IRFCA Mailing List Archive
Messages 9001 - 9020
From: raymond/Polaris <>
Subject: MU-ing WDM2's
Date: 11 Oct 1999 22:50:57 -0500
Dear gang,
I think what Tim means is whether there was a system of denoting pairs
of WDM2's
as 'A' and 'B'. This does not make the locos WDM 2A and WDM 2B
respectively. I
have seen TKD double header WDM 2's used for hauling TN and GT with 'A'
and 'B'
inside a square painted.
_____ _____
| | | |
| A | | B |
|___| |___|
These were after the loco nos. Like 17438 A and 17554 B
I do not think that these double headers were ever disconnected from
each other,
another thought occurred to me. For example, while synchronising DG
sets, it is
preferable to have sets of the same capacity, and of the same vintage,
so that
load sharing is more accurate. Maybe TKD shed honchos, along with other
sheds,
tried to MU similar WDM 2's, of same age, same running hours after last
major
overhaul etc. Does anybody think this theory holds any water at all ??
Regards
Raymond
From: Joydeep Dutta <>
Subject: Re: MU-ing WDM2's
Date: 12 Oct 1999 01:37:03 -0500
Gang
Two WDM2s can only be put in MU formation if both have exactly the same
components. So given any two WDM2s it may not be possible to have a MU
formation since during shed maintainance some component changes are
ocassionally. Some sheds from where one needs MU- operation keeps up a
fleet of WDM2 pairs which are compatible for MU- operation. So the A and
B
that was in the TKD locos are bascically the A and B units of the
MU-formation and infact they are kept in that fixed formation. TKD
however
does not us MU at that rate but Howrah uses MU WDM2 operation on its
Poorva
Exp and Rajdhani EXpress Via Patna.
Some important sheds which maintains MU fleet are Kharagpur,
Vishakapatnam,
Bondamunda, Erode, etc.
Joydeep
>From: raymond/Polaris@polaris.email
>To: shankie@emirates.email
>CC: tmwake@warwick.email Apurva Bahadur <iti@vsnl.email irfca
><irfca@cs.email
>Subject: MU-ing WDM2's
>Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 11:20:57 +0530
>
>
>
>Dear gang,
>
>I think what Tim means is whether there was a system of denoting pairs
of
>WDM2's
>as 'A' and 'B'. This does not make the locos WDM 2A and WDM 2B
>respectively. I
>have seen TKD double header WDM 2's used for hauling TN and GT with 'A'
and
>'B'
>inside a square painted.
>
> _____ _____
> | | | |
> | A | | B |
> |___| |___|
>
>These were after the loco nos. Like 17438 A and 17554 B
>
>
>I do not think that these double headers were ever disconnected from
each
>other,
>another thought occurred to me. For example, while synchronising DG
sets,
>it is
>preferable to have sets of the same capacity, and of the same vintage,
so
>that
>load sharing is more accurate. Maybe TKD shed honchos, along with other
>sheds,
>tried to MU similar WDM 2's, of same age, same running hours after last
>major
>overhaul etc. Does anybody think this theory holds any water at all ??
>
>Regards
>
>Raymond
>
>
______________________________________________________
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From: John Lacey <>
Subject: Re: Sri Lanka
Date: 12 Oct 1999 01:44:31 -0500
Alas! The ferry service had been "temporarily suspended" by the time I
tried to use it.
While the journey across the Palk Straits was only about 12 miles, it
apparently took all day. After the cyclone which destroyed Dhanushkodi,
the Indian departure point was Rameswaram Port ( a short branch line ran
from the passenger station). There was no pier there and
everything-passengers, luggaage, cars, trucks - was taken out to the
steamer by small lighter and then loaded aboard by the ship's derricks.
This was one of the causes of the long day, apart from the tedious
immigration procedures. From leaving the Port'wharf' to the actual
departure was at least three hours according to friends who made the
southbound trip in 1980. There was pier at the Sri Lankan side and a
connecting overnight train ran to Colombo.
Why Adam? After he was cast out from Paradise, he landed on Earth at
Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka, where his footprint may be seen at the summit,
a place where butterflies go to die. I'm sure Royston will give you more
details.
>From a long ago memory, I think a bridge had been proposed across the
strait ( before 1912?). The ferry service was suspended during the
monsoon months December-January.
