IRFCA Mailing List Archive
Messages 6341 - 6360
From: Anne Ogborn <>
Subject: Re: Wheel Queries
Date: 19 May 1999 21:30:36 -0500
> Model train axles I have seen are split and the wheels can
> rotate individually, presumable because the sharp curves
> on model track would cause wheelslip with solid axles even
> with profile compensation.
!!! I've never seen a model RR wheelset made this way.
Evey wheelset I've ever seen has solid axles. Occasionally
a locomotive has "split" axles, but that's only an electrical
separation - the halves are rigidly held togather by a plastic bush.
I presume the flanges on RTR
> stock are oversize as they are required for guidance on
> model trains unlike the prototype ? And what happens with
> finescale wheel standards where flanges are small ? Do
> the curve radii have to be much larger ?
No, not particularly.
It's definitely not true that flanges never touch. When you hear
wheels squealing it's because the flanges are touching.
It's just that the ideal track-wheel geometry on straight track
is not with the flange against the railhead.
From: Harsh Vardhan <>
Subject:
Date: 19 May 1999 22:55:44 -0500
>> , but perpetuated many of the faults of
>> contemporary English design -- and that hurt, as in the case of the
XBs,
>> where the Bihta accident cost over 100 lives. The wartime AWD/CWD/AWC
>> engines were a real eye-opener -- rugged, simple, accessible, and
reliable,
>> all the things the British engines weren't.
>
>INDEED. I READ SOMEWHERE THAT THE BESA DESIGNS WERE PARTICULARLY
>MISREABLE PERFORMERS, WHICH IS WHAT LARGELY PROMPTED THE INDIANS TO GO
>TOWARDS THE US.
>
Shankar,
The X prefix class were IRS designes. These were not
successful because of their unstable motions. Their MG counterparts were
reasonably successful though.
BESA designes especially the SPS, SGS, HP? & HG? were quite successful
and
suitable for the times they were made.
IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS, THE YG CLASS NEVER FAILS TO ASTONISH ME. I
BELIEVE THEY ARE OF GERMAN ORIGIN, THOUGH BALDWIN ALSO DID BUILD A FEW,
BEFORE CHITTARANJAN TOOK OVER. IT WAS EASY TO DISTINGUISH THE GERMAN
The YP/YG designes are as much of Indian origin as WP/WG or any other
post-war engines. Firstproto type lot was built by Baldwin and later
Krauss
Mafei joined in.Chittaranjan actually built very few of them and
majority
came from Telco.
In fact the last Indian built steam loco YG 3573 came from them in 1972
but
since it was not christened, it is less known than its BG counterpart,
Antim
Sitara WG 10253 built two years earlier
Harsh
From: Harsh Vardhan <>
Subject: Re: catch sidings, oddities and glories, toy trains, and more
Date: 19 May 1999 23:11:04 -0500
-> Re the WPs, the smokebox decorations varied a good deal. Some
had
the
>star -- which I always liked best -- and some even had a pressed-metal
>version rivetted to the smokebox door (CR had some, I know). There was
a
>"flower" design with multi-coloured, multiple petals, often of
differing
>lengths, and some stars had interpolated rays, shorter than the main
ones,
>and often coloured. SER often did the nose cones in plain silver or
black --
>still very impressive. Paint colours varied a lot, too: CR went for
apple
>green, SR had blue or grey, some SCR engines had two-tone blue, and
there
>was always plain black.
For some period, Moradabad Shed had two seperate wings painted on the
smokebox(belly) which also appeared like two eyes of the WP from a
distance.
Excellent innovation.
I have long desired that the NRM should have a collection of the various
forms and varieties of stars featured on the WP locos from sheds round
the
country. Any contributions from your experience.
Harsh
From: Harsh Vardhan <>
Subject: Re: Train derailment
Date: 20 May 1999 00:44:46 -0500
>>
>> Union Railway Minister Nitish Kumar, meanwhile, expressed
>> "shock and sorrow" over the accident. He asked the officials
>> concerned to render all assistance to the affected.
>>
>Doesn't he always do that when folks are killed on IR? Expresses
"shock
and
>sorrow" and then does nothing, except perhaps go and watch the World
Cup
>cricket match. What are Sri Kumar's qualifications for serving as
India's
>Railway Minister? Does he actually know something about railways or is
this
>post just a political plum? I mean, did he get the job because of
years of
>service in IR, or as a reward for years of faithful service to the
Bharatiya
>Janata Party?
