IRFCA Mailing List Archive


Messages 9401 - 9420

From: Shankar <>

Subject: Re: [IRFCA] fwd: questions re: IR

Date: 07 Nov 1999 11:20:56 -0500


Hello Mr. Saidi,
For a fair idea of the Indian Railways, visit their official website:

<A HREF="http://www.indianrailway.com/">http://www.indianrailway.com/</A>

At the risk of being accused of blowing my own trumpet, take a look at
some of my own webpages about Indian (but also Pakistan and Bangladesh)
railways. Go to:
<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Coast/9896/">http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Coast/9896/</A>

You can also see a large number of Indian Railways related pages made by
several of our dear irfca members. Follow the following link:

<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Coast/9896/superrlylinks.htm">http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Coast/9896/superrlylinks.htm</A>

Most of the irfca members pages are represented here, so also several
corporate sites about the indian railways.

Cheers.

Shankar



Anurag Acharya wrote:
>
> Date: Sun, 07 Nov 1999 07:20:07 +0500
> From: "s.h.zaidi" <oldgold@cyberaccess.email
> Reply-To: oldgold@cyberaccess.email
> To: irfca-request@cs.email
> Subject: Total length of Indian railways and suggestion for reading
books, if any on Indian Railways
>
> Can you give me the above information please via e-mail, purely
> forinformation and research purposes.
> Reply via e-mail please.

From: The Brabyns <>

Subject: Who are we?

Date: 07 Nov 1999 13:59:26 -0500


I'm Trevor Brabyn, a high school student and miniature painter. I'm not
actually a member yet of IRFCA, but am sort of testing the water.

I've been building models since I was very little, in one
form or another (I'm 15 years old now). I started using the 00 Airfix
figures a
few years ago, and later moved on to 25mm wargames miniatures, for
gaming. I have
a bit of a facination with the colonial empires, especially nowadays the
British
in India. This got me into India in general, and I'm now reading books
on
Hinduism, Islam, the Raj, and all those colonial conflicts, from Clive
to
Independance. Eventually I became so engrossed in it that I wanted to
model the
landscape in depth. Inspired by a 00-guage train I got last summer for
gaming,
and all the neat movies featuring Indian trains I'd seen, I thought it
might be
fun to model Indian railways. This is my latest interest. Admittedly I
know very
little about it, but am ready to find out.

I'm fairly good at building models, though have never tackled railway
stock.

My Colonial Wargames site, by the way, is here:

<A HREF="http://home.earthlink.net/~cyberkiwi/soldiers/index.html">http://home.earthlink.net/~cyberkiwi/soldiers/index.html</A>

I am afraid that some of you might find it offensive, but it might give
you an idea of who I am and just why I want to tackle Indian Railways in
miniature as a beginner.

I have never been to India, but want to go.

Cheers,
Trevor

From: HVC <>

Subject: Re: Rail Fan from Punjab !

Date: 07 Nov 1999 22:20:56 -0500


I for one love to hear these nostalgic memoirs from the past. So please
keep
them pouring.
Regards,

Harsh

-----Original Message-----
From: San-Ind <docqcs@nde.email
To: Apurva Bahadur <iti@vsnl.email
Cc: irfca@cs.email <irfca@cs.email
Date: Sunday, November 07, 1999 3:44 AM
Subject: Rail Fan from Punjab !


