IRFCA Mailing List Archive
Messages 7601 - 7620
From: HVC <>
Subject: Re: ISI theory.
Date: 14 Aug 1999 04:40:18 -0500
>I read in the newspaper a statement by wife of AA's driver that
>he was very disturbed for last several days/weeks. He needed
>some money . (I forget why but I think it might have been for
>children's education or marriage.) But he also seemed to have
>told his wife that soon their problems are getting over since
>he was going to get 15 lakh rupees. She never asked where that
>money is going to come from.
Well! Ahem. This is better than the plot of any C grade hindi movie.
Only thing is that we are not talking about trucks which can go where
they
want.
AA was running 7 hours late that day. Normally it should have been at
Kishanganj at 5.00 PM and so which I think would have made less likely
for
accident/ sabotage of this nature to occur.
Normally the drivers do not always know in advance what trains they will
be
assigned.
Any advance planning on these accounts can be simply ruled out.
While it is true true that the driver of AA could have averted the
disaster(and so much of the blame for causing it rests on him) it is
certainly not possible for him(or even a group) to plan it in advance.
But since the dead don't speak!!!!!!!
Harsh
From: HVC <>
Subject: Re: Sabotage at Gaisal ?
Date: 14 Aug 1999 05:14:04 -0500
>> Its nothing but a load of balderdash. A figment of the reporter's
>> imagination........
>That's what I thought too, and perhaps we should write to
>Rediff accordingly.
I have given them a fitting feedback on the news. And to some others
which
they had brought out about the safety record of IR. One of these coolly
says
that Bangladesh uses better equipment than us when the truth is that we
supply to most of their requirements! The best part is that all these
joker
reporters are Indians.
Does Bangladesh really use satallite tracking for their trains? Can
anyone
confirm that. Till then I would take that statement with a bagful of
salt!
>I've heard speculations that the drivers were dead or incapacitated,
>which of course makes the alleged Panjipara stopover kind of
>supernatural.
Even otherwise it is not possible that incapacitated or dead drivers can
carry the train for 17 Kms. And what were the other 13 fellows doing in
that
case. Even if the AA driver was hell bent on mischief, the worst that he
could have done on his own was derailment.
Also there is nothing so far to suggest that the AA was going at booked
speed(The brahmaputa indeed was). AA was more likely to be at 25 Kmph
which
is what they are supposed to do on the reverse line.
>I hope IR employees are not becoming as callous as Indian automobile
>drivers. Our road drivers keep jumping signals at will and generally
>exhibit lunatic behaviour which could lead to ghastly results if
>they were railway personnel.
Let's hope this was a highly stray incident. However we need to learn
from
it instead of pointing fingers.
The traffic on the railroad has grown over eightfold in recent tines and
the
drivers work under tremendous pressure. It is high time someone looked
into
that aspect as well.
Harsh
From: HVC <>
Subject: Re: ISI theory.
Date: 14 Aug 1999 05:21:03 -0500
>If a terrorist group wants to damage a train, a bomb
>is still the most effective means. Why go to all that
>trouble to disguise an attack as an accident ?
>
Precisely so.
In fact if it was the handiwork of ISI or any other Ultras, they would
have
grabbed used all that free publicity to their benefit.
After all what advantage do they get if people just keep speculating
about
who caused the accident.
Harsh
From: Apurva Bahadur <>
Subject: Greetings
Date: 14 Aug 1999 11:17:23 -0500
Gang !
Many happy returns of the Indian Independence day !
Apurva
From: S.Shankar <>
Subject: Re: WCM6 at mumbai
Date: 14 Aug 1999 11:36:33 -0500
Hello.
Burnt? A brand new loco? How?
I used to pick up interesting stories when I used to go to Poona station
almost every other day trainspotting, during my college days.
Of the three WCM/3s built, 20073-4-5, only 20073 and 4 used to be seen.
I was told by a shed foreman at Poona that the traction motors of 20074
had burnt out.
I also remember a wcm/2, 20179 used to be deployed on slow passenger and
parcel trains only. (for a while. I later saw it hauling a fast
express). I heard that too had some burning out problems.
Not to mention the WCM/5 which caught fire with the Indrayani in tow and
ran away! SOme lucky escape that!
Cheers.
Shankar
VIRAF P.. MULLA wrote:
>
> it was towards the eastern side between kurla and ghatkopar.
