India is a land of dreams
Where images, however fleeting are
remembered long after the journey's end
The railway is her lifeline
crossing not only distances-
But bridging the boundaries of her
many cultures
For over 900 million people
the railway has become a great unifier
over one-and-a-half million must work
to keep it going
The great Indian railway touches
the lives of everyone
For nothing is more a part of
this country
than the trains which are part of
its soul
Over a century ago
the sound of the steam locomotive
could be heard across the land
as it rolled through the desert
and the plains of India
In those days
villages and cities were isolated
by vast distances
and the coming of the train would
change them forever
Legends were told of the great fire eater
that walked on lines of steel
and breathed white clouds of smoke
Those who did not fear it
came to see it for themselves
In remote outposts where there
were no stations
banyan trees often marked the train stop
And people anticipated its arrival
like the coming of a great ship
There was always entertainment
to greet the travelers
celebrating the trip
for the magical event that is was
What had taken weeks by bullock cart
could now be made in a matter of days
The hero was the driver
He was assigned one engine for life
and cared for it as though it were
a part of him
making sure it was fed coal and watered
It was like a living creature preparing
for the long journey ahead
If there ever was a heart
and soul of the railway
it began here
with these locomotives
They were the symbol of the
British Empire
and held the romance of an age
when men and machines united the country
for the first time
But this era couldn't last forever
Now, the super fast express trains
command the rails
and are moving India into a new century
The railway is a living legacy of
the British, who dominated the subcontinent
for nearly two hundred years
They laid down the first rails in 1850
and by Indian independence
dozens of railways
reached across hundreds of
princely states and territories.
Today, all have been merged into one
Stretching nearly 40,000 miles
and connecting over 7,000 stations
it is the largest railway under a single
management in the world
The frontier Mail, the Tamil-Nadu Express
the Punjab Mail
all long-distance trains,
renowned in history
But one of the oldest is
the Grand Trunk Express
and it travels nearly
the length of the country
Indians love to travel
whether it be on a religious pilgrimage
or to visit relatives far away
They pack everything and bring everyone
They can go anywhere in the country
for less than seven dollars
Space has a whole different meaning
on an Indian train
People like to sit next to each other
talk and share stories
And a stranger isn't a stranger for long
More than 11,000 trains
Travel through India everyday
But it's in the three-tier second-class
coaches that
the real spirit of the country
can be found
If anyone wants to know what India
is all about
you could just travel
in one of these trains
and you could talk to people
you see
You'll actually meet people from
different parts of the country
and you can actually have a look
into the various cultures
you see, now there's
a cultural diversity in India
You can actually enjoy this
cultural diversity traveling
in such long trains say from
which go from one end of the nation
to the other end
Such long trains you can enjoy
if you are really interested
you'll definitely
you will experience it
Every Indian train has ticketless
passengers who are part of its character:
gypsies, beggars, and sweeper boys
who make their living earning tips
between stations
I meet every type of people here
Maybe they are millionaires
they are the poorest
They are engineers, doctors, bankers
Every type of persons I am meeting here
And when I travel I talk
I have an opportunity to talk to them
make friendship with them
We sometimes come closer to them
and we become family friends for life
For centuries
explorers have been drawn to the east
In the 1660's
the British took possession
of the strand of islands
that curved into the Arabian Sea
They would make them the great port
city of Bombay
Their Gateway of India still stands as
a memory of their empire's former glory
Bombay's now one of India's
fastest-growing cities
And the British presence seems unchanged
at Victoria Terminus
Opened in 1888
it was built on the site of the first
railway station
But now it's the headquarters of Central
the busiest of nine zones
in the Indian railway
From this historic place
one of the most important me
in the railway oversees his domain
This is the seat of power of
the General Manager
Every morning
Birendra Vishnu calls upon his officers
to account for every detail
in a monumental system
From major accidents to minor delays
nothing escapes his attention
It was from this same office
that the British ran their railway
And with independence
in 1947
they turned it over to Indian leadership
But now the G.M.
controls a far more complex network
with 200,000 men beneath him
he runs 2,000 trains a day
Ah Madhan
What is happening today?
What are your prospects of loading?
Sir, yesterday, we made 8.5
Alright, you just speak to C.M.E.
Your diesel utilization has slumped
Your diesel utilization is slumped
Your six-wagon balances
in all the yards are heavy
The stable loads are heavy
Just speak to C.M.E.