>dear Apurva,
>Hi !
>I think i'm the only one from Punjab/Himachal Pradesh but now settled
at
>Delhi......
>Nobody know that some part of Pathankot-Mukerian Section lies in
Himachal
>Pradesh not in Punjab ....Himachal area starts from Rail over Road
BRidge
>after Chakki Bank station, Kandrori(oldest Broad Gauge Railway Station
of
>Himachal Pradesh) till Outskirts of Ghiala Halt Station...... and again
>from BEas bridge after Mirthal station to next station i think Garna
>Sahib........
>
>I'm the one of that land, mix of Punjab & Himachal ... Actually my
village
>is Between Kandrori & Chakki Bank station.... unfortunately we don't
have a
>Railway Station ......
>So I remember my old school days(1982-83).... When i always check all
the
>trains going on .... I identify the trains with their Colours.... or
bogie
>Composition .... Jammu mail was easiest..... 'coz it has always a Mail
>Bogie of Red Colour (unfortunately now it's elemenated).... Jhelum
Express
>by Two separate Bogies in front of train......(Pathankot-NDLS section
>coaches)........... Sealdah Express with one coach at Front
(Sealdah-PTK
>Sec. coach)..... Himsagar Exp. with Blue-yellow bogies...... Usually i
>visited to the Gateman of Level-crossing at our village to ask about
the
>tarin timings...... and at that time i was barely 9 years old.....
>In our new Built house at that Place My father had Put a Specail
window on
>West side of Our house wall for Just on our Demand of Watching the
>trains....... I remmber i getup in morning afer Sealdah Express has
pass
>from there... My father say "Uttho Bete Sealdah Express Chali Gayi
>hai"...... I never miss to watch that Jammu Mail at our Breakfast time
and
>Jhelum express at our School going time......
>
>Remaining things next time 'coz I've to catch 4033 for Pathankot today
&
>'ll back on 9th morning by 4034 from Pathankot..... On Monday I've also
go
>to Kangra.... If i'll get enough time i'll catch return narrow gauge
train
>from Kangra to Pathankot.....
>
>Regards
>Sandeep Sharma
>
>
>*-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**
-*-*
-*
>Digital Operation Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.
>90/30A, Ist Floor, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi-17
>Ph.91-11-6285286, 6451620, 6423136, 6280643(Res.)
>E-mail: docqcs@nde.email sandeep@docpl.email
>Web: www.docpl.com
>*-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**
-*-*
-
>*
>

From: S.SRINIVAS <>

Subject: Re: Who are we?

Date: 07 Nov 1999 23:56:49 -0500


Hello IRFCA members

I am S. Srinivas / 48 years / married / two lovely daughters /
settled in Bangalore. As I said in one of my recent e-mail,
my house is just about 5 kms from Bangalore City (SBC).

I am an engineer by profession with an added MBA degree.
I worked for ITI Ltd. for 21 years. I switched over to a
private company dealing in Telecom Networks and Projects
some 4 years back.

I have nothing to do with Railways except "rail fanning".
And, yes, I just love travelling by train and everything
else connected with trains and IR. This is what brings
me closer to irfca. This is the common thread which
keeps this diverse group together.

Actually, I wanted to be a IR engine driver. That was
my dream job. It did not work out that way. So, the
nearest thing to that dream is "foot plating" which I
try to do as often as possible.

Cheers.

S. Srinivas

P.S. I joined irfca in July 1999. There were some
email about preparing a list of members along
with some personal details. I think it is a good idea.
Can someone prepare a format and mail it to all
irfca members who can then fill out the details and
return the form for all members to see.

=====================================

From: John Lacey <>

Subject: historical note: KVR

Date: 08 Nov 1999 02:00:29 -0500


A fellow IRFCA member recently gave me some back copies of " World
Steam".
The August 1973 contains some interesting details of Indian train
services , but the item of perhaps the greatest interest today concerns
the KVR:
" All trains are hauled by ZE class from Pathankot to Baijnath Paprola,
thence 3 or 4 coaches are worked through to Joginder Nagar by ZF and
ZF/1 classes, one at each end of the train."
-John Lacey

From: HVC <>

Subject: NMR Electrifications.

Date: 08 Nov 1999 03:27:27 -0500


I thought some of us may be interested in the enclosed details.
 

From: Dr. K.J. Walker <>

Subject: Re: More North Western Railway rolling stock

Date: 08 Nov 1999 04:37:11 -0500


Dear Julian,
I've used Birmingham a good deal and they do have some pretty
good
stuff. But Gloucester is new to me. What's the extent of the collection?
Are
there many good GAs? Is the stuff properly catalogued?
Please note, however, that the Crown Agents did not act for any
of
the Indian railways, as they came under the India Office (Ceylon, on the
other hand, did go through them). The records of Rendel Plamer and
Tritton,
the main consulting engineers, were, I understand destroyed many years
ago
(though I'd love to be proved wrong!) The other ones were John Wolfe
Barry,
and I don't know anything about them.
Cheers
Ken Walker

-----Original Message-----
From: PG JULIAN RAINBOW <J.J.Rainbow@newcastle.email
Cc: irfca@cs.email <irfca@cs.email
Date: 5 November 1999 11:59
Subject: More North Western Railway rolling stock


All,

I really must learn not to be so fast on the send button. In my
research for the Sierra Leone Government Railway I have covered the
rolling stock to a small extent, and have found that the Met-Cammell
records at Birmingham Museum and Glouster Carriage and
Waggon Works archives are in the Glouster County Records
Office. Both these bodies are helpful, I take it that all
rolling stock would have been ordered through the India
Office rather than the Crown Agents, so there may be records
at Blackfriars, the Crown Agents records were recently moved
to the British Commonwealth Museum at Bristol.

