Vijayanagar (1336 - 1565), still splendid in their scale and range. I had taken with me a copy of Sewell's "The Forgotten Empire", which made it possible for us to explore and appreciate every monument there.

A hill range, sometimes referred to as Ramandurga Hills, runs from Hospet for some 50 km to SE to Samehalli (now, Swamihalli). That ridge and adjoining hills, covering an area of about 50 sq. km., are actually piles of high-grade iron ore, etimated (now) at over 1.2 billion tonnes, which are roughly 9% of India's total iron ore reserves of about 13.5 BT., besides pyrolusite (manganese ore). At that time there was a metre gauge line proceeding from Hospet, S. past the En flank of Tungabhadra Dam, to Gunda Road, 20 km. away. There it bifurcated: one branch ran SW along the SEn bank of the Tungabhadra reservoir up to Hagari Bommanahalli for 24 km. and then S. for another 26 km. to Kottur (now, Kotturu), bordering Devengere district. The other branch ran SE for about 30 km. from Gunda Road Jn. and then turned E for the last 10 km. to Samehalli, which is close to the Nn. tip of Chitradurga Dist. The second branch to Samehalli ran close to the mineral ridge right through the middle of Sandur Taluk of Bellary Dist., which had been a native state prior to its accession to India in 1948. The ex-capital, Sandur itself was not touched by the line, which passed some 5 km to its SW. Nor did it touch Kudligi, another taluk hq., passing some 15 km to its NE. In fact it did not serve any population centres but only mines. It was an ore line, par excellence. In 1966, when we went, there was significant mining activity all along the branch. Then, and till 1975, there were on that branch only two mixed, passenger services per week, on Mondays and Thursdays [2]. Obviously, the railway did not expect passengers to travel daily to any of the places on the branch. But, then, why on those two days of the week - that remained a mystery that I could not solve, for there was no fair in any of the places en route on those days. Anway, it was good that the service existed, for it enabled us to travel this line. By contrast, the Hospet Jn - Kottur branch had a mixed service daily; Kottur was then a town of some significance. Now both the branches are closed to passenger traffic [3].

Hospet was still sleeping when we left our lodge at 05:00 and walked up to the station. The streets were empty and buses were not yet on the roads. Had a few iddlies at a small hotel near the station, but the stuff was so insipid that we decided not to carry any of it for lunch on the trip to Samehalli, preferring to run the risk of going hungry. At the ticket counter an announcement read 'Tickets issued all 24 hours', but the counter opened only at 05:45. Fare Rs. 1:45 by class III. Expected the train to start from the single platform of the junction, but then found that it was stationed on track 2 which had no platform. And that was a long train of empty ore wagons with just two Class III carriages in front. Waited eagerly for some rare type of engine, but it turned out to be YG 4054 (2-8-2) that attached itself to the train at 05:55. There were only a few passengers to start with; most of them got down at the next station; in fact, people on this train seemed to travel from one station just to the next, and rarely beyond.

.. Hospet Jn (1520'). Just a single platform, aligned NW/SE, for the m.g. line with six long loops and 5 short sidings jutting out of the NWn end of the pfm. Beyond the m.g. loops to the NE were the b.g. line for the ore traffic with 4 long loops beyond, without pfms. d. 06:16. Our branch curved left just out of the station across a short stretch of lush green paddy and sugarcane, watered by the Tungabhadra low canal which was then crossed. More sugar cane, as we proceeded W. To the S, some 2-4 km away were some low hills and then the range. Proceeded towards a saddle in the terminus of the ridge that abutted the En flank of the dam, with a road close to our right.

(5) Tungabhadra Dam (1582'), a 06:30, d 06:42. A long loop to the right, served by a short pfm, with the road outside the stn. The loop extended into siding that headed for the dam site a few hundred metres away. Another long loop to the left of the main line. Just out of the station, made a hairpin bend to the left, crossing the canal and overlooking the En flank of the dam to our right. Running SEwds, started ascending the NEn face of the the hillock that abutted the dam behind, the gradient being generally 1 in 60 up. Then curved to the right, crossing the saddle, and ran nearly S on the level, overlooking the reservoir, which was briefly lost to the view. Past the saddle, continued to curve gently to the right, cleared the hillock and ran SW, edging close to the reservoir, now to our right just past the road. More small fields on both sides but hemmed in between low hillocks.

(11) Vyasankere (1720'). Three long loops, the last one on the right being served by a short platform. On the hill to the left (E), which was part of the main ridge, the rocks were being blasted to expose the iron ore which was brought down the slopes for loading at the yards [4]. The slopes towards the reservoir to the right past the station were green with ample grass and short trees. Curved to the left just past the station, first 70 up, then 70 dn, then 100 up, emerging on a level stretch with the terrain sloping gently towards the reservoir to the right from which we veered away. Ran S on nearly level ground with tracts of paddy and jowar, with the ridge to the right a km away. It had rained the previous night and the soil was wet, reddish-brown in colour, vouching for its iron content. The speed ranged between 20 and 25 kmph much of the time. As we ran S, the ridge on the left (E) veered away into some distance.

(20) Gunda Road Jn. (1677'). The simplest layout possible, with just a set of points for the bifurcation of the line. Our branch curved to the left into SE, while the line proceeding straight S towards Kottur was served by a short platform. The small town lay in that direction. Running SE across some gently sloping land, but ascending all the while for about 4 km, we headed towards the SWn flank of the main ridge. Entered a fine jungle with a ravine on the left and the ridge some 500 m away, all covered thickly with fairly tall, though lean, trees and some grass.

(30) Ramgad (2014') a 07:47, d 08:12. Pfm at right (W) with water tank just past its Sn end. The village lay outside the station with its Dharmapur iron ore mines. The ridge was on the left past a loop and a siding with a scissors cross-over [5]. We had ascended 337 feet, i.e., 103 m in about 10 km, a mean ascent of 1 in 100. A cluster of hills lay to the S.

Continued SE across a wide ravine with beautiful woods [6], and ascending gently with wide valley to the right (SW) with a range of hills some 6 km. away. To the left (NE), past a shallow valley cultivated with jowar and spotted with short, but densely foliaged, trees, was the ridge, concealing what lay beyond. Somewhere there was the plateau of Ramandurg, 3,500', said to be accessed by a winding road; lying within the esrtwhile Sandur state, it had once served as the sanatorium for the British troops in Bellary after it come under the British suzerainty in 1800. Crossed R. Narihalla by a 1 x 40' girder bridge and at once passed over the Bellary - Harpanahalli - Harihar highway, with Sandur some 5 km to NE and Kudligi some 23 km to SW.

(41) Yeshwantnagar (1997') a 08:32, d 09:02. A 30 min. halt here. A moderately long pfm. aligned almost N/S next to a loop at right. Two more loops to the left, with a turntable behind. The station was on a slight elevation, to the left of which was a gentle decline, then ascending to the 300' high ridge 400 m beyond. On the loops were quite a few ore wagons, all pasted with the poster: "EXPORT CARGO - Marmagoa Horbour - PUSH ON." Our engine did some shunting around. There was a small stall on the platform, selling coffee, pooris and bun. Bought six pooris for Re. 0:60 P., sufficient for the two of us.

As the line of the ridge to our left curved leftwards into a SEly direction, our line too followed it on a continuous, gentle left-curve. After about 2 km. passed Sundaram Benchi siding, with mining of manganese ore [7] in progress on the hill slope which had a ropeway to bring the ore for being loaded into the wagons stationed on two long loops to the left (NE), mostly by women.

The ridge on the left made a sharper curve to the left thereabouts, so it veered away from us. Another 3-4 km through some fine jungle, we crossed by a 2 x 20' girder bridge R. Narihalla. Again Narihalla? That is what the board read, but this must have been another Narihalla, different from the one crossed some 7 km behind. Having completed the gentle left-curve that commenced just after Yeshwantnagar, we settled into a ESEly run. The ridge was over 3 km to the left, but the terrain slightly more rugged, with rocks and stones strewn about; a little paddy and maize was being grown. Climbed gently and, as a low hill appeared to the left

(52) Passed another siding, where manganese ore was being loaded on wagons.

Continued through less impressive shrubland on rugged terrain overlooking the gentle SWward slope of the valley to the right; as the ridge on the left terminated somewhat abruptly, we entered, in almost Ely direction

(60) Samehalli (2427') a 09:55, some 25 mins. ahead of sch. Had ascended 430', i.e., 131 m, in about 19 km.

The station, with just a single, 30 cm. high pfm. on the Sn side had a small office for the station master and booking. There was no stall. There were two long loops to the N, with the second one having a short loop at the base of the ridge, which sloped gently up for some 20 metres and then steeply up for another 60 metres. A n.g. balance ropeway brought buckets of the ore down the hill from where mining actually went on at some height, for being loaded manually, mostly by women workers, on the wagons stationed on the loops. Another, longer ropeway, supported on iron posts, stretched from the En end of the loops, up the ridge to the mine, said to be open cast, nearly a km. away past the bend of the hill and invisible to us. Occasionally, buckets clattered down the rope with a big noise raising a lot of dark brown dust. What was being loaded here was manganese ore, mined by the Sandur Mining Co., hq. Yeshwantnagar. Where the loops ended, the line made a sharp V curve to the left, into the N past the terminus of the ridge, with a triangle beyond. There was continuous, manual sorting of the lumps of ore before being loaded in the wagons. The activity was said to proceed from dawn to dusk. We were told that there was at least one ore train every day, to transport the wagons with the manganese ore (containg a little iron) from the four sidings lying below Yeshwantnagar. There were only a few houses around, but no big settlement in the vicinity. It should be around the bend of the hill, for nearly a thousand people were said to be employed in the mines and other works.