>
Nitish Kumar is a civil engineer and I guess that makes him better
qualified
than his predecessors. Although nearly all politicians in sometime or
the
other of their political carreers have been targetting railways by `rail
roko' and `chakka jam' agitations or simply painting the rakes blue and
black with their political slogans.
The accident is ill timed for the current minister serving in a
caretaker
govt. I guess he will respond either by showering compensations or by
simply
ducking the issue.
I have noted in the past few years that most of the
accidents(derailments)
have been taking place on lines converted to BG not so long ago. In
August
'97, I had a harrowing experience travelling in the recently inaugurated
BG
Ashram Exp. The train kept tumbling like a ninepin in a sea storm an I
could
not manage a minute's sleep the whole night. The superfast seemed to be
travelling over ballastless track.
The next month, the Rajdhani crashed on the same line and I was among
the
least surprised.
The Ajmer-Ahemedabad section was converted in record time( some other
like
Jodhpur-Jaiselmer over 300 Km was converted in less than a month!!!) and
I
wonder if any shortcuts were employed just to get the accolades. The
present
ministers might have been keen to flag open the section in there names.
Most of the conversion jobs are being tackled privately so the
contractor
too benefits if they finish early.
The trains and the passengers may be doomed.
Harsh
P.S. Not all accidents on IR get reported in the National Press even
though
it may have fatalities.
From: Harsh Vardhan <>
Subject: Re: FAQ - Trivia Update.
Date: 20 May 1999 01:40:46 -0500
>Re:
>Ghoom is exactly 7407 Ft. which makes it 2257.65 M(highest point on
2'0"
>as wel as overall).
>Shimliguda is certainly(not probably) the highest point on BG.
>Highest point on 2'6" is Simla at 2075 M.
>Highest point on Metre Gauge is Conoor(or is it Ooty) at above 6000
>Ft.(exact not known).
>
>John Marshall in Rail Facts and Feats (1974) gives the Nilgiris summit
>as 7275 ft. I suspect this is at or near the Fernhill tunnel as the
line
>falls thence to Ooty.
>
Sorry about the silly question but just to confirm :- Is he talking
about
the mountains or the railways.
I have read at seperate places contradictory reports about the NMR being
higher or lower than the DHR and the Simla railways. Anyone???
Harsh
From: Sunil Bajpai <>
Subject: Re: Train derailment
Date: 20 May 1999 02:03:58 -0500
You are right, Mike. And I am sure the feeling of horror is
genuine--till it
is time to switch on the TV, of course!
IRFCA members are, perhaps, guilty of this crime too. Don't we write
about
it and express our concern every time there is a major accident? But
what
after that?
IR would hold the mandatory enquiry and (hopefully) identify the cause.
And
then proceed to identify the guilty. If they are reasonably sure whom to
punish, there will be the penalty of removal from service. Otherwise,
the
severity of punishment would be inversely proportional to anger that the
disciplinary authority feels in any particular case!
If Nitish Kumar is to blame, we should clamour for and work to secure
his
replacement. But we should not decide the quantum of his punishment
using
the inverse proportion formula above.
And may I suggest we also take an initiative that actually results in at
least one less accident.
Sunil Bajpai
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Brooker <aum108@idirect.email
To: sank@telco.email <sank@telco.email IR List <irfca@cs.email
Date: 20 May 1999 07:38
Subject: Re: Train derailment
>>
>> Union Railway Minister Nitish Kumar, meanwhile, expressed
>> "shock and sorrow" over the accident. He asked the officials
>> concerned to render all assistance to the affected.
>>
>Doesn't he always do that when folks are killed on IR? Expresses
"shock
and
>sorrow" and then does nothing, except perhaps go and watch the World
Cup
>cricket match. What are Sri Kumar's qualifications for serving as
India's
>Railway Minister? Does he actually know something about railways or is
this
>post just a political plum? I mean, did he get the job because of
years of
>service in IR, or as a reward for years of faithful service to the
Bharatiya
>Janata Party?
>
>just curious... :)
>
>
>********************************************************************
>Mike Brooker
>99 Wychcrest Ave.,
>Toronto, ON M6G 3X8
>CANADA
>(416) 536-7406
>********************************************************************
>
>
From: John Lacey <>
Subject: Re: FAQ - Trivia Update.
Date: 20 May 1999 05:00:07 -0500
Harsh Vardhan wrote:
>
> >Re:
> >Ghoom is exactly 7407 Ft. which makes it 2257.65 M(highest point on
2'0"
> >as wel as overall).