From: S.SRINIVAS <>

Subject: Re: irfca is 10 years old !

Date: 08 Nov 1999 08:27:50 -0500


Dear Friends

I suggest that we plan a meet in Pune around 27th of
December, 1999. It can be a one day or two days
meet. This way, we can all meet and celebrate the
ten years of irfca, get to know each other well, do
some foot plating around PA, learn some new things
from Apurva and his IR friends and still be back home
by 30 or 31 December for the Y2K eve.

So how about it. Please do send in your responses
so that we can make some changes in the dates
(if it is so required) but firm up the date/s of the meet.
And please suggest how and when we can have the
Konkan Railway trip.

Regards

S. Srinivas

=================================

Apurva Bahadur wrote:

> It would be Pune's fortune if the world convention of IRFCA were to be
held in here.
> Meeting other railfans is slowly becoming possible and things will
happen soon. I
> think a joint trip down the KR seems like a lot of fun. I am with the
IRFCA only for
> last year and a half. But then what a period this has been !

From: Karthik Giddu <>

Subject: Re: Who are we?

Date: 08 Nov 1999 09:43:01 -0500


Hi Folks,
I am Karthik Giddu, 23, working in rediff.com as a Web Developer. I am
rail
fan from my childhood as my father(now retired since 1990) was working
in
Western Railway. I used to sit down with a timetable and calculate
average
speeds of various trains. I have gone with my father to 3-4 railway
sites.
ie. Strolling on Narmada Bridge at Bharuch, Construction of new Vasai
Bridge etc.

I too like Srinivas wanted to become an engine driver. now my hobby is
to
buy come train sets and run it in my house!!!!!!!

Bye,
Karthik

At 01:59 PM 11/7/99 -0800, The Brabyns wrote:
>I'm Trevor Brabyn, a high school student and miniature painter. I'm not
>actually a member yet of IRFCA, but am sort of testing the water.
>
>I've been building models since I was very little, in one
>form or another (I'm 15 years old now). I started using the 00 Airfix
>figures a
>few years ago, and later moved on to 25mm wargames miniatures, for
>gaming. I have
>a bit of a facination with the colonial empires, especially nowadays
the
>British
>in India. This got me into India in general, and I'm now reading books
>on
>Hinduism, Islam, the Raj, and all those colonial conflicts, from Clive
>to
>Independance. Eventually I became so engrossed in it that I wanted to
>model the
>landscape in depth. Inspired by a 00-guage train I got last summer for
>gaming,
>and all the neat movies featuring Indian trains I'd seen, I thought it
>might be
>fun to model Indian railways. This is my latest interest. Admittedly I
>know very
>little about it, but am ready to find out.
>
>I'm fairly good at building models, though have never tackled railway
>stock.
>
>My Colonial Wargames site, by the way, is here:
>
><A HREF="http://home.earthlink.net/~cyberkiwi/soldiers/index.html">http://home.earthlink.net/~cyberkiwi/soldiers/index.html</A>
>
>I am afraid that some of you might find it offensive, but it might give
>you an idea of who I am and just why I want to tackle Indian Railways
in
>miniature as a beginner.
>
>I have never been to India, but want to go.
>
> Cheers,
> Trevor
>
>
<A HREF="http://gidduk.webhostme.com/">http://gidduk.webhostme.com/</A>
+91-22-8014919

From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: Rail Fan from Punjab !

Date: 08 Nov 1999 09:47:06 -0500


Dear Sandeep,

Talking about colors on trains, did you ever catch the Jammu Tawi -
Bombay superfast exp.
with its resplendent light blue - green - yellow livery?

