4 railfans (Benhur, Naveen, Harish and Raghu) set out on a 3 day ride on the Narrow Gauge line between Jabalpur and Nagpur covering all the 4 lines in the route. Our humble attempt to share the sights and delights we experience during the recent trip to Central India and to those line where the trains never rip the tracks… but a gentle gallop through one of the finest landscape in the country… the lines that were built in total harmony with the nature... yes, it is those lovely NG lines between Nagpur and Jabalpur, which have celebrated their centennial not long ago.
Sometimes it’s good to look back at the lines through which you travelled… (Naveen)
Ticket Khidki: Asbestos sheet to cover four sides and the roof to protect the head is all needed for a ticket counter. Here the ticket vendor is standing outside the counter to make it convenient for those passengers who turn up at the last moment. (Benhu
GR Sytle Caboose! At Nainpur we came across these NG Freight wagons and caboose in a very elegant livery. (Harish Kumar)
No wonder that Nainpur is the busiest NG railway junction in the continent… at one point we had trains occupying in all three lines seen here. Platforms in the picture are 2,3,and 4, which handle trains bound to Jabalpur, Balaghat, and Mandla Fort. (Haris
Look at the inconsistency of the coaches. The rake in the picture is 1CN at PF-1 by which we arrived at Nainpur few minutes earlier. PF-1 handles trains towards CWA/NGP side. (Naveen)
2JB – Jabalpur – Nainpur Passenger pulls into Nainpur. (Harish Kumar)
ZDM-3A #170 which brought us into Nainpur is now actively doing shunting activities. This loco kept us entertained with its brisk actions. (Harish Kumar)
The waiting hall at Nainpur. This hall separates PF-1 and the other 3 PFs here. The waiting hall has one Vegetarian and one Non-vegetarian Refreshment Stall on either side. (Naveen)
What would you do when you find an emergency window open? (Naveen)
ZDM-4A #227 takes a nap as the Mandla Fort bound passenger is all set to push off from PF-4 of Nainpur. (Benhur)
View of the diesel loco shed from the Mandla Fort bound passenger. The NIR-Mandla Fort section is "just" 101 years old today. (Benhur)
A typical passenger halt in the NG lines, more often than not on a spectacular rural landscape! (Naveen)
The porter who must be in his 50s was full of energy to start with – closing and opening the LC and waving the flags to see the train through, passionately. Here’s one of the nine LCs en-route, where he is in action, near Limaura… (Benhur)
We reached Mandla Fort at 15.15 hours. Here a Maruthi car was standing bang on the track conscious of the loco’s movement. Perhaps people take these NG locos lightly. (Harish Kumar)
All attentions to this unique process. The porter closes the ninth gate, which is after the station, and signals the loco to proceed, then he goes to the far end, switches the line, comes back to the LC, waves again and opens the LC. (Harish Kumar)