> >Shimliguda is certainly(not probably) the highest point on BG.
> >Highest point on 2'6" is Simla at 2075 M.
> >Highest point on Metre Gauge is Conoor(or is it Ooty) at above 6000
> >Ft.(exact not known).
> >
> >John Marshall in Rail Facts and Feats (1974) gives the Nilgiris
summit
> >as 7275 ft. I suspect this is at or near the Fernhill tunnel as the
line
> >falls thence to Ooty.
> >
>
> Sorry about the silly question but just to confirm :- Is he talking
about
> the mountains or the railways.
>
> I have read at seperate places contradictory reports about the NMR
being
> higher or lower than the DHR and the Simla railways. Anyone???
>
> Harsh
The John Marshall figure of 7275 ft appears as part of a table, The
World's Highest Railway Summits. Three items above
appears:
Ghoom North Eastern(India) ( formerly Darjeeling himalayan
railway) 2ft
7,407
then
Nilgiri(India) metre 7,275 (rack)
Incidentally, Ghoom is the only 2ft gauge summit in the list.This should
make it the highest 2ft gauge station in the world { another item for
the erstwhile Oddities ?- I prefer Distinctions!} The only 2ft 6in in
the list is Kandapola of the Ceylon Government Railways ( remember I'm
quoting from the 1974 American edition of a 1973 book) at 6,316 ft.
This was on the closed Uda-Pussellawa line.
I think the confusion about which of the Darjeeling, Simla and Nilgiri
lines is the highest may be caused by the altitudes of the respective
terminus stations. While Ghoom is clearly the highest altitude reached,
Darjeeling is lower than both Ooty and Simla. I cannot find a list of
Nilgiri line station altitudes at the moment, but I will post them once
I find them.
The 1981 ( the only one I can put my hands on tonight; very soon I must
put my reference materials in some sort of order) Northern Railway
timetable gives an altitude for Simla of 2042 metres with 2073 for
Summer Hill (and 1210 for Ahju on the Kangra valley line).
Best wishes,
John
From: Apurva Bahadur <>
Subject: Ahimsa frequency increased
Date: 20 May 1999 06:56:54 -0500
Gang !
As per the news in the local newspaper the 1096 Pune - Ahmedabad Ahimsa
Express will
run four days a week Sun/ Wed/ Thu/ Fri ex Pune and the 1095 ADI - PA
Ahimsa would
work Mon/Thu/Fri/ Sat ex ADI. This will be from the 1st of July 1999.
There is a letter of complaint in the TOI about a traveller on the MCT -
ADI Shatabdi,
his train stopped at Vapi, Valsad, Surat, Bharuch, Palej, Vadodara,
Anand, Nadiad
before arriving at ADI. Earlier the stops used to be only Surat and
Vadodara.
On his return journey a week later, the traveller found unauthorized
passengers from
Surat, Valsad and Vapi. He also mentions that on the return trip, the
starter soup was
served at Surat while the dinner was served only after Vapi (presumably
to also feed
the unauthorized passengers ex Vapi !).
Is it really so bad, Godrej gang ?
Apurva
From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>
Subject: Re: long distance MG
Date: 20 May 1999 07:45:55 -0500
>From: Shankar <shankie@emirates.email
>Reply-To: shankie@emirates.email
>To: John Lacey <jlacey@zeta.email
>CC: irfca@cs.email
>Subject: Re: long distance MG
>Date: Wed, 19 May 1999 21:50:05 +0400
>
>Hello,
>To my knowledge, the present 2553/2554 Vaishali Express is a bg
>superfast between New Delhi and Barauni.
>This must be a new train after the earlier mg one you refer to was
>scrapped.
>Best regards.
>Shankar
>
The new Vaishali Exp. has nothing to do with the MG Vaishali exp. - it
is a renamed, rerouted version of the Delhi-Samastipur Jayanti Janata
exp. This train has gone through quite a few route changes. It was
introduced in Novermber 1973 as a biweekly train and the 2nd Jayanti
Janata on IR (first one was between Delhi and Mangalore/Cochin). It's
route was
Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi-Mughalsarai-Patna-Barauni-Samastipur. Within
a year or so, it got extended to Muzaffarpur. After the introduction of
the Delhi-Patna Sonbhadra Exp. and the Delhi-Bhagalpur Vikramshila Exp.
somtime in the early 80s, this train starting sharing schedules with the
above two between Delhi and Patna (so rerouted via Mirzapur). With
conversion of Lucknow-Gorakhpur-Muzaffarpur-Barauni to BG, this train
was rerouted via Kanpur-Lucknow-Gorakhpur. Around the same time, the
Sonbhadra Exp. was renamed the Magadh Exp. and became a daily train - at
Patna, a portion of this would get detached and sent to Bhag!