>
> Hello Zubin & all,
>
> The loco - only one of it's kind is mostly spotted in this area. It
had a
> sister which was badly burnt last year and was a write off.
>
> > the wcm6 appeared in very bad shape and seemed to be badly rusted on
the
> > outside.
>
> No wonder.It is a rust coloured loco and very ill maintained giving a
> rusty impression.
>
> i doubt whether it was ever used.
>
> Yes it works the light freight trains towards Kalyan & Karjat. It has
> never gone beyond that (so I was informed). Never crossed the ghats.
Appu
> correct me if I am wrong.
>
> Regards
> Viraf.
> ==========================
> Viraf Mulla
> C-20/14, Jeevan Bima Nagar,
> Borivali (West)
> Mumbai 400103
> Tel: +91-22-8954510
> E-mail: sncf@godrej.email
> ==========================
From: S.Shankar <>
Subject: Re: ac unleashed!!!
Date: 14 Aug 1999 11:37:24 -0500
Hello,
Thanks for the info, Vijay.
But Kalyan-Poona electrified in 1972?
I thought the electric line percolated to Poona way back in 1929. There
is a plaque at Poona station to this effect.
It could not have been the 3rd line too, as that materialized only in
the early 1980s.
mmmm, something looks very fishy here!! (in a light vein,of course,
dosti mein!!)
Cheers.
Shankar
Vijay Balasubramanian wrote:
>
> Folks,
>
> Here is some information from a map in the Nov. 1972 issue
> showing the progress of railway electrification in IR
>
> Sections electrified as on March 31, 1972 are -
> Bombay-Igatpuri-Bhusaval
> Kalyan-Pune
> Bombay-Virar
> Howrah-Asansol-MGS-Tundla
> Howrah-Tatanagar-Durg
> bunch of lines around Calcutta
> (to Petrapol, Diamond Harbour, etc.)
> Asansol-Adra-Tatanagar
> bunch of lines for the SER collieries,
> as Jishnu mentioned (Raurkela-Bitrampur, Sini-Gua, etc.)
> Madras-Villupuram
>
> Fourth plan schemes in progress -
> Tundla-Delhi
> Virar-Sabarmati
> Madras-Vijayawada
> Waltair-Kirandul
> Panskura-Haldia
>
> Schemes proposed for 5th plan -
> Vadodara-Nagda
> Anand-Godhra
> Delhi-Itarsi
> Bhusaval-Durg
> Madras-Erode
> Jalarpet-Bangalore
> Arkonam-Guntakal-Hospet
>
> It is interesting to note that all the above sections
> except Arakkonam-Hospet have been electrified - a
> classic example of the step-motherly treatment
> given to the Mumbai-Chennai trunk line over the
> years.
>
> Vijay
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jishnu Mukerji [SMTP:jis@fpk.email
> > Sent: Thursday, August 12, 1999 12:24 PM
> > To: ranand@us.email
> > Cc: shankie@emirates.email irfca@cs.email
> > Subject: Re: ac unleashed!!!
> >
> > ranand@us.email wrote:
> > >
> > > >From the web site:
> > >
> > > >The French SNCF introduced India to ac traction in 1959, with the
> > conversion of
> > > the 3000V dc Howrah-Burdwan (now
> > > >Bardhamman) section into ac. That was the first ac electrified
section
> > in the
> > > country. The route was later electrified
> > > >right upto Delhi in 1968, which made it the first fully
electrified
> > trunk line
> > > in India.
> > >
> > > This does not sound right to me. I lived in Delhi in the late
1970s and
> > I
> > > remember that electrification reached Delhi only
> > > around 1977. Can someone else confirm this?
> >
> > Yes 1977 is correct. 1968 was when eletrcification reached Allahabad
or
> > Kanpur from Mughal Sarai perhaps. Also wasn't it around 1968 that
the
> > last bits of doubling of the Howrah - Delhi truck route had just
been
> > completed? I seem to recall that in the early 60s there were bits
and
> > pieces of single line stretches between Tundla and Ghaziabad.
> >
> > And Yes, Howrah - New Delhi via New Yamuna Bridge was the first
truck
> > line to be fully eletrified. Actually, Sahibabad - Delhi Jn. and
Delhi
> > Jn. - New Delhi via Subzi Mandi triangle came under the wire a
little
> > after New Delhi.