The engine did a lot of shunting, taking its own time; most of the empty wagons were left on the loops and for the return journey it had a smaller number of ore-loaded wagons to haul. We departed at 11:55, some 75 minutes behind schedule. Since we were descending, the going was good. Stopped at Sundaram Benchi siding to let a couple of workers detrain. Stopped at Yeshwantnagar for 45 mins., the engine doing more shunting and gathering loaded wagons to haul. Got a couple of sweet buns at the stall. Quite a crowd got in here, including many women and children, besides men carrying loads of firewood. More got in at Ramgad. Reached Hospet Jn. at 13:45, almost on time. Had a coffee and waited for the 17:20 passenger for Gadag.

Notes:

1. The b. g. line was conceived and laid for ore traffic before 1966, it was not opened to passenger traffic till for more than a decade.
2. The April 1979 time table read differently: the mixed service between Hospet and Swamihalli became a daily service, while the Bellary - Rayadrug daily service became a bi-weekly affair, on Mondays and Thursdays! What warranted this sudden switching of service frequencies between the two branches is not clear.
3. Gauge conversion of Hospet - Swamihalli line effected in 1995 and that of Gunda Road Jn - Kottur branch in March 1996. While the former is now open to goods traffic, the latter does not transport goods; it has not been allowed to open for passenger traffic due to the non-provision of catch sidings, insisted on by the Commisioner of Rly. Safety due to the steep gradients (vide, CAG Reports on Rlys., 1999). The Kotturu - Harihar b.g. project has been sanctioned, but is yet to get going.
4. The old open cast mine near the station has been closed; MSPL has a larger, mechanized iron ore mine some 3 km. away from the railhead. SMIORE manufactures ferro-manganese and silicon-manganese alloys at a plant near Vyasankere.
5. The Bartholomew 1:4 000 000 map of India, published in 1973, shows a railway branch running E from Ramandurg (Ramgad) to Sandur, but I saw no evidence of it in 1966.
6. These beautiful woods existed there when I saw them in 1966. I must forewarn intending visitors that they might all have become denuded now, what with the large scale mining going on and the attendant pollution by the red ferric dust which settles down on everything.
7. The mineral ridge past Yeshwantnagar contains more of manganese ore. The Sandur Manganese & Iron Ores Ltd. (SMIORE), incorporated in 1954 by the erstwhile princely family of Ghorpade of Sandur, is the major company mining manganese ore, besides iron, along the line from Yeshwantnagar to Samehalli.
8. The Donimalai mine, adjoining Ranjithpura, owned by the National Mineral Development Corporation, and producing high-grade iron ore, was commisioned in 1977. Though falling within the Sandur taluk, it is served by the 30-km long Tornagallu - Ranjithpura b.g. branch, open only to ore traffic, off Tornagallu, midway between Bellary and Hospet. Most of it is exported to Japan via Madras and Marmagoa harbours. When that deposit runs out, others in the belt will have to be exploited. India extracted 75 MT of iron ore in 2000, of which 37 MT, i.e., nearly one-half was exported. From Karnataka alone 22.2 MT of iron ore (including from the Kudremukh mines) and 0.14 MT of manganese ore were exported in 2004-05 (Lok Sabha Answers, 7 March 2006). Now the destinations include China and South Korea, the former posing particularly avid demand. With the global prices of high-grade iron ore (>65% iron content) having gone up from $ 17 per tonne in 2000-01 to $ 55 in 2005-06, its increased exploitation is understandable. What is dismaying is the fact that, as against 70 licensed iron ore mines in operation in Karnataka as on 1-4-05 with lease areas averaging 200 hectares, there are about 12,000 unregulated, private mines, averaging less than 2 ha. Mining for iron has proved more profitable than agriculture. Workers dig out by hand small quantities of iron ore that "float" near the surface. (Frontline, June 3-16, 2006). As these 'mines' are away from railheads, the ore is transported by road, its fine dust causing extensive damage to the environment and to the respiratory systems of persons in the community.

Metric Musings V. Gadag Jn. - Bijapur (184 km.) (23 Sept., 1966) - Part 1 (of 2)

This was a part of the 278-km long, erstwhile Southern Mahratta line that connected Gadag Jn on the then m.g. W/E Vasco-da-Gama - Londa - Hubli - Guntakal - Guntur - Vijayawada - Machilipatnam line with Hotgi Jn. in the N. and then to Sholapur on the Bombay - Madras b.g. trunk route. The Bijapur - Sholapur section is already converted to b. g., the converted Bagalkot - Bijapur section is soon to open for traffic, while the Gadag - Bagalkot section is still metric. In Sept., 1966, my Australian friend and I travelled this region and covered the above section as an excursion out of Gadag Jn., returning to it before proceeding to Hubli and then to Karwar by road.

By a long, yet crowded, YP-hauled Guntur-Gadag Passenger we reached Gadag at 2029 on 22 Sept. from Hospet on single track, m.g. The parallel broad gauge from Guntakal for ore traffic had ended at Hospet. Had dinner (my friend stays vegetarian while travelling) in the Dining Hall - it was filling for Rs. 1:85 P. each, but flat in taste. Seeing a foreigner dining, the manager brought out the Suggestions & Complaints Register, in which my friend wrote a few words of appreciation (which were duly taken note of by the periodic inspection committee, as he was informed by a letter received at Madras from the Railways months later). Both of us slept fitfully, myself on a wooden bench on the platform and my friend on a sheet of cloth spread on the floor of the upper class waiting room - for there was no vacant bench inside. The night was quite chill for me at this altitude. The week-long Ganesh festival was drawing to a close in the town, crackers being burst all around, much more loudly and continuously than during Deepavali in Madras. Trains, passenger and goods, kept roaring in and out - for there was considerable ore traffic out of Bellary on the m.g. towards Goa Harbour. Both of us got up by 0545, took bath in the UCWR, had breakfast and got Class III tickets (Rs. 4:40 P.) for Bijapur.

Gadag was a rather big station but with just a single, long platform, much of it sheltered, facing N, and receiving trains in three sections of it by scissors-crossings; had a bay on the southern side of its Wn. end. The main line was actually the third track, beyond which was another loop, past which were the shunting yards, loco shed and goods shed.

.. Gadag Jn. (2126') The long Hubli - Sholapur Passenger came in a few mins. ahead of schedue (0655), hauled by a YB. There was a reversal of direction here, and a YG was attached at the Wn. end. Was fairly crowded, but clambered into a carriage to occupy corner seats vacated by some getting down. d 0717.

Ran W, then veered steadily away from the Hubli line to assume a Nly direction. The land was quite plain, sloping gently down to E, with dark grey, slightly moist soil - the famous black cotton soil. But all lay bare then, with occasional patches of coarse grains. Ran mostly straight N, sometimes a little to the E or W of it [1].

(13) Hombal (2065' ) a ... d .... Pfm at left, loop to the right (E)

(22) Balaganur (1982' ) a 0748, d 0750, with one loop to the left, pfm. at right just past a brief siding.

(31) Mallapur (1938' ) a 0802, 0815. Pfm at right (E) with two loops and goods sheds and stores to the left. A small stall. Quite a few Mysore state buses in the stand just outside the station. The terrain was plain, broken by a chain of ridges to the E and NE, over 5 km. away, with similar, but less conspicuous ridges in the distant W. Quite some cultivation to the W. Waited for an up Pass. which came in at 0808.

That was cotton territory. As we ran further N, it became evident that the ridges closing in ahead from the E and the W actually the formed wall of a river basin.

(42) Somankatti Halt (1883' ) a 0828, d 0829. No loop of siding, nor any pfm. but a tiny corrugated G. I. booking office on the left (W). Slight right curve into N-NNE, across more of black cotton soil, bare but occasionally with crops of millets.

(49) Hole-Alur (1770' ) a 0838, d 0847. A medium-sized station; pfm, partly sheltered, at left; 3 loops to the right, with a goods shed. Maize grown on both the sides around some tin-roofed houses. A ridge stared from ahead in the N. some 3-4 km away.

Within a km to the N. of the station crossed R. Malaprabha by 16 x 40' pony truss bridge and hit the SEn face of a 100' ridge, turned left (NW) to ascend it, after having descended 356' since Gadag over nearly 50 km. to the river. (I could not note down the gradients being seated on the other side). Hitting a low pass, curved right, again into NNE, to enter

(56) Lakhmapur (1882' ) a 0903, d 0905 - a long pfm. with a small office at the left; a loop to the right.

We were climbing up again; the soil had changed colour abruptly to red-brown just after we had crossed the pass; some maize amidst stunted trees. A few red sandstone hillocks to the left, but a chain of them arched out to the fore-right and in again to close ahead. Curved to the left, with a road closing in on the right and crossing over into fore-left as we cleared the pass.

(68) Badami (1905' ) a 0920, d 0922, quite a big station with a pfm at the right (E), but stopped only briefly.

We were close to the historic site of Vatapi, the capital of the early Chalukya empire. The famous cave temples, the earliest dating back to the mid-6th century, some 5 km to the E, and the fort were invisible from the railway station. Pattadkal, 16 km. to NE by road and Aiholi, another 8 km in the same direction, had many temples, Hindu and Jain, dating back to the 7th or 8th century, but we had no time to go to these places.

