[RedTerrano]

Hear ye, hear ye.
All rise for the Queen, and wish Her Majesty a happy 90th (1 Jun)

Now let's hop on board and go for a journey down memory lane.
Choo choo!

Believe it or not, Deccan Queen initially raced to Pune, to take her patrons to the race track!


Speed. Comfort. Leisure.
The epitome of travel for the well heeled commuter




Blast from the past from the black and white era


Some time later. Notice the change in design


The old workhorse


8 annas! This is from the time, where a four anna coin was legal tender. (Not to be confused with the 25 paise coin which was also called 4 annas in the vernacular) Back then 16 annas made up a rupee


Moving on to relatively modern times.


The now so familiar livery


50 years old and still beautiful. Aged gracefully, like fine wine.


In all it's colorful glory


Yes. Regular commuters, errr I mean loyal courtiers actually do this. Celebrate Her birthday with cake and have a party. Perhaps the only such celebration on earth.


I have extremely fond memories from my childhood travelling in this train. And even today I the taste of cutlets from the pantry and wadas at Karjat station still lingers on my tongue. Not to mention the monkeys at monkey hill station. No I never tasted them. My parents would never approve non veg back then!

Here is looking forward to the centennial celebrations. Then I will definitely buy myself a ticket and take my grandkids (hopefully I have them then) and regale them with stories starting with "when I was your age"

[no_fear]

@ Red Terrano

I last read that the Deccan Queen will have a new set of colors for the entire train. IR chose something like black / brown and red combo. Plus the coaches will be the LHB ones.

Has this been done already? I could not find any info online, except that the current ICF coaches are still being used as per railfan blogs.

[Rajeevraj]

Nice. Thanks for sharing. Have read a lot of stories about the Deccan Queen and being a day train with regular commuters, I believe there is a lot of nostalgia associated with it Obviously after reading this, started wondering about the longest running trains in India currently. Looks like that record is currently owned by the Kalka mail(as of 2018) which started operations a 152 years back. Link

Edit: Further readings shows some disagreements around this due to the change in names, routes etc.

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by no_fear

Has this been done already? I could not find any info online, except that the current ICF coaches are still being used as per railfan blogs.

Absolutely no idea. My train travelling days ended the day I got my driving license. Its literally decades I have been to a railway station.

The latest media pic I could find was from a news item about trains falling prey to the chinese virus. No idea if it's a latest pic or from their file.
https://www.punekarnews.in/pune-decc...f-coronavirus/

[ruzbehxyz]

As a continuation to the first post, I would like to add the following facts about the Deccan Queen:-

1) Was started on 01st June 1930 by Great India Peninsular Railway (GIPR) which is today called Central Railway. The train runs between Bombay and Poona. The train started its initial services from Kalyan to Poona.

2) The Deccan Queen has several firsts or 'among the firsts' to her credit: she was India's first superfast train, she was the first long distance electric hauled passenger train, she was one of India's first vestibuled trains. The Deccan Queen was the first to have a Ladies Only car, and amongst the first to feature a diner (dining car).

3) It is interesting to note however that the Deccan Queen was originally intended exclusively for the Colonial overlords. Due to this, she was initially run as a weekend special for the 'goraa sahibs' (white gentlemen). For over a decade, it was considered unprofitable to run the train during the week, due the poor patronage on weekdays. It was only by 1943 after Indians were allowed on board did the clientele pick up, and traffic built up enough to justify a daily service. The daily service started on 26.04.1943. Gradually, the Deccan Queen came to be known as a 'husbands' special', catering to men who spent all week working in Bombay, and returned to their families on weekends. Nonetheless, an increasing number of working women too had become part of the passenger profile of the Deccan Queen.

