Dhaulpur Days
A Narrow Gauge Service prepares to depart from Dhaulpur Jn. This line was formerly part of the Dhaulpur State Railway, laid by the former princely rulers. The line was chiefly built to transport sandstone from quarries. But today, it only serves passenger
The Narrow Gauge platform still retain their gigantic tree cover, something missing from modern BG stations.
The line passes mostly through the flat country of Eastern Rajasthan. The flat fare of Rs. 10 means that patronage is so high that passengers end up sitting on the roof.
Every inch of space is taken as the train passes a wayside pond, and a curious cowherd, watches it go by.
His wards though are clearly not interested in the train. Preferring to wallow in the water to beat the steamy monsoon heat.
Wayside stations do not have much infrastructure, a small board and a few large trees to mark their presence.
Be it the Narrow Gauge or Broad, the arrival of a train anywhere in the country is an event, and Soorothee is no exception.
Steam may have given way to diesel, but not much else has changed on the line since it opened in 1908. And that includes the anglicized spelling of village names.
Some raised earth and a ramshackle shed are all that signifies station Sorothee. The morning service from Dhaulpur to Tantpur arrives on a humid monsoon day.
A service to Tantpur arrives at India's last remaining Narrow Gauge Jn. - Mohari. The line here splits in two branches leading to Tantpur and Sirmuttra respectively.
At Mohari Jn, this bunch is all set to board the evening service back to Dhaulpur.
The stone masonry and cast iron work on the ticket window at Mohari, still going strong after 110 years of service.
Monsoon clouds roll in as the train departs for Tantpur
Onwards to Tantpur, the line crosses the largest bridge on the section over the Parvati river.
Post independence, state lines were redrawn. And Tantpur ended up being the only station in the section that now falls in Uttar Pradesh, the rest being in Rajasthan.
Having run around the rake, the loco reattaches itself for the journey to Bari. There, the train will reverse again and come to Mohari, and run towards Sirmuttra as a new service.
The beating heart of the beast - a Kirloskar Cummins 6 cyl 450hp diesel engine
The train curves into the final stretch towards Sirmuttra. A town known for its sandstone quarries which was used to build famous monuments like the Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb in Delhi.
None of the town's storied history is reflected in its railway station. A ramshackle building and filthy environs speak of the neglect on part of the authorities.
On the return journey to Dhaulpur, the road an rail part ways. The train takes a circuitous route via Mohari, while the road runs straight to Bari.
Given the load and advanced age of the rolling stock, even the slightest gradient requires a hefty effort on part of the locomotive. The result, a thick cloud of smoke that railway photographers love.
The days of Narrow Gauge are setting on the Indian Railways. Socio-economic pressures mean that bigger, faster Broad Gauge trains are the norm. Against all odds, the Dhaulpur NG is holding on. Not for long though.