Hello Madhan? Ah, Rambu Rao, Kutny shed
for the last fifteen days
it has been having very high failure rate
Vishnu is more than a figurehead
If something goes wrong
he shoulders the full responsibility
And every month
he makes it a point to leave his office
and visit his men in the field
Like a present-day maharaja
Vishnu holds court in his private
inspection coach
with full kitchen staff in attendance
and all the ceremonies inherited
from his predecessors
The Indian Railways constitute
the lifeline of India
And it was given to us by the British
They gave us two things
The Indian railways
and a very powerful administrative system
run by the bureaucrats
We are now going on an inspection trip
And during this inspection trip
we propose to go over the entire
railway lines
See what management techniques are there
See how the cabins, the points
and the people who manage these points
look after themselves
and look over the equipment
Each one has his area of responsibility
And a super-check has to be exercised
So when we go out line
our objective is to find out what
deficiencies are there
And take measures to overcome them
No single person can possibly
check on everything
The system depends on workers
whose dedication goes largely unseen
Under the eyes of the cabinmen
tens of thousand of coaches transport
more than 12 million people a day
And one mistake can cost thousands
of lives
For this is a human railway
where the strength of a lever man means
the safe passage of a train
It is the largest employer in the world
Officially, 1.6 million work for
the railway
But Vishnu estimates that
nearly 80 million people depend on it
for their livelihood
The Grand Trunk Express continues
southbound
The trip from New Delhi to Mardras
will last 38 hours
But for many,
the journey is an adventure
And it doesn't matter how long it takes
Long-distance trains have become
temporary homes for village India
And those on board are c*ptive audiences
for ticketless travelers
who earn their keep
providing everything from entertainment
to food
On a train, meals are a big event
and passengers are constantly being
solicited with different kinds of fare
Twelve bearers run the length of
waiting on as many as 2,000 people
They serve up to 400 hot railway meals
twice a day
In the pantry car
cooks prepare food to suit the religious
mandates of an Indian train
nonveg or vegetarian
for Muslims, Hindus, Christians
The hardest job may be in trying to
satisfy the tastes of so many
And tastes do change from north to south
The food is
for a man it is very sufficient
It is comfortable
yes exactly it is more than sufficient
for one's capacity
It is given to us because here you have
rice and then dal
We call it the grains and then vegetables
Also, available then it is a full meal
for us
If there is a spirit of the railway
it is found in the thousands of small
stations
which have become part of the fabric of
Indian life
They are centers where everyone gathers
And those who can't afford to travel
will come just to watch the trains
The most impressive arrivals have always
been the broad gauge steam locomotive
lovingly called the "black Beauties"
They ride on the widest rails
and their wheels stand taller than a man
But their presence is now becoming rare
and those who grew up with them will
miss them the most
Black is beautiful
Our steam locos are our black beauties
We feel with the phasing
out of steam locos
as if we are doing away with
one of our
kit and kin
with whom we have blood relations
All throughout Eastern Railway
loco sheds are busy preparing their
engines for a Black Beauty Contest
It is a competition like no other
Only the best engines are entered
and to win the Black Beauty is
the highest honor a shed could have
Dhanbad, Rampur Hat, Sahibganj
Asansol, Jha Jha... five sheds hurry
to add the finishing touches
transforming these workhorses into
the beauties that they really are
This possibly should be the very last
Black Beauty Contest of Indian Railways
We mean to bring to you
the effect of the steam locos
when they were is their heydays
To show how they looked
How they worked
And for just one more time perhaps lived
and outlived the glory of those days
when the steam locos bore the burnt of
Indian Railways
The reason behind a Black Beauty Contest
remains very much valid today
because perhaps this is the last time
that we are going to be able to have such
a contest anywhere on the Indian Railways
perhaps in the rest of the world
like China and other
steam will continue
But on Indian Railways
the pressures of economics have forced us
to give up the lovable old monster of steam
With its lovable sound
and unique visual pleasure
which children loved
and therefore aspired to become
locomotive drivers when they grew up
It helps people to remember that
the steam has served a glorious era
from the old days
if you look back into the past
There is intense competition
amongst all those who have slaved
on these locomotives
these 10 competing locomotives
and therefore each one wants to
win the prize
Therefore the judges are under
intense scrutiny
perhaps more than the judges are
in real life
And they have to
therefore, make it as scientific
as possible
They have, therefore
divided the system of grading into
three distinct groups
One is decoration
for which they give 25 percent marks
the functionality, which is
we are giving as much as 50 percent marks
and also the ceramic blanketing is
being given 25 percent marks
And I think that the judges will be
totally fair and clear in their judgment
and may the best loco win
What is important when you see a
when - the whole thing should be
uniformly red
The moment you see a black spot
that's the time there when there's a hole
and then the firebox can burn
So when you are seeing the fire
you have to see that it looks
uniformly red
that there's no localized black spot
Plus the thickness, the firebox should
be uniform...