Curved left, ran in a NNWly direction, cleared another gap in a chain of hillocks and emerged into a saucepan-like basin. Curved again to NNE, traversing an undulating terrain, covered with patches of grass on light red-brown soil. Did a steady 64 kmph, crossing a few streams that irrigated patches of jowar fields.

(81) Guledagudda Road (1843' ) a 0937, d 0942. Platform at right, with a couple state-run buses waiting just outside the station; a long loop and a shorter one on the right with a goods shed. The road curved ahead from W to E, with another bus held up at the level-crossing near some rock-walled houses.

Ran almost straight, first crossing a shallow depression, with scattered stones and sparse bushes, then across another depression with a little farming around brick-walled houses. Miles ahead, another wall of a ridge stared at us past open terrain. The soil again abruptly turned black, and the land flatter. Curved to the right to enter

(94) Bagalkot (1762' ) a 0958, d 1020. We were received on the main track which had no platform; pfm. for the loop at left (to W), on which waited a Hubli-bound train. The engines of both trains collected water. Two loops to the right, then a large GI goods shed, one half of it unwalled, past which were more sidings. The quite large town lay to the W. [2].

Notes:

1. This was the first tour when I tried to determine at regular intervals the direction in which the train was going, by using spherical geometry with respect to the sun's apparent position in the sky; later on, looking at some good maps of the region, I realized how wrong I had often gone, especially as the noon approached. The directions in this report are corrected wherever feasible. Perhaps, I should always add E&OE at the end of my reports!
2. Bagalkot, then part of Bijapur district, depended on dryland agriculture, producing very little rice due to lack of irrigation facilities. though R. Ghatprabha flowed close to the town, Malprabha to the S. and the mighty R. Krishna some 30 km away to the N, marking the border between Bijapur and the newly-carved Bagalkot districts. The main crops were millets like jowar, oilseeds and cotton.There were no industries except a few cotton mills. Iron and copper deposits in the district were yet to be exploited.

Metric Musings V. Gadag Jn. - Bijapur (184 km.) (23 Sept., 1966) - Part 2 (of 2)

Out of Bagalkot ran NNE, with R. Ghatprabha to our left (W) for a while, turned away from it into NE, crossed a stream by a 60' girder bridge; then with the stream on our left, hit the ghat, ran into a gap between two hillocks. Past a bend in the stream on the left, crossed the dry bed of another by a 40' bridge. Gently curving to the right following the contours of a ridge on our left, we ran NE past some jowar cultivated in the gently rolling plain to the right; then curved left to hit a pass in the ridge, cleared through a 20' cutting, then kinked to the left to enter, due N-NNE,

(108) Kadlimatti (1912' ) a 1041, d 1052. The station was in a 40' deep cutting with a pfm. serving the loop on which we were received. A double-headed goods train came in from Bijapur at 1045. We had climbed up some 150 ft. since Bagalkot, with a descent ahead. Ran overlooking alternately at ravines and hillocks to the right (SE) and, on clearing the cutting, the plain to the left was exposed to the view. Descended, past some maize crops, curving twice to run into NNE, cleared the hills and passed through a trough with 20 - 40' high rises on both sides. Curving to the left entered

(121) Chitimani (1663' ) a 1109, d 1117. A foot-high pfm. at right, curving along with the left-curving track; two sidings 2 m above the track level to the left.We had descended nearly 250 ft. since Kadlimatti. A road had closed in just outside the station. On the elevations on both the sides were red-tiled shacks. Ran NNW, emerged out of the trough with the ridge on the right rising up nearly 100 m and ending precipitously, with a rock pillar atop, and poking like a finger towards R. Krishna, which was crossed by a truss bridge of total length nearly 4000 ft. Water was flowing over much of its bed, though not in depth. At the other end of the bridge, was a stream joining Krishna to our right, with a low ridge beyond, tiled shacks perking on it. The stream kept company with the 20' high embankment of our track for over a km. and we ascended to a low ledge with further rises on our left, but these receded rapidly.

(124) Almatti (1672' ) a 1124, d 1129. A quite large station, foot-high pfm. at right, three loops on the left (W). The environs were rugged, the bottom of the trough being nearly 3 km wide and occasionally cultivated [3].

Then NNW across a shallow depression,

(132) Wandal Halt (1824' ), passed non-stop, with a tiny office level with the track. We had ascended nearly 150 ft. in 8 km. since Almatti just past the river. Then across an undulating plateau, with the tributary at some distance to our right

(140) Telgi (1880' ) a 1150, d 1208. Arrd. on time. A compact station, but with quite a few loops and sidings. Aligned N/S, with foot-high pfm. for the loop at right (E) with the town just outside. A goods shed on a short siding jutting out of the Nn. end of the pfm. Two more loops to the left with shunting lines beyond. A larger goods shed on that side [4].

Past Telgi ran across a 3-km wide plateau which dropped ahead.

(145) Kudgi Halt (1824'). a ... , d 1219. No loops nor sidings; a tiny hall with walls of wooden planks and roof of tin sheet.

Hill range some 10 km to the left past a shallow depression; a deeper, wider one to the right extending for about 15 km (Long distances can be deceptive to estimate). Very little cultivation; coarse grass with a few scattered trees. We were ascending again along the tongue-like plateau as the depression to the left became as wide as that to the right. Then plots of jowar.

(159) Mulvad (2043' ) a 1239, d 1241. Lantern posts and a small VLR stall on pfm. at right, with a few houses outside (E); two loops on the left and a brief one on the right just past the Nn. end of the pfm. An ascent of 220 ft. since the last station. Dry wasteland on light brown soil, spotted with a few trees.

Descended the tongue, crossed R. Don by 8 x 100' pony truss bridge with a little water flowing on its bed; joined by a road on the left

(166) Honaganahalli (1924' ) a 1250, d 1251, a tin cubicle serving as booking office. Little else.

The road crossed over into our foreright as we ran across a mostly waste terrain, overall level, with longitudinal undulations, parallel to our track; occasional patches of maize.

(171) Jumnal (2054' ) a 1300, d 1302. A small brick-walled and tiled office on a foot-high, sand-filled pfm, with lantern posts, at right; two loops on the left. No dwellings in the vicinity [5].

Curved right, ran N, then NNE, across a shallow depression, descending a little as the grey, basalt structure of Gol Gumbaz came into view at a distance ahead. Dry wasteland all around with stunted trees and bits of jowar here and there. Curved left and, skirting the En wall of the fort-city, entered

(184) Bijapur (1963' ), a 1321 (4 min. ahead). A rather large station with just a single, long pfm., aligned N/S, on the left (W) of a loop, track 2 being the main line. The pfm. had a number of offices, stalls, cloak room and a vegetarian dining hall. To the right (E) of the main track were three lops, the last tunnelling through a long goods shed, beyond which there were a few small buildings and nothing else - just open wasteland.

The historic city, lying just to the W of the station, had too many monuments to be seen during a brief halt. But who would miss the Gol Gumbaz, the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah (d. 1656), which has the world's largest dome (124 ft. dia.), second only to that of St. Peter's in Rome, but covering a larger area. After lunching in the dining hall, we walked 400 metres through a gate in the En wall to the tomb. It did not impress me at first, looking very simple. Only on getting inside, after paying an entry fee of 20 paise, it slowly dawned on me, a person not much taken to art or architecture, what a magnificent edifice it was. It is better seen in person than read described. Climbing up the winding stairs, we reached the eighth corridor just below the dome, where even the faintest whisper was echoed manifold. We snapped our fingers, clapped our hands and my friend even played a short melody on his recorder (a flute) and everything reverberated many times, magnified in intensity. Exiting reluctantly, we hired a tonga for Rs. 5/- to take us around the principal monuments in densely built, slightly elliptical town.

Returned to the station and caught the 1755 YG-hauled Passenger back to Gadag.

Notes:

1. [3] The multi-purpose Upper Krishna Project, involving the construction of a dam across R. Krishna at Almatti, and a smaller one at Narayanpur downstream, to irrigate the drought-prone districts of Bagalkot and Bijapur, as well as Raichur and Gulbarga to the E, was first conceived in 1964, two years before I travelled this line, but works commenced only after 1970. Initially funded by the World Bank, its cost sky-reocketed due to its implementation in stages, which were delayed over four decades, partly due to disputes with other states, resulting in cost overruns. Much of Bagalkot town was submerged by the Almatti Reservoir, backing up along R. Ghatprabha. Nearly 100,000 people were rehabilitated in a new township, constructed at a higher elevation in the SW. The Almatti Dam was dedicated to the nation by the President just earlier this week, on 21 August 2006.
2. Sizeable sections of the m.g. line near Bagalkot town and in the vicinity of Almatti, 30 km. down the line towards Bijapur, must have been realigned during the gauge conversion of the line which is nearing completion. Besides redesigning, some stations might have been shifted by significant distances. This is reflected in the distances of the m.g. stations (from Gadag Jn) as given in the Nov., 1975 All-India Railway Timetable, their corresponding distances on the b.g. line as given in the July, 2006 Southern Zone Timetable (with the section yet to open for traffic) being shown in parentheses - for clarity, the new stations appearing on the b.g. line are omitted.
3. 94 (93) Bagalkot, 108 (108) Kadlimatti, 121 (119) Sitimani, 124 (129) Almatti, 132 (138) Wandal, 140 (146) Basavana Bagewadi Road, 145 (151) Kudgi, 159 (165) Mulvad, 166 (172) Honaganahalli, 184 (191) Bijapur.
4. Distances given in timetables are those rounded off to the next higher integer and so direct comparisons may not reveal the exact extents of realignment during gauge conversion. On the whole, the new alignment takes an extra 8 km to reach Bijapur from Bagalkot.
5. While the latest time table gives the distance from Gadag to Balgalkot on the still operating m.g. line as 94 km., it gives the same as 93 km on the to be commissioned b.g. line from Bagalkot to Bijapur. Is Bagalkot station itself being relocated by nearly a km. closer to the Gadag end and nearer the new township? Kadlimatti, at the summit of the ridge between Bagalkot and R. Krishna appears to remain where it was. The major realignments must be between Sitimani and Wandal: the distance by the m.g. between Sitimani and Almatti was a mere 3 km; it will be 10 km by b.g. Understandable as the dam has come up at Almatti and its reservoir has in all likelihood submerged the troughs and valleys which the m.g. line used. An increase of 6 km is maintained Wandal up to Honeganalli, indicating negligible realignment; the extra km thereafter for Bijapur might have been for touching Ibrahimpur, a new station.
6. The new stations appearing on the b.g. timetable, with their distances from Gadag, are:
7. (102) Mugalolli, (113) Jaradanu Kunte Halt, (125) Kudala Sangama Road Halt, (134) Benal Halt, (143) Angadageri Halt, (158) Kalgurki Halt and (186) Ibrahimpur.
8. While detouring from Sitimani to Almatti, the b.g. line will touch a new station for the Road to Kudala Sangama, the site, at the confluence of Malprabha and Krishna, of the samadhi of Basavanna, the 12th century founder of the Veerashaiva (Lingayat) sect.
9. While parts of the realignment must have been necessitated by the submergence of terrain under Almatti reservoir, some must be due to easing of the grades dictated by the broader gauge, and yet others for passing through new stations. These can be understood only if the details of the new alignment, vis a vis the old, are known. Have these been discussed in IRFCA before? Or, can some member, who is in the know, explain?
10. [4] The name of this station seems to have been altered to Basavana Bagewadi Road sometime before Nov., 1975.
11. [5] Jumnal which existed at the 171st km on the m.g. line, and was also shown at (176) in the Indian Bradshaw of Feb., 2005 (while GC was taking place), is deleted in July 2006 timetable. Is the station being closed down in the new dispensation?

Metric Musings VI. Birur Jn - Talguppa (161 km.) (from Talguppa end) (27 Sept., 1966) - Part 1 (of 2)

Changing at Gadag Jn., my friend and I reached Hubli Jn. from Bijapur in the early hours of the 24th. Took the Mysore State Transport Express bus at 0600 for Karwar (125 km), first ascending a little to Yellapur (70 km to SW) and then descending steeply along one of the finest ghat roads I have been on - the view of wooded summits and slopes which plunged quickly into terraced, green fields near valley bottoms, now narrow, then a bit broad, through which meandered like a ribbon some stream past a few houses and huts, was breathtaking. The last 50 km was a Wly run with R. Kalinadi at our right (N), which became a wide backwater for the last 10 km. Checked into a room in a lodge (tariff, Rs. 4/- per day); comfortable with two beds. Lunch cost Rs. 2:50 each and so did the dinner [1]. Strolled on the beach and then sat quietly gazing alternately at the small islands out in the sea to the W and the Wn Ghats rising to the E, with an outcrop of it reaching out to the sea just S of where we were. Karwar is one of the safest harbours on the west coast, then with the anchorage just a few hundred metres into the sea, sheltered by the islands. On the road near the beach were heaps of iron ore, dumped there after being brought by lorries from Hubli - though much ore was being transported from Hospet region by the m.g. line to Goa, the ghat section on that branch was a bottleneck, and some was diverted for export from Karwar. But there was no ship at anchor that day - only a few fishing boats [2]. As the sun set, we were enthralled by lilting pipe music, accompanied by drum beats, still lingering in my mind. A procession of men was bringing a big idol of Ganesh, dancing to the tune of the pipes - it was the concluding day of the Ganesh festival and we watched fascinated by the ritual immersion of the idol in the sea waters [3].

We left Karwar at 0700 the next (25th) morning by road. First SSE along the curving coast to Ankola (32 km), then to Mirjan (54). Turned inland (E) to climb the Wn. Ghats in stages to Devimane (1384' ), d 1008, after having uppuma and a glass of tea for Re. 0:15 P; then ENE to reach the top of the plateau at Sirsi, a 1240, a small town (60 km from Mirjan), alt. about 2,500', famous for its arecanut plantations. That was a major road junction where we had a long wait for the bus to Jog. Had a sumptuous lunch for Re. 1/- and sat facing a big temple near the bus stand till the bus came at 1700. Ran S across an undulating plateau with teaks, areca nut and banyan trees interspersed with some paddy fields. Then across denser jungles of tall teaks, with occasional level paddy fields for 35 km to Siddapur, d1902 as it was getting dark. Only about 10 passengers in the bus. SSW for some 15 km to Mavingundi, where joined the Honnavar - Shimoga Road, turned left, ran SE( ?) for about 4 km to reach Jog Falls at about 1930. There were lights around and soon found a resthouse; paid Rs. 5/- and occupied a room to fall into a deep slumber.

Spent the whole of the next day gazing at the four streams cascading down in full glory [4] some 290 m into a deep pool below the precipitous rockface; walked around the left (Nn) bank of R. Shiravati, then for some length across the stone-strewn bed of the river, some 100 m upstream the falls. Returned to face the falls, then went down the steep, slippery 'steps', braving the spray of water to the bottom of the ravine to have a close look at the pool from where water exited Wwds through a gorge; clambered back to the top to gaze at it for the rest of the evening. Had a quick supper and caught the 1930 bus to Sagar. The train from Birur Jn. arrived past 2200, got into the Class III compartment of Bangalore - Talguppa through carriage which was in the front. The train took its own time to depart from Sagar, reached Talguppa by 2300. We slept in the carriage. At 0400 found the booking office yet to open. My friend went again at 0430 and got the tickets.

(161) Talguppa (1848' ). Station aligned E/W, with a single pfm., sheltered in the middle, on the Nn. side with a medium-sized, but neat and solid block of offices, crew resting room, cloak room, etc. It was sort of eerie in the still dark, early hours. One loop on either side of the main track, with a siding to the S. Two sidings to the goods shed to the W of the pfm. The yard was large with many pipes stack for the Shiravati project nearing completion. The station lay on a level plateau, surrounded on the N, E and S by rich paddy fields; a crestline of the Western Ghats could be made out, running N/S, 3-5 km. to the W, rising nearly 1000' above us.

d 0448, 3 mins. behind schedule. Hauled by HPS (4-6-0) # 31402, the first of the four carriages had a parcel compartment. Just four passengers, including the two of us, in our carriage, and 2 or 3 in each of the others. Ran ESE.

(154) Kanale Halt, a (?), d 0504. No loop or siding.

Ran SE, through paddy lands, passing now and then under the power lines from Shiravati Project.

(145) Sagar Jambugaru (no alt.) a 0518, d 0528. Well-sheltered pfm. at right (S), with a VLR stall, where we had coffee and got a parcel of iddlis, all for Rs. 1: 10 P. Sizeable, but sleepy, town to the S. Two loops to the N, then a siding, bracketing a small loop, with a turntable at the Wn. end Dawn yet to break though the stars were paling. Quite chill with a nip.

Ran ESE, descending a bit, across shrubland, at 25 - 30 kmph. Then in 10-20' deep cutting with teaks above.

(135) Balegundi Halt (no alt.) a 0543, d 0545. Low pfm., aligned WNW/ESE, to the right, serving a loop, lit by a lone lantern; small shack for an office.

Ran S-ESE in a 10' trough, with some dense teaks and bamboo above. As the dawn broke, the sharp chillness of the air decreased somewhat.

(130) Adderi Halt. a (?), d 0555. No loops or siding. No pfm, but a tiny shack, on a level clearing surrounded by tall teaks. A number of passengers got off. Curved right just out of the station. Then more bamboo clusters, with patches of paddy. Then across a larger clearing in the forest, with more paddy fields, watered by a stream. Train stopped to allow some gangmen to alight. 0606 - more teak-cum-bamboo forests, fairly dense [5], sublime and beautiful in the morning light, with a tang still in the air.

(119) Anandapuram (2088' ), a 0615, d 0626. Watering station. Two-foot high, neat pfm, aligned nearly N/S, partly sheltered, with trees, serving a loop at left of the main track, on the other (W) side of which were large stacks of bamboos, with bullock carts bringing in more. Two sidings jutted out of the lower (Nn) end of the pfm. past a goods shed. Our compartment was empty, except for the two of us.

The forest had been cleared around, with quite a few, newly built, red-tiled, brick-walled houses.

Ran SE, across a level plateau, between some steep, high ridges 5-8 km to the left, and lower ridges 8 - 12 km to the right. More clearings, with younger teaks and less dense shrubs.

(108) Kenchanalu Halt, a 0644, d 0645; small, tin-roofed brick shack of office. A few tiled houses to the E. About 20 people on the track-level pfm., one of them a small girl trying to sell lady's fingers and other girls flowers. A prominent ridge to the E, with peaks enveloped in whiffs of clouds. A valley to the W, its rim beyond rising to a low ridge. Paddy fields between small trewes.