> >
> > I also do not believe that Howrah - Burdwan was the first AC section
in
> > the country. It was converted later. The first AC section was
Asansol -
> > Gomoh - Gaya and then onto Mughal Sarai, and a bunch of lines off
> > towards SE Railway through the collieries (the collieries part I am
not
> > sure about, since I didn't travel those lines). There may have been
some
> > lines on SER that preceded Asansol - Gomoh - Gaya, but I don't know
the
> > exact relative sequence of AC electrification on ER and SER.
> > Electrification of Asansol - Burdwan was delayed because Burdwan -
> > Howrah was still DC. Actually Asansol - Andal Yard was electrified
way
> > before the rest of the way to Burdwan. There was a significant
period of
> > time in the late 50s/early 60s (don't remember exact dates) when
Asansol
> > was where AC electrification ended. Asansol - Burdwan was free of
wires.
> > Then HB Chord was unelectrified and HB Main Line was 3000V DC. I
saw
> > that entire electrification happen right before my eyes! Remember
that
> > the big push for AC electrification of the Grand Chord was to
support
> > denser goods traffic first, then followed by passenger traffic.
> >
> > I was a regular traveller (and an ardent railfan even way back
then:-))
> > on the Howrah - New Delhi route at least one round trip per year
> > sometimes two, usually on 81up/82dn Airconditioned Express, which
used
> > to have this neat Airconditioned Restaurant Car those days! AC
Express
> > continued to be steam hauled until way after MGS - HWH was fully
> > electrified. In the early days of AC electrification, there were
several
> > trains on this route that were Steam hauled (and later Diesel
hauled)
> > from Howrah to Asansol, and then they got Electric from Asansol -
> > typically a WAM1 or WAM2.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Jishnu.
From: julian.rainbow <>
Subject: Re: Please enroll me
Date: 14 Aug 1999 17:55:18 -0500
Please send an email to acha@cs.email saying subscribe, all mail you
want to psot to the group can then be sent to irfca@cs.email. and will
be distributed automatically. Apologies if someone else has already
replied and you have been swamped.
Julian
> Dear Sir/Ma'am
>
>How do I become a member of the IRFCA?
>
>Shubhranshu
>Dy Chief Mechanical Engineer
>Diesel Locomotive Works,
>Varanasi - 221004
>INDIA
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------
>Get your free email from AltaVista at <a Target='_new'
Href='<A HREF="http://altavista.iname.com'>http://altavista.iname.com</a>">http://altavista.iname.com'>http://altavista.iname.com</a></A>
From: Mike Brooker <>
Subject: Re: Greetings
Date: 14 Aug 1999 20:13:29 -0500
>Many happy returns of the Indian Independence day !
>
>Apurva
>
JAI HIND!!
<A HREF="http://www.harbourfront.on.ca/summer/india.htm">http://www.harbourfront.on.ca/summer/india.htm</A> to view a schedule of
India's independence day celebrations in Toronto this weekend ("Panorama
India"), sponsored by the Consulate-General of India.
********************************************************************
Mike Brooker
99 Wychcrest Ave.,
Toronto, ON M6G 3X8
CANADA
(416) 536-7406
********************************************************************
From: S.Shankar <>
Subject: (no subject)
Date: 14 Aug 1999 20:50:43 -0500
Hello,
Independence Day greetings to you all.
Cheers.
Shankar
From: Royston Ellis <>
Subject: Foreign train traveller comments
Date: 15 Aug 1999 00:56:46 -0500
Gang:
I was much relieved, in view of what's been happening with Indian
Railways
lately, to receive a letter from an English couple in which they say
about
their rail journeys in July:
"We spent nine nights sleeping on trains...all the train guards etc.,
could
not have done more for us and we were always woken up at the right
station."
They comment that "Lucknow is the dirtiest station we travelled too,
rats,
rats and more rats. Moghulsarai the best organised, no ticket meant no
entry to station, made life a lot easier. Tundla the best taxi stand
ever,
we were met by a taxi official with clip board and took our turn for a
taxi
with no problems regarding destination or fares; Jaipur had the most
awful
taxi driver/touts in the whole of India."
Thought you'd like to know.
Royston
From: HVC <>
Subject: FAQ - Trivia update.
Date: 15 Aug 1999 01:20:50 -0500
Southernmost station: Kanyakumari. (Are there, or were there, any railways in the Nicobar islands??)