4) In the earlier days, the train took 2 hours 45 minutes, and today it takes 3 hours 15 minutes

5) Initially, the train was introduced with two rakes of seven coaches each, painted in silver with scarlet mouldings, and the other with royal blue with gold lines. The under frames of the coaches of the original rakes were built in England while the coach bodies were built in the Matunga Workshop of the GIPR.
The original rake coaches were replaced in 1966 by anti-telescopic steel-bodied integral coaches built by Integral Coach Factory, Perambur. The new coaches incorporated improved bogie design for better riding comfort as well as improvements in the interior furnishings and fittings. The number of coaches in the rake was also increased to 12 from the original seven.
In 1995, the rake was changed, further increasing the seating capacity and improving the pantry facilities. Over the years, the number of coaches in the train has been increased to the present level of 17 coaches – 4 AC chair cars, one buffet Car, ten second class chair cars and two second class cum brake vans.
In March 2020, the Central Railway decided to give the train a makeover by upgrading its coaches to German-made LHB coaches, which have better safety features, better suspension system and better riding comfort.

6) When it was introduced in 1930, the Deccan Queen was hauled by WCP 1/2 DC passenger locomotives. From 1954 till the 1990s, it was hauled by a WCM-1/2/4/5 DC mixed locomotive. From the late 1990s till present, it has been hauled end to end by a WCAM-3 or WCAM-2/2P DC/AC locomotive of the Kalyan (KYN) shed. Starting 1 June 2018, on its 88th anniversary, it will be occasionally hauled by the WAP-7.

7) Why does the Deccan Queen not halt at Kalyan, when all major trains halt here.
Read here: https://english.lokmat.com/photos/na...nfiniteGallery



Deccan Queen and Bollywood.


Seen in Dev Anand's movie Jewel Thief.


Deccan Queen released on 01st Jan. 1962, is an Action-Adventure-Thriller Romantic Family Drama Film crafted with excellence by Aakkoo. The Story revolves around the life of Suraj- An Honest and Fearless boy living in the village ruled by an Evil Man Sher Singh- who forcefully taken the throne from Diwan-the kind King. Sher Singh betrayed the King and started corruption in the Village and Princess- the daughter of Diwan- living in City comes to village in Train named Deccan Queen- Sher Singh plots to kill her- but Suraj saved her and they fell in love and together they fight against him, leading to consequences. Primary Starcast-Samar Roy, Indira Bansal, Sheila Kashmiri.


Some more photos:-




The WCM series engine, my favourite engine. I call it the Ambassador of locomotives. When these engines were stopped by Indian Railways in the late 1990's for better engines, these engines still ran with the Deccan Queen for nostagia. By year 2000, all units were withdrawn due to frequent failures and were phased out.

[Malyaj]

I have travelled on this train on numerous occasions. During monsoon season I would prefer travelling in the non A/C coach so that I could watch the ghats scenery midway. For so many Puneris working in Mumbai this was a weekly pilgrimage. My otherwise grumpy boss who frowned upon anyone leaving office early would make an exception for anyone who had a confirmed ticket for Friday evening Deccan Queen to Pune.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by no_fear

@ Red Terrano

I last read that the Deccan Queen will have a new set of colors for the entire train. IR chose something like black / brown and red combo. Plus the coaches will be the LHB ones.

They tested push-pull way back in 2019 and saved 40 minutes:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/69347123.cms

I understand that the couplers on 'ordinary' ICF coaches are not strong enough given the steep stretches, and hence the entire train will need to be made of LHB coaches. Must have been delayed due to COVID.

[kkunal.shah]

Brings back fond memories of me & mom travelling from Mumbai to Pune to see our grandparent.

Still miss the cutlet bread served from the Pantry. Deccan Queen was known for being on time & clean by then Railways standards, we never travelled much those days hence this trip was always awaited.

Now thinking of taking my 5 yr daughter on this train (once covid normalises), her first train journey.

[NiInJa]

Ahh, nostalgia! Similar to the RedTerrano, our train commute to my grandmother and uncle in Thane during summers stopped after the expressway was built and faster Volvo buses were introduced, but, prior to that, commuting in Deccan Queen or the Sinhagad Express (which was a double-decker back then ) was a priority, Deccan Queen had the original livery of Blue and white much before it became a norm for all trains between Pune and Bombay. The Deccan Queen has a separate fanbase and many commuters have bonded with each other well beyond their usual travel times!

I remember the WCM series engine which was needed for Pune-Mumbai as the ghat section required a lot of power which only those engines would offer. Additional engines would be added at the rear of the train set to push it on the ghats. I would eagerly wait for Lonavala station where they would be parked, three in a line making extremely loud noise!