Those are things we have to look for
how he is maintaining the fire
very important
Everybody wants to win
and none more than Mr. Arora
a shed foreman who has worked in steam
since he was 17
Onboard Rampur Hat's engine
he is never at a loss for words
explaining that even with
all the hard work
they had just run out a time
Like all of the engines
the judges take into account
how efficiently she runs
They put her through the paces
while Arora hangs on like a doting father
Those bosses, my examiners
they have been very much pleased
with the work which you boys
with my staff, with my driver
and the other fellows you know
all the whole
Rampur Hat has done in decorating
this locomotive
in making it fit mechanically sound
and they have checked all the points
and I think we have got
if not 10 percent
then at least 90 percent
Now we should leave the results to
Almighty God you know
Almighty God is there
They parade in all their glory
and anticipation runs high
Now it's up to the judges to
reveal the last Black Beauty winner
Nandini will claim the price
For Nandini and her crew this is
an occasion to remember
But they know
as they back her into the shed that
their victory is bittersweet
For despite the fact that the black
beauties have proven themselves today
another fate awaits them
In northeast India
a little toy train climbs the foothills
of the Himalaya
the tallest mountains in the world
Every morning
Buddhist monks look towards the East
welcoming the sun to the remote mountain
town of Darjiling
Darjiling has always been a frontier town
where an oriental look enters
the faces of India
But is also tells of another heritage
The British loved the climate so much
they mad it a hill station to escape
the heat of the plains below
And the sounds of the train they brought
echo up from the valleys
For the people of the mountain
the train has always been a part of
their lives
In the days of the British raj
it carried the famous Darjiling tea
down from the plantations
Eighteen little locomotives run back and
forth on the Darjeeling-Himalayan line
The youngest is 70-years-old
and the oldest is a hundred-and-five
Everyday, several trains climb from
the plain of the Ganges
in about the same amount of time
it took Mark Twain
when he came to Darjiling in 1896
The beginning of every trip is
a ritual for the six-man crew
Each engine is an antique heirloom
that's been entrusted to their care
And they look after them like living
breathing creatures
feeding and watering them
The fireman knows that
only a good head of steam can carry
the train up to 7,407 feet
to reach the highest station
in all of Asia
With two men riding on front
ready to throw sand on the rails
for traction
and a coal breaker riding on top
the train finally sets out
Each engine has its own distinct
personality
And no one understands his better
than the driver, Mr. Gurung
Like his father
he was assigned this same loco for life
And everyone along the way knows its him
by the sound of his whistle
For Sherab Tenduf
one of many who have fought
for its preservation
it's a reminder that some things
do stay the same
And not to have it would be a great loss
When I was young
people really didn't travel that
very much
The airplane hadn't arrived
And the train was an important image
for all of us
An escape to the outer world
A chance to see something
over the mountains
You had this train which represented
to us an opportunity for adventure
We used to jump on and off the train
Tickets weren't that important
There was the chugging
the sound of the movement of the train
The energy of this train
it was like a little Tibetan terrier
The obstacles that the British overcame
in 1881 are still impressive even now
On the foothills of the Himalaya
they had little room to maneuver
and only by ingenious loops
and switchbacks
and the narrowest of tracks could
the little "toy train" reach the top
If the train does not run
we do feel that there is something absent
and we do feel it very strongly
But as long as it is there
yes it's a part of life
And everyday if we don't see it
we see that something is definitely
is missing
India is a country of villages
More than 70 percent of its people live
out their lives in a day-to-day existence
where there is no hurry
And only the changing seasons mark
the passage of time
This is where the railway is a lifeline
bringing these remote areas in touch
with the rest of the world.