Following is the extract from the excellent research work done by Simon Darvill on Industrial locomotives of Indian Sub-continent. With his permission :
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS Chief Conservator of Forests, Port Blair 100 B5 Gauge: 2'6" 4wDM JF 3930028 1953 4wDM JF 3930029 1953 4wDM JF 3930030 1953 953 Inspector of Forests, Port Blair 100 B5 Gauge: 2'0" 0-4-0ST JF 8143 1900 0-4-0ST JF 8144 1903
[5/99] Narrow Gauge: On the 2' gauge, the Gwalior -- Sheopur Kalan route is 198km. On the 2'6" gauge, the Nagpur-Gondia-Nainpur route was probably the longest in the past, but today the Jabalpur-Gondia route of the Satpura Express at 228km is the longest run. The Latur -- Pandharpur Passenger is a close second at 216km
The above is incorrect. The Nagpur - Chhindwara - Nainpur - Jabalpur route(2'6") is very much alive and there is still a passenger train running through. That makes it the top contender with a 400 Km run in little over 19 hours. This surely also must be one of the top ten longest stopping passenger runs on any gauge!
Longest diesel-hauled stretch: It appears that today [6/99] the longest diesel-hauled stretch for passenger trains is between Bangalore and Itarsi, for both the KK Express (through Shoranur, Manmad, Bhusaval) and the Bangalore Rajdhani (through Wadi and Nagpur). [confirmation required, and route length?] Another contender is the Itarsi to Guwahati stretch by the Dadar-Guwahati Express.[confirmation??]
The newly introduced New Delhi - Guwahati Rajdhani Express runs via Lucknow, Gorakhpur etc. most of which is unelectrified territory. It is hauled all the way by a TKD loco. The Awadh Assam Express does much the same with a Gonda loco. The distance is above 2000 Km, which is atleast 100 Km more than Itarsi - Guwahati run. Can some other TT freak confirm this as well. Vijay?/
Itarsi - Banglore is much less (About 1730 Km). And there is no way Shoranur can come in this route!
Longest scheduled halt [5/99] The 2311 Up Kalka Mail arrives at 1950hrs at Delhi Junction, and has a scheduled halt there for 2 hours and 55 minutes before it departs on its way to Kalka. Among the non-superfast, non-express trains, the top contender is the 581 Ajmer-Purna Fast Passenger which has a halt of 3 hours and 35 minutes at Ratlam (1855hrs - 2230hrs). (Note: Slip coaches that are waiting to be attached to another rake may be parked at a station for a day or more; here we consider only the halts of entire rakes.)
In the latest WR TT, I noticed that the halting time of 581 at Ratlam has been drastically reduced (Arr. 1845 Dep 1920). However there is still 2nd spot winner on this route. 73 Chittorgarh - Khandwa Exp. halts at Ratlam Jn. for over two hours ( Arr. 1320 Dep. 1530).
Harsh
From: Apurva Bahadur <>
Subject: Indian Railway mag of June 1999
Date: 15 Aug 1999 02:33:07 -0500
Gang !
The June 99 issue of the IR mag is here. The mag to be catching up on
the date of
publication. In the mag is an ad by the manufacturers of the Traversomet
and Lemet
equipment, these are the devices which allow traversing of rolling
stocks at workshops
and lifting of locos for overhauling. There are two pictures
illustrating the two
devices. The Travesomet device shows a tiny yellow coach (without wheels
?) in ICF
Chennai. The text on the coach is too fuzzy but the first letter seems
to be a Z. Any
idea what this coach may be? AFAIK the ICF does not manufacture NG
coaches, for those
are usually manufactured by the regional workshops like Matunga etc
(correct ?). The
spacing of the windows on this yellow coach is quite close and there
seems to be bulge
on end suggesting a headlight. Maybe I am totally on the wrong track,
maybe this is
really the all weather control station for the traversomet.
The second picture shows the Lemet jacks lifting the BHEL 1400 HP diesel
electric
shunter. The loco has the marking 'HDC/CPT' (Haldia development
corporation/ Calcutta
port trust ?). The text of the ad lists the customers, some of whom are
new names for
me. I would request the gang to identify the locations, specially of the
ones with a
question mark. Many of these are not separate towns by themselves but
names of
suburbs, so only a railfan can identify the location
Ayanavaram (?)
Alambagh (Lucknow ?)
Abu Road
Ajmer
Bhopal
Bulsar (Valsad)
Chittorgarh
G - Rock (Golden Rock)
Gorakhpur
Liluah
Lallaguda
Mancheswar (?)