(104) Arasalu (2135' ) a 0652, d 0726. A few thatched huts to the W on a 10' rise.; shrubs around, giving way to jungles to the W and E. A few got into the train, and a few more, about eight, got out. A nice-looking station, with a lantern on either side of a 30' x 20', tiled block of offices, on platform, aligned W/E serving the loop at left (N). A siding with a small goods shed jutting past the En end of the pfm. Lots of bamboos stacked outside the station, past a wooden fence, beyond which ran the road to Shimoga. Had to wait for crossing an up train, 4 carriages, like ours.

Continued ESE at 40 kmph, overlooking a small ravine to the right with fine teaks and bamboos, a stream flowing SW through it. Curved left into ENE, the ravine then shallow with light teak jungle interspersed with some fields. Curved again left, into NE, as the the bottom of the ravine had flattened up and got raised, with the hills more than 6 km away.

(89) Kumsi (2141' ), a 0748, d 0750, running 30 mins. late. No pfm. as such, but a small office to the left of a loop with two short sidings jutting ahead. A little town of tiled houses beyond.

Ran NE across a rice-bowl, curved right into E, with low ridges rising above woods on both sides. Curved left into ENE to enter

(82) Harnahalli (2128' ), a 0801, d 0803. No pfm., but sand-filled past a loop to the right (SSE) in front of a small office; and a tin goods shed adjoining a short siding past it. A village of country-tiled, brick houses 200 m to the S.

Continued nearly E, with steady, ridges 4 - 5 km to left (N) and 6 - 8 km to the right (S) as the flat valley widened, with paddy field all over. Just past a level-crossing,

(78) Konagavalli Halt (no alt.) a 0813, d 0815. Slightly grassy 'pfm' on track level to the left (N); no loops or sidings. Small tin shack for office. A small crowd, some waiting for the passenger to Talguppa. Running nearer the central axis of the valley with rice fields flanked by 600 - 800' high ridges over 7 km away on both sides, occasionally though cutting in rock, turned SE, with shrubs and trees around. Doing 50 kmph across some wasteland with scattered trees, curved left into ESE to enter

(70) Kotegangur (no alt.) a 0825, d 0828. Talguppa-bound fast passenger, hauled by an HPS, with four carriages, one of them a green-painted sleeper-attached through coach from Bangalore, was waiting on the loop to the lef for us to crosst; pfm. at right. Our carriage got quite crowded for the first time.

Land suddenly drier, dotted with shrubs and fields growing rice and jowar, the latter seen for the first time since Talguppa. Past a canal to the right, strightened into the E.

Metric Musings VI. Birur Jn - Talguppa (161 km.) (from Talguppa end) (27 Sept., 1966) -Part 2 (of 2)

(63) Shimoga Town (1865' ), a (?) , d 0854. A large station, aligned W/E, with a single pfm, much of it sheltered, serving the loop at right (S). Two more loops to the left, then two sidings ending in a loco shed, then one short siding and a triangle. Three short sidings jutting to the E of the pfm. with a large goods shed. Outside, to the S. of the station, a large town of red-tiled, brick-walled houses, many of them with a storey. Almost the entire crowd has left the train and our compartment empty but for ourselves. Yet, a new carriage was added behind us. Still 30 mins. behind schedule.

Curved right to cross R. Tunga by a 15 x 60' girder bridge, and entered, at the En edge of the town,

(61) Shimoga (no alt.), a 0858, d 0900. Small brick office, without pfm., no loops nor sidings.

A 40' high rock dominated the surrounding paddy and sugarcane fields. Ran ESE, with a ridge to the E and the higher rangein the horizon to the W. Past a pond and quite a few electrical installations,

(55) Shimoga Bidare (no alt.), a 0912, d 0914. A small, tiled, brick office on a foot-high, unpaved pfm at the right (S); a loop to the left. Some railway quarters just outside the station.

Curved into SE; wastelend up to the ridge some 12 km to the E; land on the left dipped a little towards R. Tunga, then rose to the range over 15 km to the W. Turned into ESE, with paddy and sugarcane on level fields on both sides. Heraled by concrete structures with chimneys belching out smoke, curved right into E,

(45) Bhadravati (1805' ), a 0930, d 0941. Again a large station with a sizeable office building on a 2' high concrete pfm. well sheltered at left; also a low-level, unpaved island at left (S), then three loops, then three more with goods trains, the last loop projecting a siding into the power plant and steel and cement factories that lay to the SE of the station [6]. Crossed a 4-carriage train, hauled by an HPS, bound for Shimoga Town [7].

Just out of the station, crossed R. Bhadra on 11 x 60' concrete girder bridge. Ran SSE across a valley, paddy and sugar cane being raised, with low ranges 15 km away on either side.

(40) Masarahalli (1965' ) a 0949, d 0952. Pfm., with a small tiled, brick office and two lantern posts, at right (WSW); a loop at left. The terrain sloped gently Wwds to the hills 10 km away.; a lone hill some 5 km to left (NE). Sugarcane and paddy as we crossed a few feeder canals, then curved into SE, edging towards the higher reaches of the valley near its En wall, as the terrain became infertile, with almond and other short trees with coarse grass and weeds in between. Crossed the Tunga Right Bank canal by 1x60' girder, curved again past some paddy fields and stacked logs of wood, to enter

(25) Tarikere (2190' ) a 1016, d 1022. Pfm, partly sheltered, at right and four loops to thed ledft with a goods shed on a gairly long, elevated pfm. Moderately big watering station. Town 400 m to the W.

Passed a small lake amidst paddy fields, with a ridge 4 km to the E, and higher (1000') hills 6-8 km to the W. Then curved into S-SSE, climbing gently and edging towards the line of hills to the W, away from those on the E. Entered, due S,

(16) Koranahalli Halt (no alt.) a 1038, d 1040. Tiny tin shack for waiting hall and booking office, on a low, unpaved, grassy pfm., 80 m long; no siding or loop.

We were in an undulating valley, some 15 km across; paste wasteland, dotted with trees, curved left into SE

(11) Sivapur (2527' ) a 1048, d 1052. Both trhe line and the loop curved leftwards, a tiny tin shack for office at right. Quite some ascent since Tarikere.

The ridge on the W was closer (5 km) but lower, with the valley nearly 20 km across, with paddy and coco and arecanut trees on flatter patches; otherwise, open waste.

The m.g. line from Hubli curved in past a hillock to the left (E) to join us some 3 km before the junction.

.... Birur Jn. (2605') a 1106, four mins. ahead of schedule. The junction was large, aligned almost N/S; the main pfm., 250 m. long, 2' high, concrete-paved, with row of offices and well sheltered, serving the main (Hubli - Arsikere) line, the line from Talguppa being track 2. Received on the loop to its W, served by an island to the right as long as the main one, and connected to it by an overbridge at the Sn. end. More loops to the W, with shunting activity on all the time, then a siding into a loco shed with a triangle further to the W. But the pfms. were not busy. The township, if there was any, could not be seen even from the overbridge, though we could see the Baba Budan Hills to the W. Birur was just the railway junction. Kadur, the major town, was 5 km. to the SE, towards Arsikere.

The Poona - Bangalore Express arrived at 1347, some 143 mins. behind schedule. Went by it to Arsikere, whence took a passenger (after missing one) to Mysore.

Notes:

1. "Karwar?", people would ask those days. The two of us were probably the only tourists that day in 1966, barring any visitors from nearby areas - and we too would not have been there but for a last-minute change in our plans; we had initially intended to continue by train from Hubli to Birur and then to Talguppa for the Jog Falls. Karwar was then a very quiet, small town, untouched by and indifferent to the attention being received by Goa, the border of which lay just 10 km to the N. Karwar has a fine beach, with a cluster of rocky islands some distance out into the sea. Public attention was drawn to its scenic beauty in a Tamil cinema shot there by the late M. G. Ramachandran. At that time practically desolate, the small islands now house tourist resorts with tariffs upwards of Rs. 1,000/- per head per day.
2. Karwar now has a naval base. It is, of course, on the Konkan Railway, the line running some distance to the E of the town, which has grown much larger since we were there.
3. That was new experience for me. In Tamilnadu, Ganesh festival has traditionally been a quiet, one day affair, celebrated before a practically undecorated, small, clay idol within the privacy of each home. No public festivities, except that the bronze processional idol of Ganesh in temples is taken without fanfare around the adjoining streets in the evening. But in the recent years, its celebration over a week, with large idols set up in public places and their eventual immersion in the sea/river, is catching on in towns.
4. With the inauguration of the Shiravati hydroelectric project, much of the water upsteam is diverted to drive the turbines, and with reduced flow, the cascades are no more that majestic as we saw them then, except during heavy monsoon flow.
5. There is often a difference of perception between me and the younger generation, when it comes to describing wooded terrain. A route was recently recommended to me for its dense jungles and unspoilt scenery. I have travelled it 27 years ago and found it definitely interesting, occasionally wooded, but by no means dense jungle; and much of it was ALREADY spoilt due to extensive mining and consequent denudation. Intensive afforestation in the interim can be ruled out, as it runs counter to what all satellite telemetry data on India's ever-shrinking forest cover tell. I think that recent travellers, not having many trees around where they live, tend to describe every scrap jungle and light forest as dense. In my opinion, there can be no forest or jungle where man has stepped in. What I am implying would be agreed to by those who have travelled the hills some 30 years ago and again recently.
6. The Mysore Iron and Steel Co., now Viswesvarayya Iron and Steel Co., the first government-owned pig-iron producing plant, started production in 1923, 16 years after Tata's unit in Jamshedpur. High grade iron ore is avaliable at Kemmangundi (alt. 1434 m.) in Baba Budan Hills, 50 km to the S. But Mysore state (now Karnataka) lacks coal; the furnces used charcoal, made by the dry distillation wood cut from the trees in the surrounding forests. The Shimoga - Talguppa m.g. line was laid in 1939 mainly to haul wood from the (then) dense forests near Sagar and the Jog Falls. The logs were also used for making railway sleepers. Use of wood was discontinued in 1951, the plant now drawing hydroelectric power from the Jog Falls for its operations, including the rolling of steel. Bhadravati has a cement plant besides a paper factory.
7. We crossed three passenger trains during our 6 hour 20 min. journey from Talguppa to Birur, a high frequency indeed, despite the low occupancy most of the way. The section from Birur to Shimoga Town has been converted into broad gauge. A railcar was being operated from Shimoga up to Talguppa, still metre, one trip a day each way, but the service has reportedly been stopped recently.This section too is to be converted into broad, but work seems to proceed at snail's pace; and promises have been made of the extension of the b. g. line to Honavar or Kumta to link up with the Konkan Railway, which will really boost the tourist and agricultural potential of the region.