!
alpur as the Vikramshila Exp. The last step was the renaming of the JJ
exp. to Vaishali and extension to Barauni. Note that the Magadh has
since been renamed to Magadh Vikramshila to indicate the rake sharing
between Delhi and Patna.
Vijay
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From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>
Subject: Re: Ahimsa frequency increased
Date: 20 May 1999 08:00:05 -0500
>There is a letter of complaint in the TOI about a traveller on the MCT
-
>ADI Shatabdi,
>his train stopped at Vapi, Valsad, Surat, Bharuch, Palej, Vadodara,
Anand,
>Nadiad
>before arriving at ADI. Earlier the stops used to be only Surat and
>Vadodara.
FINALLY, someone has complained about the pathetic state of affairs
regarding this train that could do Mumbai-ADI in about 6 hrs 15 mts. if
not
for all these silly halts :-( Its original halt list was limited to
Borivali, Surat and Vadodara but progressively got stained with Bharuch,
Nadiad, Anand and Vapi (in that order). I won't be surprised if Valsad
has
been added - another nail in it's coffin :-(
IR should downgrade this train to a regular superfast exp. and decrease
the
charges or remove all the stupid halts and speed it up.
Unfortunately, the Shatabdi is the only decent ADI-bound, morning train
from
Mumbai. Another train to/through ADI around the same time with halts at
Vapi, Valsad, Anand, Nadiad, ..... could remove some pressure off the
Shatabdi.
Vijay
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From: Shankar <>
Subject: Re: Indian Railways Magazine
Date: 20 May 1999 08:01:06 -0500
Hello,
There is indeed a magazine dedicated to the Indian Railways. And I do
not think there will be any difficulty for you to subscribe to it from
the US: I live in Dubai and I have been subscribing to it for the past
year and a half.
To be very frank and honest with you, its a sort of an in-house magazine
for IR staff. But for us rail freaks, its a vital source of information.
Due to the in-house trend, it sometimes tackles issues region by region:
The SE region exceeded freight target and the SR won an award for 100 %
punctuality and things like that, SOmetimes you also have a region-wise
spotlight: spotlight on Khurda Road division of the SE etc.
At times its a bit obscure: Sportsmen on the ER Jamalpur Division
honored for their sports achievements etc.
But for the most part, its a feast: you get to know about rare, obscure
events taking place in rare, obscure places. You come to know of new
train services, sometimes even obscure services or unimportant trains.
Things you rarely get to see esp. since you are outside India.
Future plans etc. can sometimes also be learnt of in advance.
Receiving: well, its a hit and miss affair. Supplies are quite erratic.
I got the Dec.'98 issue first, then the Oct and Nov. issues a couple of
months later! I received the Oct '98 issue only last week, in May '99!
I could really never figure out the frequency of publication. Its
usually monthly, but two or sometimes even three months are clubbed
together into one issue, though this is not done too often.Supplies as I
said are quite erratic: do not expect to receive your issue bang on the
dot every month. You can hope to receive one or two issues every two to
four months.
That actually adds to the interest, and I eagerly look forward to my
copy and drop everything else to read it when it arrives.
For whatever it is worth, you can subscribe by writing to:
Mr. S. C. Saxena, Business Manager,
'Indian Railways'
Room # 311, Rail Bhavan,
New Delhi-110 001, India.
Subscription rates:(Annual)
Foreign: Indian Rupees 300 by Sea Mail, Ind. Rupees 700 for Air mail.
Funds are payable in Indian Rupees by a demand draft drawn in favor of
'The Secretary, Railway Board', and payable in New Delhi, India.
I'd personally advise you to stick to air mail (INR 700 per year) as
with sea mail, you'll be hopelessly lost,probably receiving one issue
every six months or so, hopelessly outdated.
Hope I have been of some help.
Best regards, and happy reading.
Shankar
Steven Sliwka wrote:
>
> Dear Members
>
> I have heard about a Magazine dedicated to the subject of Indian
> Railways. And what does it contain? Can I subscribe to it even
> though I live in the United States? If I remember right, I think it
> was around 16$ American Dollars per year. Can anyone help? If I
> could subscribe to it, how long would I have to wait to receive it?