To quote the May 1981 Sri Lanka Railways Train Guide,
"The Sri Lanka Government railway runs a service from Colombo to
Talaimannar Pier to connect the Ferry Boat and Southern Railway in India
on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Connecting tains are available from
the Hill country.
The Ferry Boat leaves Talaimannar Pier on Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays at 09.00 hours and arrives Rameswaram at 12.00 hours. The
Ferry Boat leaves Rameswaram in India for Talaimannar Pier on Mondays,
Weddnesdays and Fridays at 12.00 hours and arrives Talaimannar Pier at
15.00 hours."
That these times may have been optimistic is indicated by the connecting
train times:
Pier arrive 04.45 depart 22.30 on Ferry days
"" " " " " 20.43 non Ferry days
Paul Thereoux describes his Madras-Colombo journey, including the
crossing on the T.S.S. Ramanujam, ( 1929 ?, again from distant memory)
in his recently mentioned The Great Railway Bazaar.
John Lacey
From: Apurva Bahadur <>
Subject: Re: B units was Re: Diesel Crane spotted
Date: 12 Oct 1999 02:20:49 -0500
> This all begs the question of a foreigner - were there ever B units on
> IR, that it, non-cab equipped diesels used as "booster" units in MU
with
> cabbed units?
There are no 'non cab' booster units in India. A 'shunting' cab exists
in the
blind end of the EMUs where a small window and very primitive controls
allows
the 'charge man' to move the EMU within the car shed to couple the rake
together.
> Point of trivia - the American B units *do* have control stands in
them,
> but are used only by the hostler - the guy at the loco shed that moves
> the units around - to assemble locomotive consists. The stands are
> either by the end door of the unit or, in some cases, by a window so
> that the hostler stands inside the unit and sticks his head out to see
> where he's going.
From: S.Shankar <>
Subject: Re: Sri Lanka
Date: 12 Oct 1999 03:44:15 -0500
Hello John, Iain and others,
Check out this url: it gives in just two lines what Adam's Bridge is all
about. After a damned good scientific explanation, it trails off into
Hindu mythology, which confirms the story I'd heard earlier:
<A HREF="http://www.travel-india.com/cityps/rameshwaram/tourist_places.htm#Adam">http://www.travel-india.com/cityps/rameshwaram/tourist_places.htm#Adam</A>
And thank you John for the detailed writeup. Most fascinating.
Cheers.
Shankar
John Lacey wrote:
>
> Alas! The ferry service had been "temporarily suspended" by the time I
> tried to use it.
> While the journey across the Palk Straits was only about 12 miles, it
> apparently took all day. After the cyclone which destroyed
Dhanushkodi,
> the Indian departure point was Rameswaram Port ( a short branch line
ran
> from the passenger station). There was no pier there and
> everything-passengers, luggaage, cars, trucks - was taken out to the
> steamer by small lighter and then loaded aboard by the ship's
derricks.
> This was one of the causes of the long day, apart from the tedious
> immigration procedures. From leaving the Port'wharf' to the actual
> departure was at least three hours according to friends who made the
> southbound trip in 1980. There was pier at the Sri Lankan side and a
> connecting overnight train ran to Colombo.
> Why Adam? After he was cast out from Paradise, he landed on Earth at
> Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka, where his footprint may be seen at the
summit,
> a place where butterflies go to die. I'm sure Royston will give you
more
> details.
> >From a long ago memory, I think a bridge had been proposed across the
> strait ( before 1912?). The ferry service was suspended during the
> monsoon months December-January.
> To quote the May 1981 Sri Lanka Railways Train Guide,
> "The Sri Lanka Government railway runs a service from Colombo to
> Talaimannar Pier to connect the Ferry Boat and Southern Railway in
India
> on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Connecting tains are available
from
> the Hill country.
> The Ferry Boat leaves Talaimannar Pier on Tuesdays, Thursdays and
> Saturdays at 09.00 hours and arrives Rameswaram at 12.00 hours. The
> Ferry Boat leaves Rameswaram in India for Talaimannar Pier on Mondays,
> Weddnesdays and Fridays at 12.00 hours and arrives Talaimannar Pier at
> 15.00 hours."
> That these times may have been optimistic is indicated by the
connecting
> train times:
>
> Pier arrive 04.45 depart 22.30 on Ferry days
> "" " " " " 20.43 non Ferry days
>
> Paul Thereoux describes his Madras-Colombo journey, including the
> crossing on the T.S.S. Ramanujam, ( 1929 ?, again from distant memory)
> in his recently mentioned The Great Railway Bazaar.