Metric Musings VII. Birur Jn. - Arsikere Jn. (28 Sept., 1966)

Having arrived at Birur jn. from Talguppa at 1106, we remained in the through carriage for Bangalore, waiting for the Express from Poona to take us to Arsikere. Bored by its delayed arrival, we had had lunch (Rs. 1:05 P.), then looked around the station. But for some shunting activity, it was all very quiet. The express arrived at 1347, late by 143 mins. Our carriage was shunted by an MHS (2-8-0) from pfm. 3 to pfm. 1 and attached to the rear of the Express. It was hauled, unusually, by YG (# 4232) - which had possibly replaced a YP that had failed somewhere. It made very slow progress, at about 30 kmph, too poor for an express even by the standards of those years.

(211) Birur Jn. (2605' ) d 1406 (136 mins. behind schedule). Ran SSE, across arid, undulating terrain, sparesely treed. After about 4 km., the En end of Baba Budan Hills came clearly into the view to the W. [1]. We moved a little away from the ridge, crossed a patch of coco- and areca-nut trees with the trunk road to Bangalore close on the left; train held up for 15 mins. The road crossed over to fore-left, as we curved a little to the right,

(206) Kadur (2390' ) a 1432, d 1436. Quite a big station, aligned NW/SE, with a cement-paved pfm. at left. Two loops to the left with two goods trains, with engines attached lined up one behind the other on the first loop, with unloading activity proceeding from a third on the farther loop. Sizeable town of red-tiled houses which looked like barracks, outside the station just past the road. This was was the take-off point for the Baba Budan Hills. Ran across a quite level, arid plateau, curved right to hit ESE . A light drizzle came down as we picked up some speed, crossed Kabblihalla by 5 x 40' girder bridge with very little water flowing; then slowed down to pass

(189) Devanur (alt. ?) at 1501, crossing a Poona-bound express waiting on thde loop to the left. Low level, sand-filled pfm. at right, with a small, tiled, brick office. Accelerated to 40 kmph, past fields of jowar with scattered coconut trees; curved into SSE again

(182) Banavar (2577' ) passed at 1512. Rather a long, beaten earth, low-level pfm at left with a smasll office; two loops to the right and a small goods shed, without a roof. Undulating terrain on both sides, with some jowar and coconut trees. Ran SE with low hills to SW; approaching Arsikere, speede up a bit more, with low ridgers to both SW and NE.

(166) Arsikere Jn. (2645' ) a 1532, more than 150 mins. late. The passenger for Mysore had left on time, and we had a 12 hour wait for the next connection. More than that, we would be passing half the way to Mysore in the dark. Large but desolate junction, aligned NNW/SSE, with long main pfm. with offices to the left and an equally long island to the right, connected by a foot overbridge in the NNWn end. Killed time (rather than let time kill us), watching a dimunitive FM (0-6-0) doing shunting work on the loops beyond the island. The ASM was kind enough to spare the key of the upper class waiting room, where both of us had a bath in the water stored in a drum. Then had supper, at the standard Re. 1: 05 P., whiled away more time with nothing much to look at. Got into the train as it arrived from Mysore, but would head back only early next morning. Went to sleep, conscious briefly when the train started at 0400.

For the rest of the journey to Mysore: Woke up at 0700 when the train was at Mandagiri station. Through widely undulating terrain, in a drizzle - could not ascertain direction as the sky was overcast..... Hosa Agrahara, d 0733, on a leveller plateau. A 4-carriage local to Mysore stationed on the loop....across some paddy fields ..... Hampapura (790 METRES) d 0749, then R. Cauvery came in on the right, crossed by 13 x 40' girder bridge ...... Krishnarajanagar (2455' ) a 0758, d 0818. 200-m. long, well-sheltered, 3 ft-high pfm, alighned W/E on loop at right; two more loops to the left. A siding abutting the Wn end with a goods shed. Had coffee while waiting for a crossing ...... Past Dornahalli (2496' ), crossed R. Lakshmitheertha by 16 x 40 + 8 x 60 girder bridge - longer than the one for Cauvery! ..... Sagarakatte, non-stop at 0826, then ran E-ESE, edging on to the reservoir, passing close to it ... Krishnarajasagar, within a cutting, no loops or sidings, d 0850.... a chemical factory as we entered the outskirts of the city ....

It was drizzling when we checked into a small lodge in Mysore. When there was a respite, we walked backed to the station. My friend went on the m.g. branch to Chamrajanagar, but I found the call of history too strong to resist and went in the opposite direction to Srirangapatnam, 15 km. en route to Bangalore. In a light drizzle, I sauntered the walls of the Fort, with R. Cauvery flowing past, a mute witness to the dramas enacted 175 years previously, culminating in the defeat of Tipu Sultan by Lord Cornwallis and heralding the establishment of British hegemony over the Southern tip of India. Sat on the fort wall gazing at the historic dungeon near the railway line. Returned to the lodge as the night fell, and my friend too was back from Chamarajanagar. The drizzle lowered the temperature below 25 degrees C., too chill for me. We took the late night m.g. train to Bangalore, thence the morning express on b.g. to Madras, bringing our first long tour together to a close.

Notes:

1. Baba Budan Hills form a crescent-shaped range, running roughly Wwds of the line we were travelling. With peaks rising above 6000', its domain includes a number of ravines, with steep slopes which are (were?) densely covered by trees and a number of streams flowing to join R. Bhadra. Coffee was first introduced here 400 years ago by a Muslim saint, and is now cultivated on most of its slopes, the principal town being Chikmagalur on the Sn. side. People who have been to the Hills say that they are really very enchanting.

Metric Musings - VIII: Botad Jn. - Jasdan (WR, 54 km.) (30 April 1975).

(usually, 11 posts per km.)

In April, 1975, my friend Ian Manning was visiting me from Melbourne and together we went on a tour of Gujarat and Rajasthan. After covering as many of the n.g. lines of Gujarat as feasible, we headed via Ahmedabad to reach Botad Jn. by 22 hrs on the 29th April. Rushed to the dining hall which was about to close and got a meal of chappathis only, for Rs. 1:25 P. each, the standard rate. A cup of tea, and, by 23 hrs., both of us stretched ourselves at the Sn. end of the sole pfm., an island in fact. Could not sleep properly as the asphalt floor was too hot, and I was repeatedly awakened by passers-by who me asked to take care of my small suitcase which I was holding in a sort of embrace. Six express/mail trains passed during the night, but most were running empty. Woke up by 05 hrs when it had become chill. Had tea. Ian went by the foot overbridge to the booking office to the W, was given the usual advice to go by bus to Jasdan, before being issued the tickets.

Botad was at the border of the erstwhile princely state of Bhavnagar. Jasdan was the capital of a smaller native state, which explained the raison d'etre of the branch. In fact much of Kathiawar was a conglomeration of native states with the British administering only the tracts around Ahmedabad. The branch is not shown in the Imperial Gazetteer of India maps of 1909. It had been constructed some time later and was closed down in the late1970's or early 1980's as being unviable in the face of competition from the roadway.

In April 1975, there was a once daily mixed to Jasdan that was scheduled to leave Botad at 0600 and return at 1220, taking 2h. 50 m. each way. A short rake with a WT wagon in front, which would also carry mail, stood on the loop adjoining the mainline to its W. At 0600 there was no sign of any engine or of passengers. I was wondering whether there would be a service, but was reassured by the fact that the booking clerk had issued us the tickets. At 0615 Ian found a bathing cubicle at the other end of the pfm., took a bath and returned before an SN engine, steam of course [1], was attached to Nn. end of the rake at 0630. A few passengers ambled in just before the train started - they were all aware that it would start only at 0645.

Botad Jn. (119.6 M) d 0645. Took off into the N, past turntable to the left at 0-8, curved steadily to the left, settling into a WNW course by 1-3. 0-9: L/400 up; across gently undulating terrain, very open and bare, with low ridges in the distance. 2-6: 600 dn/L. 3-2/5: slight left curve to hit W-WNW. 3-11: unmanned level crossing of a tar road. Some houses to the left on gentle upslope; bare, open fields, occasionally cutting across a low mound. 7-6: 200 up/? After traversing shallow corrugations,

10-2: Bhadravadi, a 0726, d 29; no loop or siding. Pfm. at right, with small corrugated tin office and waiting space. A few young trees on the pfm., no lights or lantern posts. No need for them anyway, as no train passed this way in the dark. Most of the few who were travelling with us got off here. 10-9, crossed dry R. Utavali by 6 x 10' girder. A few green plots on a relatively level terrain, as low mounds closed in on both sides.