Your mail about "train watching" brings back memories of my
various trips to Burnpur (near Asansol) from Varanasi. An uncle of mine
used to work in the Steel
plant in those days. The colony was right next to a single-track AC
electrified line, presumably,
for the collieries since I never saw any passenger trains on this line.
Our
house was at some distance
from the track (5th or 6th in line) but from the back porch I could spot
the
line through a gap in the trees
- the fact that the line was on an elevated "mound" helped. It was so
much
fun to watch those WAM4s
hauling a string of BOXN cars with their pantographs licking the
catenary
and the rhythmic thuds providing the
background music.

A 2nd opportunity for train watching would be during my visits to
Adityapur, a suburd of Jamshedpur. The house was reasonably far from
the
Tatangar-Raurkela main line but it would still provide a view of the
trains
- an early morning "sighting"
of the Vermillion Red - Yellow Gitanjali Exp. would usually make my day.

Ah!! Those days..........

Vijay

> -----Original Message-----
> From: San-Ind [SMTP:docqcs@nde.email
> Sent: Saturday, November 06, 1999 12:42 AM
> To: Apurva Bahadur
> Cc: irfca@cs.email
> Subject: Rail Fan from Punjab !
>
> dear Apurva,
> Hi !
> I think i'm the only one from Punjab/Himachal Pradesh but now settled
at
> Delhi......
> Nobody know that some part of Pathankot-Mukerian Section lies in
Himachal
> Pradesh not in Punjab ....Himachal area starts from Rail over Road
BRidge
> after Chakki Bank station, Kandrori(oldest Broad Gauge Railway Station
of
> Himachal Pradesh) till Outskirts of Ghiala Halt Station...... and
again
> from BEas bridge after Mirthal station to next station i think Garna
> Sahib........
>
> I'm the one of that land, mix of Punjab & Himachal ... Actually my
village
> is Between Kandrori & Chakki Bank station.... unfortunately we don't
have
> a
> Railway Station ......
> So I remember my old school days(1982-83).... When i always check all
the
> trains going on .... I identify the trains with their Colours.... or
bogie
> Composition .... Jammu mail was easiest..... 'coz it has always a Mail
> Bogie of Red Colour (unfortunately now it's elemenated).... Jhelum
Express
> by Two separate Bogies in front of train......(Pathankot-NDLS section
> coaches)........... Sealdah Express with one coach at Front
(Sealdah-PTK
> Sec. coach)..... Himsagar Exp. with Blue-yellow bogies...... Usually
i
> visited to the Gateman of Level-crossing at our village to ask about
the
> tarin timings...... and at that time i was barely 9 years old.....
> In our new Built house at that Place My father had Put a Specail
window
> on
> West side of Our house wall for Just on our Demand of Watching the
> trains....... I remmber i getup in morning afer Sealdah Express has
pass
> from there... My father say "Uttho Bete Sealdah Express Chali Gayi
> hai"...... I never miss to watch that Jammu Mail at our Breakfast time
and
> Jhelum express at our School going time......
>
> Remaining things next time 'coz I've to catch 4033 for Pathankot today
&
> 'll back on 9th morning by 4034 from Pathankot..... On Monday I've
also go
> to Kangra.... If i'll get enough time i'll catch return narrow gauge
train
> from Kangra to Pathankot.....
>
> Regards
> Sandeep Sharma
>
>
>
*-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-
*-
> *-*
> Digital Operation Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.
> 90/30A, Ist Floor, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi-17
> Ph.91-11-6285286, 6451620, 6423136, 6280643(Res.)
> E-mail: docqcs@nde.email sandeep@docpl.email
> Web: www.docpl.com
>
*-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-*-*-**-
*-
> *-
> *