>
> Steven
From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>
Subject: Re: Indian Railways Magazine
Date: 20 May 1999 08:32:45 -0500
I second Shankar in attesting to the wealth of information in this
magazine.
Unfortunately, the supplies are quite erratic as pointed out by
Shankar.
I have been suscribing to this since March 1989, stopped it in the
middle
because of frustation over missing issues, and restarted it after
adopting a
something-is-better-than-nothing attitude. I never quite figured out
why
issues get lost.
In any case, go for it but be prepared for missing issues now and then.
Regarding the subscription fee, I have sent personal checks in dollars
and
they have accepted it - sending a rupee draft may speed-up the process
if
nothing more.
Vijay
>From: Shankar <shankie@emirates.email
>Reply-To: shankie@emirates.email
>To: Steven Sliwka <sliwka@centuryinter.email
>CC: irfca@cs.email
>Subject: Re: Indian Railways Magazine
>Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 19:01:06 +0400
>
>Hello,
>
>There is indeed a magazine dedicated to the Indian Railways. And I do
>not think there will be any difficulty for you to subscribe to it from
>the US: I live in Dubai and I have been subscribing to it for the past
>year and a half.
>
>To be very frank and honest with you, its a sort of an in-house
magazine
>for IR staff. But for us rail freaks, its a vital source of
information.
>Due to the in-house trend, it sometimes tackles issues region by
region:
>The SE region exceeded freight target and the SR won an award for 100 %
>punctuality and things like that, SOmetimes you also have a region-wise
>spotlight: spotlight on Khurda Road division of the SE etc.
>At times its a bit obscure: Sportsmen on the ER Jamalpur Division
>honored for their sports achievements etc.
>
>But for the most part, its a feast: you get to know about rare, obscure
>events taking place in rare, obscure places. You come to know of new
>train services, sometimes even obscure services or unimportant trains.
>Things you rarely get to see esp. since you are outside India.
>Future plans etc. can sometimes also be learnt of in advance.
>
>Receiving: well, its a hit and miss affair. Supplies are quite erratic.
>I got the Dec.'98 issue first, then the Oct and Nov. issues a couple of
>months later! I received the Oct '98 issue only last week, in May '99!
>I could really never figure out the frequency of publication. Its
>usually monthly, but two or sometimes even three months are clubbed
>together into one issue, though this is not done too often.Supplies as
I
>said are quite erratic: do not expect to receive your issue bang on the
>dot every month. You can hope to receive one or two issues every two
to
>four months.
>
>That actually adds to the interest, and I eagerly look forward to my
>copy and drop everything else to read it when it arrives.
>
>For whatever it is worth, you can subscribe by writing to:
>
>Mr. S. C. Saxena, Business Manager,
>'Indian Railways'
>Room # 311, Rail Bhavan,
>New Delhi-110 001, India.
>
>Subscription rates:(Annual)
>Foreign: Indian Rupees 300 by Sea Mail, Ind. Rupees 700 for Air mail.
>
>Funds are payable in Indian Rupees by a demand draft drawn in favor of
>'The Secretary, Railway Board', and payable in New Delhi, India.
>
>I'd personally advise you to stick to air mail (INR 700 per year) as
>with sea mail, you'll be hopelessly lost,probably receiving one issue
>every six months or so, hopelessly outdated.
>
>Hope I have been of some help.
>
>Best regards, and happy reading.
>
>Shankar
>
>
>Steven Sliwka wrote:
> >
> > Dear Members
> >
> > I have heard about a Magazine dedicated to the subject of Indian
> > Railways. And what does it contain? Can I subscribe to it even
> > though I live in the United States? If I remember right, I think it
> > was around 16$ American Dollars per year. Can anyone help? If I
> > could subscribe to it, how long would I have to wait to receive it?
> >
> > Steven
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From: Anne Ogborn <>
Subject: Re: Wheel Queries
Date: 20 May 1999 15:04:08 -0500
It you have to
use 18 inch radius, the best bet is a small tramway or industrial
layout,
with 0-4-0T (or Bo) locos and four-wheel stock. They won't give you
away!
Even the DHR's sharpest curve (59ft) comes out to 9 inches radius in 4mm
scale. Main line curves are more like 20ft.
Well, my HOn2 1/2 industrial layout is on 6" curves.
-by themselves the cars will go around 2" curves!