14-6: Paliyad Road, a 0739, d 42; again no loop or siding. Pfm with tiny tin office at left. Open all around. To the right, past some low mounds, the land dropped some 50' to a level plain. The station was on the edge of a low plateau which we were ascending. We had the carriage for ourselves. 16-1/6: Steady left curve to proceed WSW. 16-8: 200 dn/175 up; A 5 km. wide, shallow dip ahead, then more low mounds to ascend. 17-7: some stunted trees on otherwise bare and open, gently undulating terrain. Soil light grey. But the thin fields were barren. 18-5/8, cutting across a low mound, curved right to do W-WNW. 19-9: 150 dn/200 dn. To the left (S), low ridge about 10 km away.

20-6: Pipardi, a 0755, d 56. Layout, as before. A few scattered houses about 2 km to the left (S), with the low ridges having edged a little closer to us. Ascended a low, flat mound, then 24-5: level, open, bare fields with a few small houses. 26-7: 175 up/L; 26-7/10: right curve to do W-WNW again. 27-7: R. Kandhevalia by 4 x 20' girder. Then leveler fields but bare with thin, grey topsoil. 28-7: noticed a large crowd at a fair in the open, 250 metres to the right. The ridge to the left, 5 km away, rising about 500', with a small fort atop a peak, 10 km away to the fore-left. 29-4: 4 x 10' girder across a stream with the dry bed of a reservoir to the left. There was a well with a water tank to the right of the track.

29-6: Vinchhiya (134.1 M) a 0820, d 44. The only 'proper' station on the branch. Pfm to the right (N) of a loop with a modest brick office; siding off the loop past the Wn end of the pfm. with a small goods shed. It was open all around, save for a few stunted trees dotting the bare, uneven landscape. The tar road from Botad to Jasdan ran in the N at some distance and a bus would often ply. No passenger got off our train and no one got in. We two were the sole occupants. The station master, a lean and stiff gentleman in his mid-forties, stood at the door of his office, staring at the two of us. The engine was detached and went on the reverse to the water tank, some 200 metres to the E, to collect water. Ian stepped out and walked towards it. I was seated catching up with my notes. The SM watched Ian following the loco to the water tank, went back into his office. He then came up to me and asked "What are you two doing here?" "Going to Jasdan", I replied. "What business do you have there?" "Nothing particular." "Why are you not going by the bus?" "We are interested in travelling by this train." He could not comprehend it. "What are you?" "A government college lecturer in the South." "Who is that whiteman?" "My friend; an Australian; he worked with me in my college for four years." "Why are you both going to Jasdan?" "I said we like travelling by trains - it is a hobby." He could not understand that either. "Your friend has a camera and took a snap of the engine collecting water; he has taken a snap of the station too. It is against law. Does he have permission?" "I do not think he has; we are just touring for pleasure." "Do you have a camera?" "Yes", I showed him my 35 mm Voigtlander, "but I have run out of film." "You are taking down notes!" I showed him my notebook. He certainly was unable to decipher my scribblings. He said, "I think that both of you are spies." I was astonished. He continued, "I have been watching both of you and have reported to the railway police at Botad. They are on their way here. I have been asked to detain you both." Ian meanwhile had returned but hovered at a distance sensing that some trouble was afoot. I told the SM, "I am a Government servant like you." He was not impressed. "Your friend may be a spy." That thought had not occurred to me at all. "See, he is an academic, teaching in an Australian university." "He may still be spying for our enemies; with the help of the photograph that he has taken, they might fly over this station and bomb it." "See, these are small amateur cameras; they cannot give any useful details." "I know all about micro-filming." He must have read all the latest spy thrillers. He continued "You have committed a serious crime; you both will be jailed!" I was now really starting to get premonitions. "You say that you have travelled a lot. Don't you know the law?" I told him, "Photography of bridges, tunnels and strategic installations are prohibited and there is usually a notice." "No!", he was emphatic, " Photography of all railway property is strictly prohibited!" I did not know what to reply when he was so vehement. I certainly did not want to argue with him. He stared at both of us. The train was being held up, though we were the only passengers. After a long pause, he asked me for my name. He thought over it for a long time. "I grant that you cannot be a spy, but your friend may be one, without your knowing it." That took my breath away. "I know him for ten years; he is more Indian in spirit than I am." As an afterthought I added, "He knows more Hindi words than I do; he has learnt to play Carnatic music on the flute; he can even sit cross-legged!" The inquisition lasted more than ten minutes and it took a lot more effort on my part to establish our credentials. In the end he was convinced. He said "I will ring up the police at Botad and tell them that you are clean." He went into his office and came out again. "You can go on", he said. "Sorry, I was only doing my duty." I could appreciate that [2]. Then he added, " I will get you both some tea." A tea would be welcome, but there was no stall anywhere in view. "I will get it from my house", he said. But that would take time. "No, thanks for the kind offer", I said; beckoned to Ian to get near us and Ian greeted the SM with an affable Namasthe. We chatted genially for a few minutes. Then, the crowning irony after all of it, Ian said he wanted to take a photograph of the SM and the latter gladly consented; he stood rigidly in front of his office, with Ian next to him, while I clicked the camera [3].

The rest of the journey was an anti-climax. 30-3: 300 up/150 up; Ascending a little more,

30-0/6: curved left into SW closing on to the ridge. 31-7, ascended a 20' mound, then curved right. We were traversing the outliers of the Mandav Hills. 32-8/11: gentle left curve, ascending to a shelf. The ridge with the fort atop lay to fore-right, with houses on a mound below it. Headed towards the Sn terminus of the ridge with tiny hillocks opening up a way for us. 37-7/11, right curve; 38-4/7, left curve; 38-9/11 right curve, passing the fort to the right. More mounds and low ridges around. 40-1/41-3, in a 10-12' cutting. 41-9: 150 up/L; across relatively level terrain with thin, bare and open fields. 43-10: 150 dn/1000dn.

44-2. Kalasar, a 0915, d 20. Low pfm. at left with tiled, rock-walled office that had a deserted look. A short goods pfm. to the right, but the loop there had been scrapped. Some houses 1 km to the right below some low, short ridges. Wide. Shall and open dip to the left, beyond which low ridges. 44-6: 1000 dn/? Made our way SWwds between low mounds with flats tops. 46-6/8, right curve, 47-0/48-3, cutting across a mound in a 18' trough. Worked our way slowly up between mounds; 49-10: 150 dn/?; 50-x: the road ran parallel to the right, 500 metres away, but closing in at 52-1. 51-9: 150 up/? A low flat hill 1 km to the left, with a wall atop. 53-4: 150 dn/1000 dn.

53-7. Jasdan (232.3 M), a 0935. Long but low pfm at right on a loop with a medium size tiled office and a large waiting hall. But very few people around. No electricity, but a few lantern posts on the pfm. Past the SWn end of the pfm., a siding served by a tin goods shed. A loop other the main track served as one side of a reversing triangle. No stalls or shops anywhere around. Regretted having declined the offer of tea by the SM at Vinchhiya. A small temple stood atop a low mound outside the station, but the walled town was 2 km away. Though buses plied regularly on the road outside, could not think of going to the town. Watched empty tea chests being loaded in the goods wagon in our train.

Our tickets were issued just before the train d. 1030 on the return trip. Very few got into the train; we waved to the SM at Vinchhiya and he reciprocated - the stop was brief this time as the engine collected water again; reached Botad Jn by 13 hours, had a filling meal at the dining hall and caught a train towards our next destination, Palitana.

Notes:

1. I find that, unfortunately, I have not made any note of the wheel formation and other parameters of this class of engine, which must have been a sort of rarity. I have a vague notion that it was designed more for shunting. I will get the information from Dr Ian Manning or Dr Ken Walker. Meanwhile, I will be glad to receive inputs from co-members of IRFCA.
2. If any rules have been framed restricting photography on the railways, it should have been in the Imperial period when the British had a constant fear of Czarist expansionist designs on India. The masters and servants of independent India zealously guard every administrative trivia inherited from the British, buried in God knows which archives. I am yet to see the said regulations on print. Whether they serve any purpose, except harassment of rail fans, and whether they have any relevance in these days of three-dimensional satellite pictures of high resolution that can be downloaded from the internet, is beyond debate. And I wonder how the railways permit cine photography for a fee. I have seen more than a dozen Telugu films that give excellent views, from various angles, of the Dorabhavi viaduct near Giddalur on the Guntakkal - Guntur line, with heroes, heroines and comedians dancing thereon to glory or the heroes fighting with the villains. Is it not a structure of strategic importance? Though the above episode at Vinchhiya ended on a friendly note, the 10-12 minutes of inquisition that I faced left a lasting bitterness in my mind. The gentleman certainly had suspicions, but was amenable to reason and was willing to be convinced in the end. Imagine our plight if he had been otherwise, especially as neither of us could speak Hindi or Gujarathi. I decided that thenceforth I would never take photographs during railway journeys, not wanting to spoil the pure pleasure of railway travel by such distractions.
3. We promptly posted a print of the photograph to the SM from Delhi.

An aftermath of this incident: Ian, after return to Australia, I think narrated it to Dr Ken Walker who was coming on a photographic mission of the Indian Railways. He decided to adopt the safer course and wrangled out permission from the Railway Board at Delhi. When Dr Walker came to meet me in Karaikal, he had a man on tow: a Railway Protection Force man, who accompanied Dr Walker through every railway division, handing over charge to his counterpart when they entered a new division. His duty was to ensure that Dr Walker did not photograph any restricted structure. Dr Walker had an extra mouth to feed during that first Indian trip of his.