From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: News from Rediff

Date: 08 Nov 1999 09:54:14 -0500


Rajdhani changes!
* The frequency of the Hazrat Nizamuddin-Bangalore Rajdhani
Express
will be increased from thrice a week to four times a week from January
7.
The train will now depart Hazrat Nizamuddin on Mondays, Tuesdays,
Fridays
and Saturdays.
* The Madras-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express will run on a
revised
schedule from December 31. The train will depart from Madras at 0620
hours
instead of 1200 hours.
Consequently the timing of the following trains will also be revised:
* The 2627 Karnataka Express will arrive at Hazrat Nizamuddin at
1141
hours instead of 1126 hours and at New Delhi station at 1205 hours
insted of
1150 hours.
* The 2625 Kerala Express will arrive at Hazrat Nizamuddin at 1519
hours instead of 1459 hours and at New Delhi station at 1545 hours
instead
of 1520 hours.
* The 2617 Mangala Express will arrive at Hazrat Nizamuddin at
1600
hours instead of 1540 hours.
The Konkan Railway has rescheduled the days of operation of the Hazrat
Nizamuddin-Trivandrum Rajdhani Express, effective from January 2.
* The train will depart Nizamuddin at 1100 hours on Tuesdays and
Sundays instead of Wednesdays and Thursdays.
* On the return journey the train will depart Trivandrum at 1915
hours
on Tuesdays and Thursdays instead of Fridays and Saturdays.
UNI

=====================================
Is the Bangalore Rajdhani so popular? The Karnataka, Kerala and Mangala
Exps. would now be overtaken by the Chennai Rajdhani, hence the 15-20
mts.
increase in their run-times.
Vijay

From: Anand I.S. <>

Subject: who r v

Date: 08 Nov 1999 14:08:33 -0500


Hi Annie,

regards. It does not matter who u r. It is sufficient that u r also a
great
train lover.

i have already introduced myself, but to recap: I am 47, bachelor,
working
for the last 28 yrs. with ANZ Grrindlays Bank. Naturally, I am most in
love
with my country"s rlys. , but additionally I am also crazy about
Europeanrlys. My most favs. r the SBB/BLS, SNCF, DB, OBB, FS, RENFE and
the
others to a lesser extent. My interest in Britrail has considerably
decreased aftyer pvtn. !

Additionally I am into heavy collection of models, in HO and my models
collection runs parallel to my prototype intersts. I have recently
" digitilised " my collection with LENZ system;

My model collection as with my prototype love, runs 1st.-Elecs.,
2nd.-diesel
and 3rd.-steam.

Again I am mainly ineterested in MAINLINE traffic. Branch and the narrow

gauges is just o.k.. However i am very much ineterested in Mountain
Rlys.

In models, I am for the past few months into bringing INDIAN RLYS
outline models and propose to bring out many more in the future.
Presently East Indian Rlys (E>I>R) based 0-6-0T in "O"-Scale has been
brought out by me. This model is also feautured in "RAILWAY mODELLER' OF

AUG.99 issue and the " CONTINENTAL MODELLER ' of Sep.99 issue.
Some more models in HO r also contemplated, GOD willing!

One main thing is that these models are not for the "exact to the
millimeter" purists !!. These are for those who just love and want to
have
something of which none is available for the present. That is however
not to
say, that these are just 'toy models '.

A good amount of modeller's license has been liberally used, but the
quality
is of international degree.

More later, bye for now.

anand i.s.


isadeltic@hotmail.email

F/6, BALAKA,
SWASTIK PARK,
CHEMBUR MUMBAI - 400071
INDIA.
Tel(R): 91+22+5226163
Tel(O): 91+22+2623235


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

From: Anand I.S. <>

Subject: IRFCA meet / Personal files

Date: 08 Nov 1999 14:13:15 -0500


Hi there,

I do think it is a fantastic idea to meet at least, if not travel down
the
KR. Sure will try to make it possible.

I also am supportive of the idea of ' personal ' files.

anand i.s.

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

From: Jishnu Mukerji <>

Subject: Re: irfca is 10 years old !

Date: 08 Nov 1999 14:45:08 -0500


Tim & Anita Wakeman wrote:
>
> Wish I could be there. Next year.........maybe.
>
> Tim Wakeman
>
> S.SRINIVAS wrote:
> >
> > Dear Friends
> >
> > I suggest that we plan a meet in Pune around 27th of
> > December, 1999. It can be a one day or two days
> > meet. This way, we can all meet and celebrate the
> > ten years of irfca, get to know each other well, do
> > some foot plating around PA, learn some new things
> > from Apurva and his IR friends and still be back home
> > by 30 or 31 December for the Y2K eve.
> >
> > So how about it. Please do send in your responses
> > so that we can make some changes in the dates
> > (if it is so required) but firm up the date/s of the meet.
> > And please suggest how and when we can have the
> > Konkan Railway trip.