From: HICJHH <>
Subject: Re:Re: Indian Railways Magazine
Date: 20 May 1999 17:30:35 -0500
Thanks very much for your reply. John Hudson. Portland, Oregon, USA.
From: Dr. K.J. Walker & Mrs. M.E, Heath <>
Subject: Re: Wheel Queries
Date: 20 May 1999 17:31:36 -0500
Well, Annie,
that was supposed to be the advantage of narrow gauge! Bogie stock,
too, I bet. Mind you, I take it you're using NMRA dimensions -- RP25-88,
at
a guess? I don't think you could go down that sharp in P87.
And while I'm responding, I did have a close look at a couple of
WDM2s
while in India in April. Those lifting lugs are quite definitely
attacked to
the frame, and (on the examples I saw) stick out through sections of
covering that are immovable. The plates you photographed definitely do
seem
to be pivotted along that narrow thick piece that runs along the top
centre
of the casing.
Cheers
Ken Walker
-----Original Message-----
From: Anne Ogborn <anniepoo@netmagic.email
To: Dr. K.J. Walker & Mrs. M.E, Heath <kjw_meh@powerup.email
Cc: sank@telco.email <sank@telco.email IRFCA - mailing list
<irfca@cs.email
Date: Friday, 21 May 1999 8:26
Subject: Re: Wheel Queries
>It you have to
>use 18 inch radius, the best bet is a small tramway or industrial
layout,
>with 0-4-0T (or Bo) locos and four-wheel stock. They won't give you
away!
>Even the DHR's sharpest curve (59ft) comes out to 9 inches radius in
4mm
>scale. Main line curves are more like 20ft.
>
>
>Well, my HOn2 1/2 industrial layout is on 6" curves.
>-by themselves the cars will go around 2" curves!
>
From: VIRAF P.. MULLA <>
Subject: Re: MCT - ADI SHATABDI EXP.
Date: 20 May 1999 19:07:50 -0500
>
> There is a letter of complaint in the TOI about a traveller on the MCT
- ADI Shatabdi,
> his train stopped at Vapi, Valsad, Surat, Bharuch, Palej, Vadodara,
Anand, Nadiad
> before arriving at ADI. Earlier the stops used to be only Surat and
Vadodara.
>
> On his return journey a week later, the traveller found unauthorized
passengers from
> Surat, Valsad and Vapi. He also mentions that on the return trip, the
starter soup was
> served at Surat while the dinner was served only after Vapi
(presumably to also feed
> the unauthorized passengers ex Vapi !).
>
> Is it really so bad, Godrej gang ?
>
> Apurva
Hello Gang,
Sarosh & myself have travelled twice on ADI - MCT Shatabdi Exp. on our
return from Steam Fanning trips at Sabarmati & Udaipur. It was a thrill
to
travel in it the first time with just three stops (I think it was
Anand).
But two years later this train was a pain with all the stops you
mentioned. I remember the unauthorised passengers from Vapi standing in
the aisle and were served dinner by the car attendants (who were
bribed).
Yes Appu what you heard about this train is ABSOLUTE TRUE & REALLY SO
BAD.
Have a nice day.
Viraf (Godrej Gang).
==========================
Viraf Mulla
C-20/14, Jeevan Bima Nagar,
Borivali (West)
Mumbai 400103
Tel: +91-22-8954510
E-mail: sncf@godrej.email
==========================
From: Anne Ogborn <>
Subject: Re: Wheel Queries
Date: 20 May 1999 22:04:34 -0500
Dr. K.J. Walker & Mrs. M.E, Heath wrote:
>
> Well, Annie,
> that was supposed to be the advantage of narrow gauge! Bogie
stock,
> too, I bet. Mind you, I take it you're using NMRA dimensions --
RP25-88, at
> a guess? I don't think you could go down that sharp in P87.
Nope - deep Roco N gauge flanges (HOn30 is approx. 9mm gauge, which is N
std gage)
> And while I'm responding, I did have a close look at a couple of
WDM2s
> while in India in April. Those lifting lugs are quite definitely
attacked to
> the frame, and (on the examples I saw) stick out through sections of
> covering that are immovable. The plates you photographed definitely do
seem
> to be pivotted along that narrow thick piece that runs along the top
centre
> of the casing.
Thanks - the WDM2 is sinking in the pit of more renumerative projects.
Annie
From: hvc <>
Subject: Re: long distance MG
Date: 20 May 1999 23:21:50 -0500
Hello,
Don't you know India is in such shortage of names.