>
> John Lacey
From: Royston Ellis <>
Subject: Sri Lanka rail
Date: 12 Oct 1999 06:06:55 -0500
Hi Gang:
I was de-subscribed when the topic of rail in Sri Lanka came up but I
have
now seen the e-mails.
First, thanks to those who recommended my book SRI LANKA BY RAIL. It is
still available through the publishers: Bradt Travel Guides at 41
Nortoft
Road, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks, England SL9 0LA, England; fax: 44 1494
873478; email: <bradtpublications@compuserve.email and website:
www.bradt-travelguides.com
Thanks to Shankar for the Sri Lanka website addresses which I shall try
myself when I have time.
THE expert on the historical side of the CGR (Ceylon Government Railway)
is
Vinod Wickremeratne who is also the driving force behind the Model
Railroad
Club. I am trying to contact him (he is not known at the current
telephone
number I have for him) and I will pass on contact details to the IRFCA
list
as soon as I can.
For the record, I confirm that the northern terminus of the railway in
Sri
Lanka is still Vavuniya, 252 km from Colombo, because of the line's
destruction due to guerrilla warfare activity in the 1980s. The line to
Talaimannar Pier (335km from Colombo, built in 1914) used to begin at
Madawachchi Junction (229km from Colombo, built in 1905) on the way to
Vavuniya and no longer operates. Full details of all this in my book,
which
is still valid although published in 1994. Tourists, by the way, need
have
no fear of rail travel in Sri Lanka.
Royston.
From: shankar s. <>
Subject: CONTAINER CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED (A GOVT.OF INDIA UNDERTAKING)
Date: 12 Oct 1999 08:02:42 -0500
Hello,
IR is really going high tech!
Check out this site about the Container Corpn. on India.
Cheers.
Shankar
<A HREF="http://www.concorindia.com/index.htm">http://www.concorindia.com/index.htm</A>
From: Rajan Mathew <>
Subject: Mangalore - Hassan Gauge Conversion
Date: 12 Oct 1999 09:34:35 -0500
I don't know Veerappan's territory ....
But here are my observations just are for the line that leaves Kankanady
....
The entire metre gauge line leaving the station (which runs parallel to
the
KR line for 700-900 m)
has been stripped with virtually no sign of progress. "Abandoned Work"
seems
to be the correct term here since there has been no change from November
last year till last month when I passed Kankanady again ....
Rajan
> officially, the work of doubling the hassan
> mangalore railway is still on. the main
> difficulty, i suppose, is the shortage of
> funds. chandan smuggler veerappan is
> quite far off from this section. his area
> of operation is at least 150 kms from
> hassan.
> > I'd heard About the Abandoned Work of Gauge Conversion between
> > Hassan-Mangalore.....
> > Ist thing it is in Dense Forests and lot of Animals, snakes etc.....
> > But main reason is the Famous Chandan Smuggler Virappan.....
Ministry of
> > Railway had sent around 10-15 Survey PArties there.... But Every
time
> > Veerappan Threated them & ordered to stop the work..... Now its
almost
1-2
> > years.... I think its still pending.....
From: Anne Ogborn <>
Subject: Re: Cattle guard.
Date: 12 Oct 1999 10:30:17 -0500
In the US cattle gaurds usually are where the railway crosses
a road at grade. They consist of a sloping end to the fence,
so as to get some obstruction as close as possible, and a
number of thin rails set edgewise in the ground. The cattle don't like
to walk on these rails (hurts their hooves) so they don't
cross.
Annie
>> >
>
From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>
Subject: Re: MU-ing WDM2's
Date: 12 Oct 1999 10:33:14 -0500
Isn't it true that all the 'fixed formation' WDM2 pairs are oriented so
that the long hood always leads in either direction? In other words, no
need to turn-around the formation. At least I have seen this on the
Mumbai
Raj, AK Raj, ADI Shatabdi, Udyan exps. Check out
<A HREF="http://www.jps.net/prakash/wcam1/images/wdm2.jpg">http://www.jps.net/prakash/wcam1/images/wdm2.jpg</A>
<A HREF="http://www.xula.edu/~vbalasub/Udyan1.jpg">http://www.xula.edu/~vbalasub/Udyan1.jpg</A>
I have spotted other 'orientations' as well. Check out -
<A HREF="http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/sridhar_s/wdm-pair.jpg">http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/sridhar_s/wdm-pair.jpg</A>
<A HREF="http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/sridhar_s/wdg2-daund.jpg">http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/sridhar_s/wdg2-daund.jpg</A>
Seems to me that these locos. are essentially loners and are brought
together once in a while for MU operation.