If you guys plan anything next year in the May/June timeframe in India,
let me
know. I will be delighted to join a gettogether in India, and Railfan
around a
bit. Anywahere in India is fine.

Regards,

Jishnu.

From: Tim & Anita Wakeman <>

Subject: Re: irfca is 10 years old !

Date: 08 Nov 1999 17:16:12 -0500


Wish I could be there. Next year.........maybe.

Tim Wakeman


S.SRINIVAS wrote:
>
> Dear Friends
>
> I suggest that we plan a meet in Pune around 27th of
> December, 1999. It can be a one day or two days
> meet. This way, we can all meet and celebrate the
> ten years of irfca, get to know each other well, do
> some foot plating around PA, learn some new things
> from Apurva and his IR friends and still be back home
> by 30 or 31 December for the Y2K eve.
>
> So how about it. Please do send in your responses
> so that we can make some changes in the dates
> (if it is so required) but firm up the date/s of the meet.
> And please suggest how and when we can have the
> Konkan Railway trip.
>
> Regards
>
> S. Srinivas
>
> =================================
>
> Apurva Bahadur wrote:
>
> > It would be Pune's fortune if the world convention of IRFCA were to
be held in here.
> > Meeting other railfans is slowly becoming possible and things will
happen soon. I
> > think a joint trip down the KR seems like a lot of fun. I am with
the IRFCA only for
> > last year and a half. But then what a period this has been !

From: Vdate <>

Subject: Re: Who are we?

Date: 08 Nov 1999 18:29:31 -0500


I am a physician in Southern California, USA. My life is kind of
intertwined
with railways. for first twelve years of life we played by the railroad
tracks in Thalakwadi Belgaum. Then would spend part of every summer near

Dadar CR stn watching all the CR trains from the apartment. As a young
physician I spent two and half years in WR as an AMO. Spent many months
of
that time in a medical car attached to a passenger between ABR and
Marwar,
taking care of patients at each and every station. This was most
delightful
and most satisfying experience. In US, I have traveled on every Amtrak
line.
Thanks

From: Mike Brooker <>

Subject: who are we?

Date: 08 Nov 1999 20:15:07 -0500


To learn more about me (the only Canadian in IRFCA, perhaps?), please visit my web page:
<<A HREF="http://webhome.idirect.com/~aum108/>">http://webhome.idirect.com/~aum108/></A>
 
I have been practicing yoga for almost 10 years, both the physical postures (hatha yoga), as well as the spiritual teachings of Sanatan Vedic Dharma.  In 1995 I travelled to India, and experienced the presence of the Divine Mother aboard the 2AC sleeping cars.
 
I've always been fascinated by transportation in general: not only rail, but also urban public transit (I even survived the buses and emu's in Delhi and Bombay!)  I have travelled quite a bit on VIA Rail and Amtrak, on notable trains such as the Canadian, Coast Starlight, and the City of New Orleans.
 
********************************************************************
Mike Brooker
99 Wychcrest Ave.,
Toronto, ON  M6G 3X8
CANADA
(416) 536-7406

From: HVC <>

Subject: Who am I?

Date: 08 Nov 1999 23:14:56 -0500


Dear All,
                      My name is Harsh Vardhan and  Iam 30 years young. My love for railway dates to as far as my memory extends into my childhood. I have a special liking for BG locos, Freighters, Pacifics and articulated locomotives though it does not in any case goes to say that I like any other steam loco any less. I have a passing admiration for electric locos but almost abhor the sight of a diesel(WDM 4 is an exception) as to my mind it was they who were responsible for ending of the steam era. But generally speaking, I love everything that is a part of the railways. I collect time-tables, travel tickets, railway maps, videos and books.
 
Iam an electrical engineer with a foray into mechanical enineering. Iam into Process Heating/chilling and product drying fields. That ensures that Iam with boilers and steam even on work. Although Iam not professionally associated with the railways in any way, my association with the railways is very old and Iam perhaps the oldest(attended at the museum's inauguration) and the most frequent visitor to the National Railway Museum except for perhaps the employees !
 
Well friends, these are my credentials. Iam always grateful to  S. Shankar and Viraf Mulla for introducing me to irfca. I've been here for almost an year now, learnt a lot of new things and made some very special friends.
 