[armumbai]

We were Bombay people who on account of my father’s transfer grew up in Pune. My mother never until her death could take to the slow pace and drab life of Pune. Every opportunity meant rushing down to Mumbai to be with her parents, in-laws, cousins and friends and the racy Mumbai life. The Deccan Queen was a partner in crime for all these forays into freedom as it were. From a very young age I was entrusted the task of going 3 then later 7 days in advance for the seat reservations towards that end. It would encompass waking up at 6 and leaving home at 630 to be ahead in the queue that would start forming by 7am. The booking window would open at 9 and by 930 the train would be all sold out. The day of the journey to Mumbai was one of extreme excitement and the return one of gloom and doom. The Fish Fry and chips were a must have that I can never forget. Oh those days and the Deccan Queen. As Red Terano wrote once I got a car in the 1980s I never used the train ever again between the two cities. I live in Mumbai and many times plan to travel the DQ as it’s more popularly called but just have never managed.
Happy 90th DQ, you are a source of many memories

[psyph3r]

Originally Posted by no_fear

@ Red Terrano

I last read that the Deccan Queen will have a new set of colors for the entire train. IR chose something like black / brown and red combo. Plus the coaches will be the LHB ones.

Has this been done already? I could not find any info online, except that the current ICF coaches are still being used as per railfan blogs.

Travelled by DQ earlier this year before lockdown, it still has the ICF rake.
Considering its legacy, it should've been given higher priority over the Pune-Mumbai Intercity Exp.which has been upgraded to LHB for over a year now.

[silverado]

Anyone who has experienced the Magic of Mumbai Pune train travel in rains, will vouch for those Bread and Cutles with Sauce and ofcourse the Ketkar Wada Pav at Karjat.

Simple joys of life, wish to relive those moments when possible.
Thanks for starting this blog, just reading through all these posts has made my day today.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Hear ye, hear ye.
All rise for the Queen, and wish Her Majesty a happy 90th (1 Jun)

Now let's hop on board and go for a journey down memory lane.
Choo choo!

50 years old and still beautiful. Aged gracefully, like fine wine.
Attachment 2162178

Here is looking forward to the centennial celebrations. Then I will definitely buy myself a ticket and take my grandkids (hopefully I have them then) and regale them with stories starting with "when I was your age"

I share my vivid childhood memories of yesteryears, when the Grand Deccan Queen raced past Range Hills, Kirkee, Poona, on the rail track just about 50 metres away from my maternal uncle's home, every morning en route to Bombay. We used to be here in Poona, during the summer vacations and also during some family ceremonies. Numerous trains used to pass on this route, but none was as awesome and striking as the Deccan Queen. The train would be seen every morning and I and my brothers would never miss its sight as children, while playing in the home compound.

The Bombay- Poona Deccan Queen would also at times be prominently sighted but only occassionally, as it would pass though sometime in the evenings. The morning sightings were like clock work precision, that I can never forget !

The 50th anniversary avatar as in the image is the one that I remember, as way back then, it would appear as such.

Majestic and distinguished she was and she still is. But way back then, no other train on this route would look as gracious and majestic as the Deccan Queen, which was decked up as 'one of a kind'.

[Hayek]

This thread really brings out nostalgia. Amazingly, I have myself used the Deccan Queen very few times - have used the Pragati Express (if I recall right) which left in the morning from Bombay much more often.

But the sight of the engines reminds me of our train journeys as kids from Bombay to South India - the delicious vada paos at Karjat were certainly a highlight.

Must take my son on the Queen once Covid ends - and experience the all new LHB coaches. Saw an article that the Railways are planning new Vistadome coaches on the Queen - now that would be a journey to savour.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/83049381.cms

[RavSam]

Wow! Feels funny to see people calling it "Nostalgia" when I still take a ride on it.

Feels like I am using a Nokia 3310 while everyone else is using an iPhone (Latest) Pro Max!

If you want to reach Pune Fast and cheap these Mumbai-Pune trains are unbeatable. Yes, your location must be near to the Pune station after you alight !

My mom frequently travels by the Deccan Queen and it's almost always right on time.