Matunga
MTP (?)
NBG (?)
Pahartali Works (Bangladesh)
Pratapnagar
Perumbur
Raynapadu (?)
Rannavao (?)
Sabarmati
Tirupati
Vatwa
Also industrial clients like:
NTPC facilities:
Anpara: near Singrauli
Chandrapura: (on the Wardha - Ballarshah route ?)
Korba: near Bilaspur
Kahalgaon (near Nagpur ?)
Ramagundam (near Kazipet)
Steel plants:
ASP (?)
BSP (Bhilai steel plant)
VSP (Vishakhapatnam steel plant)
Port Trusts:
HPT (Haldia port trust ?)
MPT (Mangalore port trust ?)
VPT (Vishakhapatnam port trust)
Public Sector undertakings:
Jessops
BEML
NALCO etc
The mag also has a report on the working of the Nagpur division of the
SE railway.
There is a report on the Motibagh NG diesel shed, with an external and
internal views
of the only air-conditioned NG coach in the country (used on the Gondia
- Jabalpur
Satpura Express). Can the gang list the divisions which share a name -
I can see that
Mumbai (CR and WR) and Nagpur (CR and SER), any others ?
Apurva
From: Samit Roychoudhury <>
Subject: Re: FAQ - Trivia update.
Date: 15 Aug 1999 02:41:58 -0500
another fact forgotten or missed out is that the slowest schedule is
probably of the DHR... where the average speed is i believe less than 10
kph. i am not sure of the distance and the travel time, but i once
remember
that it took all day to get to darjeeling from njp.
am i right about this being the slowest run? i think the distance is 82
kms
and the schedule time is about 9 hours or so.
samit
From: Samit Roychoudhury <>
Subject: TAG
Date: 15 Aug 1999 02:44:22 -0500
has anyone any comments on the new Trains at a Glance? the first problem
is
that its never available. i finally got a copy and was a bit aghast.
though
the producers have definitely had good intentions about the changed
format,
they have surely botched it up.
1. the size is cumbersome... the older one was easier to handle.
2. the text is too big and bold... the older one was clearer.
3. some of the info is superfluous.. especially about the tourist sites.
4. the map needed more details, but its a well printed one and thats a
plus.
5. maybe a list of all the websites could have been mentioned to help
passengers update.
6. numerous other small design and detailing defects, too small and too
many
to mention here.
some of the info isnt uptodate. the 8001-2 howrah bombay mail now has
ac-3tier but its not mentioned for one.
on the whole i feel they could have retained the older size and manage
to
have fitted all this in pretty easily.
time they employed professional designers.
From: Don Mills <>
Subject: Re: (no subject)
Date: 15 Aug 1999 10:36:12 -0500
Happy Independence Day to all the great Railfans in India and elsewhere.
don in WV
-----Original Message-----
From: S.Shankar <shankie@emirates.email
To: irfca@cs.email <irfca@cs.email
Date: Saturday, August 14, 1999 11:58 PM
Subject: (no subject)
>Hello,
>
>Independence Day greetings to you all.
>
>Cheers.
>
>Shankar
From: S.Shankar <>
Subject: Re: Indian Railway mag of June 1999
Date: 15 Aug 1999 10:52:28 -0500
Hello Appu,
Lucky you!
I still haven't got my Apr. and May issues!
Cheers---no, no cheers :-(
Shankar
Apurva Bahadur wrote:
>
> Gang !
>
> The June 99 issue of the IR mag is here. The mag to be catching up on
the date of
> publication. In the mag is an ad by the manufacturers of the
Traversomet and Lemet
> equipment, these are the devices which allow traversing of rolling
stocks at workshops
> and lifting of locos for overhauling. There are two pictures
illustrating the two
> devices. The Travesomet device shows a tiny yellow coach (without
wheels ?) in ICF
> Chennai. The text on the coach is too fuzzy but the first letter seems
to be a Z. Any
> idea what this coach may be? AFAIK the ICF does not manufacture NG
coaches, for those
> are usually manufactured by the regional workshops like Matunga etc
(correct ?). The
> spacing of the windows on this yellow coach is quite close and there
seems to be bulge
> on end suggesting a headlight. Maybe I am totally on the wrong track,
maybe this is
> really the all weather control station for the traversomet.