Regards,
 

From: Dr. K.J. Walker <>

Subject: Re: historical note: KVR

Date: 09 Nov 1999 00:33:37 -0500


Hi John,
You might like to know that this information was already out of date
by
August 1973. I visited the line in that month, and the upper end had
been
closed in connection with the Pong Dam. Unfortunately, the section which
was
open is quite the dullest part of the line! Trains only ran to
Jawanwalashahr, ZE-powered. Due to lack of turning facilities, they ran
tender-first back to Pathankot. The line was fully vacuum-braked at the
time, permitting quite high speeds. The 2-6-2Ts were all dumped at
Pathankot and I believe many of them never worked again.
I have always wished I could have seen them working.
Cheers
Ken Walker

-----Original Message-----
From: John Lacey <jlacey@zeta.email
To: irfca@cs.email <irfca@cs.email
Date: 8 November 1999 10:18
Subject: historical note: KVR


>A fellow IRFCA member recently gave me some back copies of " World
>Steam".
>The August 1973 contains some interesting details of Indian train
>services , but the item of perhaps the greatest interest today concerns
>the KVR:
>" All trains are hauled by ZE class from Pathankot to Baijnath Paprola,
>thence 3 or 4 coaches are worked through to Joginder Nagar by ZF and
>ZF/1 classes, one at each end of the train."
>-John Lacey
>
>
>

From: Dr. K.J. Walker <>

Subject: Re: English manufacturers and their records

Date: 09 Nov 1999 00:43:47 -0500


Dear Julian,
I'd be very grateful if you could give me addresses both for the
Gloucester people and for the folk who hold the Hurst Nelson records, if
you
have them. They bear on two major projects!
Re Sierra Leone, does anyone have pictures of the SIR "Q" 2-8-4Ts
that
went there in the 1940s? I've modelled one for my South Indian layout
but
had only a maker's photo to go on. I know of no pictures of them at work
in
India.
With thanks,
Ken Walker

-----Original Message-----
From: PG JULIAN RAINBOW <J.J.Rainbow@newcastle.email
To: kjw_meh@powerup.email <kjw_meh@powerup.email
Date: 8 November 1999 10:00
Subject: Re: More North Western Railway rolling stock


Reply-to: "Dr. K.J. Walker" <kjw_meh@powerup.email
From: "Dr. K.J. Walker" <kjw_meh@powerup.email
To: "PG JULIAN RAINBOW" <J.J.Rainbow@newcastle.email
Cc: <irfca@cs.email
Subject: Re: More North Western Railway rolling stock
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 12:37:11 -0000


Dear Ken,

I do not know what the extent of the collection is, a friend of mine
is researching for building a garden railway based on Sierra Leone,
so he used the archives, will try and find you the email address.
Personally I am after post-Independence information on Sierra Leone,
not the easiest of tasks. Hurst Nelson records survive up in Glasgow
area.

Julian

Dear Julian,

I've used Birmingham a good deal and they do have
some pretty good stuff. But Gloucester is new to me. What's the
extent of the collection? Are there many good GAs? Is the stuff
properly catalogued? Please note, however, that the Crown
Agents did not act for any of the Indian railways, as they came under
the India Office (Ceylon, on the other hand, did go through them).
The records of Rendel Plamer and Tritton, the main consulting
engineers, were, I understand destroyed many years ago (though I'd
love to be proved wrong!) The other ones were John Wolfe Barry, and I
don't know anything about them. Cheers Ken
Walker

-----Original Message-----
From: PG JULIAN RAINBOW <J.J.Rainbow@newcastle.email
Cc: irfca@cs.email <irfca@cs.email
Date: 5 November 1999 11:59
Subject: More North Western Railway rolling stock


All,

I really must learn not to be so fast on the send button. In my
research for the Sierra Leone Government Railway I have covered the
rolling stock to a small extent, and have found that the Met-Cammell
records at Birmingham Museum and Glouster Carriage and
Waggon Works archives are in the Glouster County Records
Office. Both these bodies are helpful, I take it that all
rolling stock would have been ordered through the India
Office rather than the Crown Agents, so there may be records
at Blackfriars, the Crown Agents records were recently moved
to the British Commonwealth Museum at Bristol.