Metric Musings - IX A: Katpadi Jn. - Pakala Jn. (Mon., 19 Sept., 1966)

This was on the first leg of my first long railway tour. I had as my companions an Australian, who was then on a teaching assignment in my college in Madras, and a friend of Indian origin, who was none too keen on travelling but whom I had enticed into the venture. We boarded #69 Madras - Coimbatore Parcel Passenger [1] at Madras Central in the night of Sun., 18 Sept., 1966. Our carriage (No. 01331, comp. B) was rickety, with longitudinal rows of seats. Hauled by steam, WG 8985, the b.g. train departed on time at 2130 and brought us to Katpadi Jn., 130 km. to the W. at 0240, late by 35 mins.

We went out to the booking office, got class III, ordinary tickets for Guntakal, via Pakala and Dharmavaram (fare Rs. 9: 15 P.), and went to the m.g. pfm. No. 3, to board the rake of the 0445 passenger to Pakala.

Katpadi Jn., aligned E/W, on the b.g. line to Bangalore, lies at the edge of the Eastern Ghats [2] at an altitude of about 700'. It has been a typical railway town, the more populous and historical Vellore, a district headquarters, being 9 km. to the S, across R. Palar, on the m.g. line to Villupuram Jn. Just N of Katpadi, one enters Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, which is bi-lingual, both Tamil and Telugu being spoken. The En. Ghats there are actually clusters low hillocks and the m.g. line to Pakala, 63 km to the N, winds its way, ascending a little. The mean annual rainfall is 75 cm. But much of the rain drains away quickly given the nature of the terrain. Shrubs and stunted trees cover the hillslopes amidst scattered rocks; where the land is somewhat level, maize, other cereals and groundnuts, are raised. Only on lands adjoining rivers, rice and sugar are grown. From Pakala, the m.g. line turns NE to Tirupathi East (42 km), at the foot of some serpentine hills in the N, above which, at an altitude of about 3000', nestles the temple town of Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, and the most important place of pilgrimage for the Hindus in the South, who flock daily to it in their thousands. The hardier among them climb up by a 7-km long footpath to fulfill a vow, but the more hurried pilgrims go by the bus along a much longer ghat road. The railway line then crosses the Madras - Bombay b.g. at the major junction of Renigunta, to press further NE past the Saivite temple town of Kalahasthi to Gudur on the Madras - Calcutta East Coast line. The Katpadi - Gudur line has since been converted to the broad gauge in phases.

An old M&SM m.g. line runs from Pakala, in the general direction of NW, winding its way between the hills and ridges of the Eastern Ghats, to reach Dharmavaram (228 km) on the Deccan plateau, whence another m.g. line ran nearly N to Guntakal, a major junction on the Madras - Bombay line. It was thither that we were heading that day.

Katpadi Jn. d 0445, on time. It was quite dark outside, and our dimly-lit carriage was fairly crowded, mostly with pilgrims, coming from the E, S and W, and heading for Tirumala. They had taken up their seats much before we arrived; many had stretched themselves on the luggage racks and others sat awake or in semi-slumber. As the train departed, sudden shouts were raised, almost in unison, by the pilgrims in all the carriages, 'Govinda, Govinda!', accompanied by calls from a native trumpet or a conch shell and gongs. These words, another name of Venkateswara, raised repeatedly till they reached a crescendo, on every occasion when the train moved out of a station, were intended to intimate the Lord of Tirumala, some 50 km. away, that these devotees were indeed on their way to keep their vows. The piety of those unkempt 'rustics' was simply moving.

(10) Bommasamudram and (16) Ramapuram were passed in the dark. As the dawn broke, we were across a rugged terrain, with rocks, short trees and coarse grass around occasional maize plots.

(25) Siddampalli, a 0536, d 0557, held up on the loop with pfm. at right, for the Tirupathi - Tiruchirapalli Fast Passenger to cross our train. The main track on which the fast passenger passed, the loop and the pfm. were all curved. I strolled on the pfm. and noted that our own engine was YP 2214 (4-6-2), Munich, 1954. With the light bright, we ran NNW, past a hamlet at 26.5; terrain became harder with more rocks and fewer fields as a chain of hillocks, rising 200-400' above us, closed in on the fore-right; passed through at 29.0, emerging on a slightly leveler, but still rocky terrain.

(33) Chittoor (988'), a district headquarters, but only one pfm. at left, two crossing loops and 4-5 more shorter to the right (East). A quietly busy station that morning. A large town sprawled outside the block of offices to the left (W), past the highway, which turned right (E) and level-crossed our line just past the station; soon we curved left to cross R. Chittoor, then curved right to run N-NNE between two ridges.

(41) Muthiravel Halt. Some groves then hills to the W; shrubland to the E with a ridge at some distance. Crossed R. Poiney; some tracts of sugar cane too appeared, but little rice.

(48) Puttalapattu, pfm at left (W) with a big chunk of hill close to the right (E). Then crossed R. Puttalapattu, curved a little to the left.

(55) Kottakotta Halt, rhyming in a way with Puttalapattu, otherwise non-descript.

We curved into the E; the mg. line from Dharmavaram closed in from left (NNW), and we entered

(63) Pakala Jn., a 0708.

Notes:

1. [1] Parcel passengers were my favourites those days, just as the Rajdhanis and Shatabdis are for the present day fan. The slowest of passenger trains, they covered long distances on some trunk routes. Almost always the last train to leave the originating station, after all the expresses and the faster passengers had left, they stopped at every station, including halts, even at the dead of the night. Besides upper class accommodation, they hauled three or more parcel vans, in which all sorts of items, including bundles of local newspapers and magazines, household goods, gunny bags containing all sorts of commercial and industrial commodities, bicycles, baskets of vegetables and dried fish, and whatnot, that could be booked up to an hour before departure from a station, would be loaded and unloaded at many of the stations, thus enforcing long stoppage times. Very popular, their arrival at junctions created a commotion unrivalled even by those of mails and expresses. They were often crowded, but one could always get inside a compartment at any station and hope find a seat sooner or later, for someone or other would be getting down at every station. If boarded at the originating station sufficiently early, one could occupy a luggage rack to sleep the night through, but I never got to sleep in any of them. Most of the travellers used them only for short or medium distances, but I have travelled from end to end on the three of them on the SR: the Madras - Vijayawada Parcel Passenger (that covered 441 km in about16.5 hours), the Madras - Coimbatore Parcel (494 km in 19 hours; it for some time ran up to Olavakkot), and the m.g. Madras Egmore - Madurai Parcel (556 km in just over 24 hours - this ran for some time up to Virudhunagar). They ran so slowly that there was barely a reason for running late; however, if they ran late by over 30 minutes on the last 50 km or so before the destination, they were liable to be held up further at intermediate stations to let the faster passengers, expresses and mails, that were right behind them, to overtake. That often happened when I travelled by the through coach from Pondicherry to Madras which was attached to #116 Madurai - Madras Egmore Parcel passenger at Villupuram; they were otherwise very convenient trains. I enjoyed travelling in them since I could observe all sorts of people and hear (overhear) their conversations and get to know the local goings-on; in daytime, they were my ideals, for, being slow and stopping at every station, they afforded me the maximum opportunity to observe everything that passed by. I am not attempting to list all the parcels that ran on the IR. In 1975, ER had a pair of 'parcel & passengers' between Gaya and Howrah via Kiul, Sahibganj, Barharwa, Katwa and Bandel, another pair between Gaya and Sealdah via Kiul, Sahibganj, Barharwa, Ahmadpur and Burdwan, taking 25 - 27.5 hours to cover distances of about 600 km. They did skip a few stations in the late night hours. A Parcel, with Class II only, ran between Vadodara and Kota in 1975 (527 km in 24 hours). A relatively short-distance m.g. parcel passenger ran between Barauni and Katihar in NER, covering just 179 km. in 7.5-8hours, and another, also on m.g., between Lucknow and Gorakhpur (278 km. in 13.5 - 14 hours). I have not travelled by any of these north Indian 'parcels', and there should have been more of them in the earlier decades. Their speeds averaged around 24-27 kmph on the b.g. and 21-24 on the m.g. Their demise, sad to me, started after 1980, with the introduction of more of the fast trains and the phasing out of steam traction.
2. [2] The Eastern Ghats, extending for over 1,8000 km. from the Nilgiris near Coimbatore to the Rajmahal Hills in South Bihar, and forming the eastern sentinels of the Deccan plateau, are not as spectacular as their western counterparts. Barely reaching 3000', they are, nevertheless, interesting formations, often granite, consisting of a number of clusters or blocks of hills and ill-defined ranges that extend to cover much larger areas of peninsular India than the shorter and narrower, but more continuous, Western Ghats that often scale 6000' and above. Not receiving much rain, the modestly-wooded hills of En. Ghats hide valleys in which streams flow to join forces and bring alluvium to the fertile deltas of the Cauvery, the Pennar, the Krishna, the Godavari and the Mahanadi. The terraces that lead to Deccan plateau are rich in deposits, including coal, haematite and magnetite (iron oxides), bauxite (aluminium oxide), pyrolusite (manganese dioxide), besides mica, barytes (barium sulphate), dolomite and magnesite, and a variety of stones such as granite, marbles and slate. The soil is usually red due to its iron content and has to be usually topped with better soil from elsewhere to raise crops, mostly of cereals and oilseeds. Near river beds, paddy and sugar can be raised.