In south India
Palur is one of thousands of small way
stations
which haven't changed much
since British colonial times
It is a single line track off
the main route to Madrasm
and only four trains a day stop here
Mr. Govindarajan is the stationmaster
He took a demotion from a bigger station
choosing Palur to be near his sick wife
and to live out his days
in the peaceful quiet of the country
He shares his responsibilities
with Kamakshi
a railway widow who is officially
the sweeper-porter
Between the two of them
they run the entire station
"Palur" means "milk village"
and for the last hundred years
the villagers have relied on the milk
train
to carry their cans to the city markets
But before the train arrives
Govindarajan must coordinate
with other stations
to make sure that his line is clear
for the coming train
It is a time-honored system
in place since the days of the British
a ball token must be carried
by the driver
giving him the right-of-way
on a single-line track
At every station
he must pass the token
and pick up another
only then will he have permission
to continue on his way
I am asking line clear
The line is officially open
and Kamakshi can change the signals
that will indicate to the driver
that the track ahead is safe
She will pass the ball on to the driver
and prepares the cane pouch
She is one of the few women working
directly with the trains
but gained her job after a great loss
Her husband had been a fireman
on a steam engine
and committed su1c1de when he didn't
make driver
It is the railway's custom to give
a position to the widow
And Kamakshi will have a job for life
As the train comes in
the ball token is handed over
Now the driver can move safely into
the next section
Mr. Govindarajan has dedicated 33 years
of his life to the Railway
and understands better than anyone
how much these trains mean to rural India
But changes are coming
and he has received word that
with his retirement his post
will not be filled
and Palur station will be closed
They tell him that with only a few
trains a day
there just isn't enough profit
Soon the trains won't be stopping here
and people will have to take the roads
He will be the last station master of Palur
On Southern Railway, south of Madras
the Pondicherry Special makes her
last journey.
Nothing evokes the romance of the
railway like a steam engine
Her arrival into Pondicherry station
is a grand event
and she will bring the platform to life
for one last time
This is one of the few holdouts of steam
The locomotives were phased out of
the big cities years ago
and now even small stations are seeing
them vanish
But perhaps the greatest loss
will be felt by those who have steam
in their soul
And Dhandapani is one who'll feel it
the most
A third-generation railwayman
he became what his father
a gatekeeper
always hoped he would be a driver
the pride of the line
Now he's been given the honor of takin
the Pondicherry Special on her final run
His engine may be old and worn down
by age
but Dhandapani knows that what he is
doing is something noble and historic
And he's always been proud of his duty
In India, the relationship between
railwaymen has always been like family
The firemen, guards, cabinmasters
and gatekeepers
all have developed a deep bond
through the years
Stationmasters on the single
line tracks
and the drivers of steam know that
a time is coming to an end
Now, the trading of the cane pouch marks
the changing of the guard
Both Govindarajan and Dhandapani
have since been retired
the Pondicherry Special has been condemned
And little Palur station is now
closed forever
Varanasi, Madurai, Barddhaman
these are some of the sheds where
generations of workers
were born to serve the locomotive
with a craft held sacred
And where it was always believed that
a father's knowledge would one day be
handed down to his son
We'll be closing down this steam loco
shed in a couple of months
when the last of these Black Beauties
would have move out
This shed had something like 71
locomotives a few years back
What we feel sad about the whole thing
is that something which fascinated every
railway traveler over many
many years is dying out
And what I feel personally sad about
is that with the locomotives
is dying out a breed of men
who had nerves of steel
they were men of muscle
understood metal
what it was all about
What we get today in lieu is the diesels
the electrics, which have really
no muscle in them
They're all technology
There's no spirit behind them
To us as old railway men
they are really not comparables
This shed where the epitaph
is now being written
will see a gloomy picture
in a few months from now
And we'll lose ever so slightly
a part of our past
something on which the railways
all over the world
have survived for the last hundred
plus years
With that a lot of our soul will be gone
Everyday
more and more black beauties are being
pulled from the working lines
The iron beasts are now easy prey
to scavengers
who will take even their last bits of
precious coal
The once busy sheds are becoming
graveyards
For loco foreman Mr. Arora
returning is like visiting old friends
You see
this is a tragic part on my life
I was born and brought up
with this steam locomotives
Now I feel as if I am left all alone
and I am standing like a helpless
man can do
but this is the demand from my nation
I feel as if a most loving member
of my family
is being cut into pieces in my presence
an old man, who is looking after
the children
and he is standing
and he cannot do anything
for his children at this dying stage
Feel so bad
Really I feel like weeping
I become helpless creature but
as I've told you, a day one has to die
Similarly, they have also to vanish
one day or the other
All across India
steam sheds have turned
into auction houses
The locomotives await the highest bidder
They are the businessmen
who have waited for the sheds to close
before making their move
They buy the engines which are
to them, worth only their weight
in scrap metal
Most of these men of steam will
choose to stay with the railway
Some will have to be retrained
and others may have to relocate far
from their homes
But for all a way of life is over
There will be one survivor of steam
and by government ruling
it will remain
It is the Darjeeling-Haimalayan toy train
the oldest mountain railway in India
She is the symbol of the railway
and evokes the emotional
and spiritual ties
which the country has for its trains
The men who run her stand for the many
who have devoted themselves to keeping
the lifeline going
And for all those whose lives it touches
this will always be the great
Indian railway
National Geographic: The Great Indian Railway (1995)
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