Vijay
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joydeep Dutta [SMTP:joydeepdutta@hotmail.email
> Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 1999 4:37 AM
> To: raymond/Polaris@polaris.email
> Cc: irfca@cs.email
> Subject: Re: MU-ing WDM2's
>
> Gang
> Two WDM2s can only be put in MU formation if both have exactly the
same
> components. So given any two WDM2s it may not be possible to have a MU
> formation since during shed maintainance some component changes are
> ocassionally. Some sheds from where one needs MU- operation keeps up
a
> fleet of WDM2 pairs which are compatible for MU- operation. So the A
and B
>
> that was in the TKD locos are bascically the A and B units of the
> MU-formation and infact they are kept in that fixed formation. TKD
however
>
> does not us MU at that rate but Howrah uses MU WDM2 operation on its
> Poorva
> Exp and Rajdhani EXpress Via Patna.
> Some important sheds which maintains MU fleet are Kharagpur,
> Vishakapatnam,
> Bondamunda, Erode, etc.
> Joydeep
>
>
>
> >From: raymond/Polaris@polaris.email
> >To: shankie@emirates.email
> >CC: tmwake@warwick.email Apurva Bahadur <iti@vsnl.email irfca
> ><irfca@cs.email
> >Subject: MU-ing WDM2's
> >Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 11:20:57 +0530
> >
> >
> >
> >Dear gang,
> >
> >I think what Tim means is whether there was a system of denoting
pairs of
>
> >WDM2's
> >as 'A' and 'B'. This does not make the locos WDM 2A and WDM 2B
> >respectively. I
> >have seen TKD double header WDM 2's used for hauling TN and GT with
'A'
> and
> >'B'
> >inside a square painted.
> >
> > _____ _____
> > | | | |
> > | A | | B |
> > |___| |___|
> >
> >These were after the loco nos. Like 17438 A and 17554 B
> >
> >
> >I do not think that these double headers were ever disconnected from
each
>
> >other,
> >another thought occurred to me. For example, while synchronising DG
sets,
>
> >it is
> >preferable to have sets of the same capacity, and of the same
vintage, so
>
> >that
> >load sharing is more accurate. Maybe TKD shed honchos, along with
other
> >sheds,
> >tried to MU similar WDM 2's, of same age, same running hours after
last
> >major
> >overhaul etc. Does anybody think this theory holds any water at all
??
> >
> >Regards
> >
> >Raymond
> >
> >
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>
From: Anne Ogborn <>
Subject: Re: Cattle guard.
Date: 12 Oct 1999 10:34:07 -0500
Certainly it's original purpose on US locos, where
I think the cowcatcher first appeared, was to "shoo" cattle
off the track.
From: Pushkar Apte <>
Subject: Go Calcutta?
Date: 12 Oct 1999 17:07:30 -0500
From Indian Express, 10/12:
It is now almost certain that Trinamool Congress leader
Mamata Bannerjee will be the new Railway Minister.
______________________________________________________
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From: S.B.Mehta <>
Subject: Top 20 Rail Journeys
Date: 13 Oct 1999 02:22:26 -0500
Hi, gang!
Try out the Ahmedabad - Udaipur MG line. Its comfortable, scenic and
very affordable. A very 'rustic' line, one could say.
Sarosh
From: Jishnu Mukerji <>
Subject: Re: Go Calcutta?
Date: 13 Oct 1999 07:43:15 -0500
Pushkar Apte wrote:
>
> >From Indian Express, 10/12:
>
> It is now almost certain that Trinamool Congress leader
> Mamata Bannerjee will be the new Railway Minister.
>
Heck, maybe my pet project - a Calcutta - Patna Shatabdi will happen
after
all!:-)
Also the chances of a faster Rajdhani between Calcutta and New Delhi,
something
that has been talked about off and on should improve.
Jishnu.