Eventually
everything(including the railway property) will be named between the
Gandhis, the Nehrus, Shivajis, Annas, NTRs and maybe Thackreys.
Even hindi films have to plagiarise old film titles(or even songs) for
survival.
So what wonder is it that there would be two or more Vaishali Exp.,
Rajdhanis, Shatabdis, Assam/ Tinsukia Mails, Punjab Mails and
Ashram/Mandor
etc. in railway history.
Harsh
-----Original Message-----
From: Shankar <shankie@emirates.email
To: John Lacey <jlacey@zeta.email
Cc: irfca@cs.email <irfca@cs.email
Date: Thursday, May 20, 1999 9:54 AM
Subject: Re: long distance MG
>Hello,
>To my knowledge, the present 2553/2554 Vaishali Express is a bg
>superfast between New Delhi and Barauni.
>This must be a new train after the earlier mg one you refer to was
>scrapped.
>Best regards.
>Shankar
>
>
>John Lacey wrote:
>>
>> In the November 1980 timetable 17/18 Vaishali Exp is shown as
operaing
>> Siliguri-Kasganj, 1147 kms, rather than to/from Agra ( an extra 167
>> kms).
>> In 1981 17/18 was cut back to Siliguri-Barauni while 15/16
>> Gauhati-Varanasi was introduced.
>>
>> John
>
From: hvc <>
Subject: Re: Indian Railways Magazine
Date: 20 May 1999 23:45:31 -0500
I once happened to ask the lady handling the circulation of IR magazine
why
they bring out issues late when the information therein(about the
inaugurations, foundation stones, functions, appointments, railway
delegations etc.) is usually up-to-date. My suggestion was that they
could
perhaps skip a few months in between and be back on track promptly. Pat
came
the reply from the lady. "when IR trains don't run on time, how could
you
expect a little magazine to do better."
I have been trying to sort out the issue of the magazines being sent to
a
wrong address(on a subscription for Joydeep which I had made along with
mine) for the past one year and now the membership has expired. I have
made
four visits for this and given in writing as well. Now I guess it was
better
to apply for a new subscription the moment I realised that they are
sending
it to a wrong address.
Future subscribers are warned that the magazine mostly contains current
facts and figures(which are not always correct) which may not be
everyone's
idea of a rail magazine. It is basically a ministry's propaganda tool
and
serves as the government mouthpiece(like the IR yearbook). Iam yet to
see
the issue of accidents being given proper coverage in either.
I for one find it not too bad for its value(a meagre Rs. 45 for us) and
keep
it for the sake of record but some learned gentlemen felt that it must
hold
the Guinness world record for being the most unread magazine!
Harsh
-----Original Message-----
From: Vijay Balasubramanian <vijay_642@hotmail.email
To: shankie@emirates.email <shankie@emirates.email
sliwka@centuryinter.email <sliwka@centuryinter.email
Cc: irfca@cs.email <irfca@cs.email
Date: Friday, May 21, 1999 7:33 AM
Subject: Re: Indian Railways Magazine
>I second Shankar in attesting to the wealth of information in this
magazine.
> Unfortunately, the supplies are quite erratic as pointed out by
Shankar.
>I have been suscribing to this since March 1989, stopped it in the
middle
>because of frustation over missing issues, and restarted it after
adopting
a
>something-is-better-than-nothing attitude. I never quite figured out
why
>issues get lost.
>
>In any case, go for it but be prepared for missing issues now and then.
>Regarding the subscription fee, I have sent personal checks in dollars
and
>they have accepted it - sending a rupee draft may speed-up the process
if
>nothing more.
>
>Vijay
>
>
>>From: Shankar <shankie@emirates.email
>>Reply-To: shankie@emirates.email
>>To: Steven Sliwka <sliwka@centuryinter.email
>>CC: irfca@cs.email
>>Subject: Re: Indian Railways Magazine
>>Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 19:01:06 +0400
>>
>>Hello,
>>
>>There is indeed a magazine dedicated to the Indian Railways. And I do
>>not think there will be any difficulty for you to subscribe to it from
>>the US: I live in Dubai and I have been subscribing to it for the past
>>year and a half.
>>
>>To be very frank and honest with you, its a sort of an in-house
magazine
>>for IR staff. But for us rail freaks, its a vital source of
information.
>>Due to the in-house trend, it sometimes tackles issues region by
region:
>>The SE region exceeded freight target and the SR won an award for 100
%
>>punctuality and things like that, SOmetimes you also have a
region-wise
>>spotlight: spotlight on Khurda Road division of the SE etc.