> The second picture shows the Lemet jacks lifting the BHEL 1400 HP
diesel electric
> shunter. The loco has the marking 'HDC/CPT' (Haldia development
corporation/ Calcutta
> port trust ?). The text of the ad lists the customers, some of whom
are new names for
> me. I would request the gang to identify the locations, specially of
the ones with a
> question mark. Many of these are not separate towns by themselves but
names of
> suburbs, so only a railfan can identify the location
>
> Ayanavaram (?)
> Alambagh (Lucknow ?)
> Abu Road
> Ajmer
> Bhopal
> Bulsar (Valsad)
> Chittorgarh
> G - Rock (Golden Rock)
> Gorakhpur
> Liluah
> Lallaguda
> Mancheswar (?)
> Matunga
> MTP (?)
> NBG (?)
> Pahartali Works (Bangladesh)
> Pratapnagar
> Perumbur
> Raynapadu (?)
> Rannavao (?)
> Sabarmati
> Tirupati
> Vatwa
>
> Also industrial clients like:
> NTPC facilities:
> Anpara: near Singrauli
> Chandrapura: (on the Wardha - Ballarshah route ?)
> Korba: near Bilaspur
> Kahalgaon (near Nagpur ?)
> Ramagundam (near Kazipet)
>
> Steel plants:
> ASP (?)
> BSP (Bhilai steel plant)
> VSP (Vishakhapatnam steel plant)
>
> Port Trusts:
> HPT (Haldia port trust ?)
> MPT (Mangalore port trust ?)
> VPT (Vishakhapatnam port trust)
>
> Public Sector undertakings:
> Jessops
> BEML
> NALCO etc
>
> The mag also has a report on the working of the Nagpur division of the
SE railway.
> There is a report on the Motibagh NG diesel shed, with an external and
internal views
> of the only air-conditioned NG coach in the country (used on the
Gondia - Jabalpur
> Satpura Express). Can the gang list the divisions which share a name
- I can see that
> Mumbai (CR and WR) and Nagpur (CR and SER), any others ?
>
> Apurva
From: prakash <>
Subject: Re: Sabotage at Gaisal ?
Date: 15 Aug 1999 11:02:59 -0500
Jayant,
Your info reminds a curious question that was already raised by Apurva
(??)
on whether driver and his assistant were murdered prior to the accident.
I
can't speculate without having enough information.
However, this brings into memory an older incident on WR where a
motorman
was murdered during daylight, his bag was hung as a weight to keep
master
controller operating and the train was left rolling towards Mumbai from
Vasai Road in early 60s. The motorman was Lucas Ellie and his son Collin
was eventually hired by WR as a M/man a few years later. He may still be
around; Viraf and his gang may check on this one.
Fortunately, no accident occurred and the train was brought to halt by
disabling OH power.
Prakash
Jayant S <sank@telco.email on 08/13/99 08:08:11 PM
Please respond to sank@telco.email
To: IR List <irfca@cs.email
cc:
Subject: Sabotage at Gaisal ?
<A HREF="http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/aug/13rail.htm">http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/aug/13rail.htm</A>
NFR authorities are speculating on the possibility
of terrorist action leading to the Gaisal accident.
According to this article, the Avadh-Assam Exp stopped
for 11 minutes at the Panjipara outer signal, something
that has not been mentioned before. It then "entered
the Panjipara station without the mandatory reception
signal."
Any ideas, anyone ?
--
JS
--
From: S.Shankar <>
Subject: Re: Indian Railway mag of June 1999
Date: 15 Aug 1999 11:34:27 -0500
HELLO,
Apurva Bahadur wrote
>
> Gang !
>
> The June 99 issue of the IR mag is here. The mag to be catching up on
the date of
> publication.
). The text of the ad lists the customers, some of whom are new names
for
> me. I would request the gang to identify the locations, specially of
the ones with a
> question mark. Many of these are not separate towns by themselves but
names of
> suburbs, so only a railfan can identify the location
>
> Ayanavaram (?) >>AYANAVARAM IS A SUBURB OF MADRAS. IT MUST ACTUALLY
BE ANNAVARAM, NEAR TUNI (CLOSE TO VSKP) ON THE MADRAS-HOWRAH LINE.
> Alambagh (Lucknow ?)YES.
> Abu Road
> Ajmer
> Bhopal
> Bulsar (Valsad)
> Chittorgarh
> G - Rock (Golden Rock)
> Gorakhpur
> Liluah
> Lallaguda
> Mancheswar (?)(ON THE KONKAN RAILWAY?)