From: Sundar Krishnamurthy <>
Subject: Fw: e-mail address of Chief Commercial Manager (Refunds)
Date: 13 Oct 1999 07:56:38 -0500
FWD: From: "Sujathan Nair" <sujamaya@hotmail.email
Subject: e-mail address of Chief Commercial Manager (Refunds)
Date: Tue, 05 Oct 1999 06:11:07 PDT
Dear Sir,
Could you please give me the e-mail address of the Chief Commercial
Manager
(Refunds) Souther Railway, Thycaud, Trivandrum. I am an NRI who had
booked
a reservation in the month of May 99from Eranakulam to Manmad Jn. by
Mangala Express but could not confirm the seat. hence I have cancelled
the
ticket at Eranakulam South. It was booked through Credit Card(Citibank)
and
sent it for refunds at the above address in the month of June,99. Now
almost 4 months are over so far no reply has been received by me neither
my
refund nor it is credited in my Citibank account.
If you can guide me where to contact and how ? I have got all the
documents
Xerox copies. I have lost belief in Railways. They never bother about
passengers money. I have visited your website. It is really good. Could
you
please help me in this regard.
Awaiting to hear from you soon.
Regards.
From: Apurva Bahadur <>
Subject: Re: Go Calcutta? Confirmed
Date: 13 Oct 1999 09:27:03 -0500
It has been confirmed, Mamta Banerjee is indeed 'our' minister. She has
a reputation
for a simple, stubborn but sincere person. So the railways may see
better days under
her leadership.
Jishnu Mukerji wrote:
> Pushkar Apte wrote:
> >
> > >From Indian Express, 10/12:
> >
> > It is now almost certain that Trinamool Congress leader
> > Mamata Bannerjee will be the new Railway Minister.
> >
>
> Heck, maybe my pet project - a Calcutta - Patna Shatabdi will happen
after
> all!:-)
>
> Also the chances of a faster Rajdhani between Calcutta and New Delhi,
something
> that has been talked about off and on should improve.
>
> Jishnu.
From: Tim & Anita Wakeman <>
Subject: Female Railfans
Date: 13 Oct 1999 09:27:17 -0500
Hi all,
A while back there was a short thread on wondering if there are any
female railfans in the world. While digging through some old photos the
other day I came across one I had taken in 1982. I was 16 years old at
the time. A special excursion train was running on the rail line that
passes my house so I was out that day to photograph it. At one location
I set everything up the way I wanted when a car pulled up,(in my camers
view, of coarse), and the photograpHER got out to take a picture too.
Needless to say, I did not not readjust composition. BTW, if you are an
older male list member with heart trouble, maybe you shoud use caution
when viewing.
got <A HREF="http://www.railroad.net/forums/photo/msg1013013628295.jpg">http://www.railroad.net/forums/photo/msg1013013628295.jpg</A>
Tim
From: Tim & Anita Wakeman <>
Subject: Green paint
Date: 13 Oct 1999 09:47:12 -0500
Hello,
There was some talk a couple of weeks ago on the green and cream paint
on somr IR locos. Is this a rare scheme? I have a photo of the 6204, a
YDM4 that I took at Chittor AP. It was in such paint. Apurva, you should
like this one!
Tim
<A HREF="http://webusers.warwick.net/~u1029964/6204ydm4.jpg">http://webusers.warwick.net/~u1029964/6204ydm4.jpg</A>
From: S.Shankar <>
Subject: Re: Green paint
Date: 13 Oct 1999 09:58:02 -0500
Hello,
This is the standard livery of all the engines attached to Golden Rock
shed in Trichy.
The color used to be fully green with a narrow yellow ribbon, it was
recently changed to the broad cream band.
Cheers.
Shankar
Tim & Anita Wakeman wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> There was some talk a couple of weeks ago on the green and cream paint
> on somr IR locos. Is this a rare scheme? I have a photo of the 6204, a
> YDM4 that I took at Chittor AP. It was in such paint. Apurva, you
should
> like this one!
>
> Tim
>
> <A HREF="http://webusers.warwick.net/~u1029964/6204ydm4.jpg">http://webusers.warwick.net/~u1029964/6204ydm4.jpg</A>
From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>
Subject: Info. from 1934 Bradshaw
Date: 13 Oct 1999 10:49:23 -0500
Hi Folks,
Got a chance to look through my 1934 Bradshaw TT (courtesy Ajai
Banerji
who is back in India). Is loaded with information and I doubt whether I
can
do justice through email. Neverthless, let me attempt to share some
info.
Let me start with the premier trains (note the station spellings).