>>At times its a bit obscure: Sportsmen on the ER Jamalpur Division
>>honored for their sports achievements etc.
>>
>>But for the most part, its a feast: you get to know about rare,
obscure
>>events taking place in rare, obscure places. You come to know of new
>>train services, sometimes even obscure services or unimportant trains.
>>Things you rarely get to see esp. since you are outside India.
>>Future plans etc. can sometimes also be learnt of in advance.
>>
>>Receiving: well, its a hit and miss affair. Supplies are quite
erratic.
>>I got the Dec.'98 issue first, then the Oct and Nov. issues a couple
of
>>months later! I received the Oct '98 issue only last week, in May '99!
>>I could really never figure out the frequency of publication. Its
>>usually monthly, but two or sometimes even three months are clubbed
>>together into one issue, though this is not done too often.Supplies as
I
>>said are quite erratic: do not expect to receive your issue bang on
the
>>dot every month. You can hope to receive one or two issues every two
to
>>four months.
>>
>>That actually adds to the interest, and I eagerly look forward to my
>>copy and drop everything else to read it when it arrives.
>>
>>For whatever it is worth, you can subscribe by writing to:
>>
>>Mr. S. C. Saxena, Business Manager,
>>'Indian Railways'
>>Room # 311, Rail Bhavan,
>>New Delhi-110 001, India.
>>
>>Subscription rates:(Annual)
>>Foreign: Indian Rupees 300 by Sea Mail, Ind. Rupees 700 for Air mail.
>>
>>Funds are payable in Indian Rupees by a demand draft drawn in favor of
>>'The Secretary, Railway Board', and payable in New Delhi, India.
>>
>>I'd personally advise you to stick to air mail (INR 700 per year) as
>>with sea mail, you'll be hopelessly lost,probably receiving one issue
>>every six months or so, hopelessly outdated.
>>
>>Hope I have been of some help.
>>
>>Best regards, and happy reading.
>>
>>Shankar
>>
>>
>>Steven Sliwka wrote:
>> >
>> > Dear Members
>> >
>> > I have heard about a Magazine dedicated to the subject of Indian
>> > Railways. And what does it contain? Can I subscribe to it even
>> > though I live in the United States? If I remember right, I think
it
>> > was around 16$ American Dollars per year. Can anyone help? If I
>> > could subscribe to it, how long would I have to wait to receive it?
>> >
>> > Steven
>
>
>_______________________________________________________________
>Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit <A HREF="http://www.msn.com">http://www.msn.com</A>
>
From: hvc <>
Subject: Re: FAQ - Trivia Update.
Date: 21 May 1999 00:21:33 -0500
>
>The John Marshall figure of 7275 ft appears as part of a table, The
>World's Highest Railway Summits. Three items above
>appears:
>Ghoom North Eastern(India) ( formerly Darjeeling himalayan
>railway) 2ft 7,407
>then
>Nilgiri(India) metre 7,275 (rack)
>
Good so that will make it 2217.42 M.
Say, Satish is is possible to draw a height gained Vs distance travelled
graph for all the hill railways and upload on the FAQ.
>Incidentally, Ghoom is the only 2ft gauge summit in the list.This
should
>make it the highest 2ft gauge station in the world { another item for
>the erstwhile Oddities ?- I prefer Distinctions!}
That's what I felt too but Dr. Walker had commented differently. My
question
again is if any of the other quoted NG railways at a higher altitude are
commercially and regularly working like the DHR?
>I think the confusion about which of the Darjeeling, Simla and Nilgiri
>lines is the highest may be caused by the altitudes of the respective
>terminus stations. While Ghoom is clearly the highest altitude
reached,
>Darjeeling is lower than both Ooty and Simla. I cannot find a list of
>Nilgiri line station altitudes at the moment, but I will post them once
>I find them.
>
I eagarly look forward to it.
>The 1981 ( the only one I can put my hands on tonight; very soon I must
>put my reference materials in some sort of order) Northern Railway
>timetable gives an altitude for Simla of 2042 metres with 2073 for
>Summer Hill (and 1210 for Ahju on the Kangra valley line).
>
That's a typo! I have that TT too and I notice that the the mistake has
been
carried forward. It is there in my '77 All India TT too.
However the current TT carry it correctly and and certainly Simla(2075)
is
higher than Summer Hill(2042).
1210 for Ajhu is correct.
Harsh