> Matunga
> MTP (?) METTUPALAYAM
> NBG (?)NOWBAGH NEAR ACHALPUR ON THE MURTIJAPUR-ACHALPUR NG LINE
> Pahartali Works (Bangladesh)
> Pratapnagar
> Perumbur
> Raynapadu (?)THIS IS THE STATION NEXT TO VIJAYAWADA ON THE
KAZIPET-VIJAYAWADA LINE
> Rannavao (?)GUJARAT. I THINK IT IS THE SAME AS RANAVAV.
> Sabarmati
> Tirupati
> Vatwa
>
> Also industrial clients like:
> NTPC facilities:
> Anpara: near Singrauli
> Chandrapura: (on the Wardha - Ballarshah route ?)THAT IS CHANDRAPUR.
ACTUALLY,CHANDRAPURA IS NEXT TO DHANBAD ON THE ER.I THINK THE LINES
AROUND CHANDRAPURA WERE THE TESTING GROUND FOR 2 x 25kv
ELECTRIFICATION.(whatever that means).
> Korba: near Bilaspur
> Kahalgaon (near Nagpur ?)NO IDEA.BUT ISN,T THE ONE NEAR NGP KHAMGAON?
> Ramagundam (near Kazipet)BETWEEN KAZIPET AND BALLARSHAH.INDIA'S SPACE
RESEARCH FACILITY ISRO IS THERE.
>
> Steel plants:
> ASP (?)I THINK IT IS ALLOY STEEL PLANT AT DURGAPUR, W.BENGAL. WE USED
TO LIVE IN DGP, AND OUR SCHOOL BUSES USED TO BE CONTRACT BUSES USED FOR
THE ASP.
> BSP (Bhilai steel plant)
> VSP (Vishakhapatnam steel plant)
>
> Port Trusts:
> HPT (Haldia port trust ?)
> MPT (Mangalore port trust ?)
> VPT (Vishakhapatnam port trust)
>
> Public Sector undertakings:
> Jessops
> BEML
> NALCO etc
>
> The mag also has a report on the working of the Nagpur division of the
SE railway.
> There is a report on the Motibagh NG diesel shed, with an external and
internal views
> of the only air-conditioned NG coach in the country (used on the
Gondia - Jabalpur
> Satpura Express). Can the gang list the divisions which share a name
- I can see that
> Mumbai (CR and WR) and Nagpur (CR and SER), any others ?
>
> Apurva
CHEERS
SHANKAR
From: Royston Ellis <>
Subject: Foreign train traveller comments
Date: 15 Aug 1999 16:48:44 -0500
>Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1999 12:56:46 +0500
>To: irfca@cs.email
>From: Royston Ellis <royston@pan.email
>Subject: Foreign train traveller comments
>
>Gang:
(I sent this message yesterday but perhaps it didn't get through as it
hasn't come back to me on the list)
>I was much relieved, in view of what's been happening with Indian
Railways
lately, to receive a letter from an English couple in which they say
about
their rail journeys in July:
>
>"We spent nine nights sleeping on trains...all the train guards etc.,
could not have done more for us and we were always woken up at the right
station."
>
>They comment that "Lucknow is the dirtiest station we travelled too,
rats,
rats and more rats. Moghulsarai the best organised, no ticket meant no
entry to station, made life a lot easier. Tundla the best taxi stand
ever,
we were met by a taxi official with clip board and took our turn for a
taxi
with no problems regarding destination or fares; Jaipur had the most
awful
taxi driver/touts in the whole of India."
>
>Thought you'd like to know.
>
>Royston
From: VIRAF P.. MULLA <>
Subject: Re: emu enigma
Date: 15 Aug 1999 19:14:14 -0500
>
> Viraf is right. I know of "Bada Fast", BVI-BA-MEL since mid 50s. In
> fact, in early 60s, a 3 coach MAN EMU operated on Saturday afternoon
> as Virar local. It ran fast between Merine Lines and Dahisar, a triple
> fast train.
>
Prakash I have heard about this 3 coach EMU but have never seen it. Some
of my collegues travelling from Vasai & Virar informs me that it had a
silver livery and was known as SILVER ARROW. This was somewhere in
sixties.
Viraf.
==========================
Viraf Mulla
C-20/14, Jeevan Bima Nagar,
Borivali (West)
Mumbai 400103
Tel: +91-22-8954510
E-mail: sncf@godrej.email
==========================