1. 5 Up/6 Dn. Punjab Mail - Calcutta (Howrah) to Lahore - 1st class, 2nd
class, Inter class, 3rd class for servants only - run time around 35
hrs.
About 5 hrs. faster than the present Howrah-Amritsar Mail between Howrah
and
Amritsar.
Halts - Burdwan, Asansol, Madhupur, Jha Jha, Kiul, Mokameh, Patna,
Dinapore, Arrah, Buxar, Moghal Sarai, Kashi, Benares Cant., Partapgarh,
Rae-Bareli, Lucknow, Hardoi, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Rampur, Moradabad,
Najibabad, Lhaksar, Roorkee, Saharanpur, Ambala Cant., Rajpura,
Ludhiana,
Jullundur Cant., Jullundu City, Amritsar, Moghalpur, Lahore.
Used to take the H.B. Chord (not via Bandel). TT mentions about dinner
being served in the restaurant car (in the Howrah-Burdwan section).
Just to give you an idea about the fares between Howrah and Amritsar
(around 1950 km)
1st class - around Rs. 108, 2nd class - around Rs. 50, Inter Class -
around
Rs. 25, 3rd class - around Rs. 13. So for long distance, charges
double as
one goes to the next higher class.
When was the Inter class abolished? I believe 3rd class was abolished
in
the mid 70s and Inter class was 'adjusted' to the present 2nd class. Am
I
on the right track here?
Notable skips
Durgapur - a rather unimportant station, only the Punjab Exp. used to
halt
here. Ondal and Raneegunge were more important.
Mihijam - now Chittaranjan. Only passenger trains halted here + the
Sealdah-Delhi Exp. (predecessor of Upper India Exp.)
Jasidih - only train to skip this one
Dildarnagar - same as above
Bhadohi - halt for pass. trains only
Balamau - only train to skip this one
Phagwara - Frontier Mail also ignored it.
2. 1 Up/2 Dn. Calcutta-Delhi-Kalka Mail. 1st,2nd,Inter, 3rd(allowed
for
distances > 100 miles). About 40 mts. faster than present Howrah-Kalka
Mail. Nearly an hour faster between Howrah and Delhi.
Halts - Burdwan, Asansol, Dhanbad, Gomoh, Hazaribagh Rd., Gaya, Sone
East
Bank (now Sonnagar), Dehri-on-Sone, Moghal Sarai, Mirzapur, Allahabad,
Fatehpur, Cawnpore Central, Etawah, Shikohabad, Tundla, Hathras,
Aligarh,
Ghaziabad, Delhi, Subzimundi, Sonepat, Panipat, Karnal, Kurukshetra,
Ambala
Cant., Dhulkot, Lalru, Ghaggar, Chandigarh, Surajpur, Kalka.
Halt time of 30 mts. (Up) and 1 hr. 15 mts. (Dn.) at Delhi. Few changes
in
the halt pattern - it now skips Sonnagar and halts at Sasaram instead.
Surprisingly, the Bombay Mail via Allahabad used to skip Dehri-on-Sone
and
halt at Sone East Bank. Why did the focus shift away from Sonnagar and
onto
Dehri-on-Sone? Industries?
Other notable skips - Durgapur, Koderma
3. 3 Up/4 Dn Calcutta-Bombay Mail via Chheoki (not Allahabad),
1st,2nd,Inter,3rd. A little over 2 hrs. faster than present Mail via
Allahabad. Was the only train to skip Allahabad and halt at Chheoki -
so no
directional reversal. Used to go via Bandel instead of the chord line.
As
fast as the Kalka Mail between Howrah and Chheoki.
Halts - Bandel, Burdwan, Asansol, Dhanbad, Gomoh, Hazaribagh Rd., Gaya,
Sone
East Bank, Sasaram, Moghal Sarai, Mirzapur, Chheoki, Manikpur, Satna,
Katni,
Sihora Rd., Jubbulpore, Narsinghpur, Kareli, Gadarvada, Pipariya,
Sohagpur,
Itarsi, Harda, Khandwa, Burhanpur, Bhusaval, Chalisgaon, Manmad, Nasik
Rd.,
Igatpuri (only 6 mt. halt), Kalyan, Dadar (only towards Bombay), Bombay
VT
A footnote says that trains will be stopped at Thana for passengers when
required. Dinner served in the restaurant car between Howrah and
Bandel.
