My favourite rail story

I have always been fan of Railways and when I won’t sleep, my father will narrate me the story of the person who dared to travel in the trains first ever time.

So, I will share with you all the story which was like a everyday affair, yes the same story. Here you go,

Before the launch of Railways, We (Indians) used horses or bullock carts etc for transportation. The launch of trains, though had attracted many of us, but was non the less than a miracle. “How, how the machine could pull so many coaches and passengers all together alone ???? What happens if it doesn’t stops? why it runs so fast, and what is that terrific sound (whistle/ horn) the engine makes???? were the questions people were trying to solve.

With all these questions in mind, no one would dare to get courage and sit in the trains and travel. But some one had to do it, So one Doctor and his wife. The doctor along with his wife traveled in the train and made successful journey and even encouraged people to take up the new mode of travel –  The Railways. And now the railways has become our lifeline be it metro, passenger trains or the trams. Now we dare to sit in train 18 which is the fastest and the latest achievement of Indian Railways.

So, the story was about the brave man that how he initiated for the first ever train journey which was no less than today’s amusement park thrill ride.

The learning being, you have to match with the speed and need of the time, if you don’t you would be thrown and someone else would grab the opportunity.

The first passenger train in India ran between Bombay (Bori Bunder) and Thane on 16 April 1853. The 14-carriage train was hauled by three steam locomotives: Sahib, Sindh and Sultan. It could carry 400 people and ran on a line of 34 kilometers (21 mi).

The customary information is 3:35 pm on April 16th, 1853, when a train with 14 railway carriages and 400 guests left Bombay’s Bori Bunder for Thane, with a 21-gun salute. It was hauled by three locomotives: Sindh, Sultan, and Sahib. The journey took an hour and fifteen minutes.

The legends of the journey i.e. the three steam locomotives Sahib, Sindh and Sultan are very popular among the railfans and a blissful sight to watch for.

 

Listen to this blissful whistle of the oldest running steam locomotive, 1855 built, EIR 21.

Location : Chennai Egmore, Nungambakkam, Kodambakkam, Mambalam.
Train : Republic Day HERITAGE Special
Loco : EIR 21 “EXPRESS” (EIR : East India Railway).

Sound on Please.

 

On 16th April 2013 i.e. the 160th anniversary of the first passenger train in India was the subject of Tuesday’s Google doodle.

A postal stamp was also issue depicting 100 years of Indian Railways.

 

 

At the end, happy new year to everyone and best wishes – Rail Duniya

 

 

 

References : 1. About the first train journey taken from news articles and Wikipedia.

2. Picture credits of Sindh, Sultan at Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/fernweh_rocky/

3. Postal Stamp pic by IRFCA member Vikas Singh : https://www.irfca.org/articles/vikas/stamps.html

4. Video Courtesy : https://www.youtube.com/user/KSaaluvesh