Notable skips - Durgapur, Raneegunge, Koderma, Dehri-on-sone, Maihar
(only
train to do so), Nepanagar, Jalgaon (only train to do so), Devlali
(conditional halt).
Gadarvada (now Gadarwara) and Sohagpur were important stations with all
trains stopping here and both arrival/dep. times indicated. Of course,
there were only 4 trains between Allahabad and Itarsi.
The abstract section also indicates an Imperial Mail that would run from
Howrah and Bombay (Ballard Pier, not VT) on Thursdays conveying first
class
passengers and their servants only. In the Up dirn., it would leave
Howrah
about 1 1/2 hrs. after the Mail. A footnote mentions that about five
hours
after the P. & O. Mail Steamer (any more info. on this?) has been
brought
alongside the Pier, Indian Imperial Mail train starts from Mole
alongside
the Steamer. Accommodation is provided for 42 First Class Passengers
only.
4. 3/4 Frontier Mail between Bombay Central and Peshawar. Am not sure
about the Up/Dn here - I think this was Dn. from Bombay to Delhi and
then
Up. 1st,2nd,Inter,3rd(for servants only). Run time of around 46 1/2
hrs.
from Bombay to Peshawar, around 47 1/2 hrs. in the return direction.
Nearly
an hour slower than the present Golden Temple Mail.
Halts - Dadar (Dn only), Palghar, Bulsar, Surat, Baroda, Godhra, Dohad,
Rutlam, Nagda, Shamgarh, Bhawani Mandi (Up only), Kotah, Lakheri (Up
only),
Sawai Madhopur, Gangapur City, Bayana, Bharatpur, Muttra, (intermediate
halts not indicated), Delhi Main, Ghaziabad, Meerut City,Meerut Cant.,
Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Ambala Cant., Rajpura, Ludhiana, Jullundur
Cant.,
Jullundur City, Amritsar, Moghalpura, Lahore, Shahdara, Gujranwala Town,
Wazirabad, Lala Musa, Sohawa, Gujar Khan, Mandra, Chak Lala, Rawalpindi,
Taxila, Campbellpur (who was Campbell?), Attock, Nowahara, Peshawar
Cant.
Halts that have been removed - Palghar (arr./dep. times indicated),
Bulsar
(now Valsad), Lakheri, Rajpura.
Halts that have been added over the years - Borivli (used to be ignored
by
most exp. trains), Ramganj Mandi (removed for sometime and then added
again), Shri Mahabiji, Beas.
Bradshaw mentions that the Frontier Mail will leave from Ballard Pier on
Outward Mail Days (mail from Britain??). A portion of the Up Frontier
Mail
will run direct to Ballard Pier on Saturdays carrying Homeward Mail.
5. 5/6 Punjab Mail between Bombay VT and Delhi. Run time of 26.5 / 27
hrs -
nearly 1-1.5 hrs. slower than present Punjab Mail. Nearly 2 hrs. faster
than GT from Itarsi to Delhi - about 1/2 hr. faster than GT in the
return
journey.
Halts - Dadar (only towards Bombay), Kalyan, Kasara (only towards
Delhi),
Igatpuri, Devlali (will stop here by Signal - ?), Nasik Rd., Manmad,
Chalisgaon, Jalgaon, Bhusaval, Khandwa, Itarsi, Hoshangabad, Budni,
Barkhera, Bhopal, Sanchi (for 1st/2nd class passengers and their
servants
when required), Bhilsa (now Vidisha), Bina, Lalitpur, Jhansi, Datia,
Gwalior, Morena, Dholpur (arr/dep. indicated - all trains halted here),
Agra
Cant., Raja-ki-Mandi, Muttra, Kosi Kalan, New Delhi, Delhi Main.
Halts that have been removed - Budni, Barkhera (all trains stopped at
these
two stations), Datia, Kosi Kalan (removed and then added - arr./times
indicated with all trains stopping here).
Quite a few halts have been added - Burhanpur, Khirkhiya, Harda,
Banapura,
Habibganj (NO train used to halt here), Basoda (now Ganj Basoda), Babina
(only pass. trains halted here), Faridabad.
Used to have a spectacular run from Bhusaval to Itarsi with just one
halt at
Khandwa. Used to be the only train to ignore Burhanpur, Harda, Basoda
(even
GT had a halt here).
More later on the GT Exp., Bombay-Howrah Mail via Nagpur,
Bombay/Howrah-Madras Mails
Vijay