[vikasshu]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Lovely photos.

Are you able to put a place to those pictures? I am curious about the non electrified sections and the one with the semaphore.

Good Afternoon Sandeep. Thanks a lot for your lovely feedback. I'll try to give information about all the pics. I missed including this information in the first post itself. The way pics are appearing in my post, I'll share the information in that sequence only.

Pic 1 - https://indiarailinfo.com/arrivals/babhnan-bv/914
Pic 2 - Lucknow Railway Station.
Pic 3 - Is from https://indiarailinfo.com/station/map/katra-up-kea/1756
Pic 4 & 5 - From some where between Barabanki (BBK) and Faizabad (FD) stations.
Pic 6 - Faizabad (FD) station.
Pic 7 - Near Sahibabad (SBB) station
Pic 8 - Babhnan station (BV)
Pic 9 - Again from Katra (KEA)
Pic 10 - Don't remember, possibly some where close to Mathura (MTJ).
Pic 11 - Don't remember exactly. But should be from Maharashtra. Was clicked while returning back from Manmad to Delhi by Karnataka Express. Should be between Bhusawal and Manmad.
Pic 12 - Bhor ghat stretch between Pune and Karjat.
Pic 13 - Few KMs Before Karjat
Pic 14 - Kakori (KKJ)
Pic 15 & 16 - Possibly from same trip quoted for Pic 11.
Pic 18 - Vindhyachal (BDL)
Pic 19 & 20 from Rail Museum New Delhi
Pic 21 & 22 no memory.
Pic 23 - Bhor ghat stretch.

Please do let me know in case if I have missed out anything.

Thanks again

[SJM1214]

Sengottai-Kollam railway line reopens after eight years.

After a gap of eight years, a special fare train, connecting Tambaram (Chennai) and Kollam in Kerala, traversed the recently converted (metre gauge to broad) railway stretch between Sengottai and Punalur on Saturday.

The 112-year-old Sengottai-Punalur metre gauge section was one among the various railroad stretches, including Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur, and Tenkasi-Tirunelveli, dismantled in 2010 for gauge conversion. Considered as one of the most scenic railway routes in the country, the stretch was the sole gateway between Kerala and Tamil Nadu through Tirunelveli.

News and Image source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/stat...s-1795456.html

[unk9ja]

The facilities at railway station seems to improve as the day passes by. Had been to Yeshwanthpur junction to see off relatives and saw this drinking water facility at multiple points. Also managed to click a couple of pictures while I was in the station.

The generator van was attached to the Shivamogga town - Yeshwanthpur - Harihar rake.

[MadiMaama]

April 30 marked the end of an era. Train number 12627 Bangalore New Delhi Karnataka Express departed with diesel locos from Bangalore for the last time.

PS. As per the official notification, 12628 which was supposed to get a E loco at Wadi on 1.5 came with a D loco till Bangalore as the train was delayed and CR Solapur division did not change the locos. 12628 arriving on 2.5 is coming with a E loco.

[unk9ja]

I was at SBC, KSR Bengaluru yesterday evening to pick my relatives and captured a few moments while I was there.

The DEMU/EMU was starting off in Mysuru direction when I got down to the platform



The Mysuru - Chamarajanagar - Tirupati express arrived on the adjacent platform. Hauling the rake was this boy



WAG7 from Erode



Another rake from Mysuru proceeding to Tuticorin arrived with a UBL based loco. There were 2 locos but I could not get a clear shot of both in a single frame.



In between the platform 5 and 6, there was this belongings of the locopilot neatly arranged



And parked on the other end was this humble HM RTV



A new hotel/ restaurant is coming up on the rear entrance to the city railway station. Seems the changes are catching up with the railways.



One thing that struck me here and at Yeshwanthpur a couple of days earlier is the cleanliness. The platforms are spic and span with seating arrangements in place. The stench which used to be on the track is now no more. Waste bins are properly placed and utilised too by the passengers and visitors. A new wave of change is seen here and hope this one is for better.

[MadiMaama]

The train in the first pic is the Ramanagara Bangalore MEMU Passenger. It’s not exactly an EMU as it is designed for mainline operations and platforms need not be altered for this train.

Interesting to note is UBL EMD for Tuticorin Express. It’s usual link is an Erode WDP 4D. Was the trailing loco dead(switched off) or was it live(running).

Also, today Karnataka Express departed with a E loco for the first time from Bangalore. 30559 was the power. Lallaguda based P7. Lots of rail fans were there for the event.

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by MadiMaama

The train in the first pic is the Ramanagara Bangalore MEMU Passenger. It’s not exactly an EMU as it is designed for mainline operations and platforms need not be altered for this train.

Interesting to note is UBL EMD for Tuticorin Express. It’s usual link is an Erode WDP 4D. Was the trailing loco dead(switched off) or was it live(running).

Also, today Karnataka Express departed with a E loco for the first time from Bangalore. 30559 was the power. Lallaguda based P7. Lots of rail fans were there for the event.

Well I am still a kid learning from the Gurus here, so I could no make whether it was DEMU/MEMU or EMU. Thanks for clarification.

The second loco was dead as dodo. It was hauled along. A bunch of people went up the loco, had a look into it before the train left to Tuticorin.

[MadiMaama]

Sharing a few pics from the occasion of the first E loco with Karnataka Express.

@unk9ja, all of us are learning . No problem. Cheers

[shifu]

I have an off topic query. It’s about my son who is 6 years old. He is absolutely crazy about trains. Since he was 2 years old, he has been watching videos on YouTube about trains. When children of his age were watching cartoons, this guy used to see videos of trains (and sometimes car reviews). I have spent countless hours standing at a railway crossing close to my house to wait for that one train he wants to see. Sometimes it’s the “blue passenger express” and sometimes it’s the “red express”. I thought it is an infatuation that will fade away with time, but he is 6 and still going strong. His fav toy (no marks for guessing) is Thomas and Friends. He has about 52 pieces of these engines, and he keeps making stories of these engines.

At first I was a bit worried about this madness. But he is otherwise ok, and looking at the passion you folks have on this thread, I am not really worried. However, I would really like to help him pursue this passion. I have started reading about the various locomotives there are in the Indian Railways, and try to explain him. But he is only interested in the colour of the train/type of train etc as of now.

What are the other options that I have to fan his interest? Are there any good railway museums where he can learn about trains? I went to the one at Kachiguda, but that is a very small one. Are there some programs that the railways run for little kids that help them learn about trains? Any pointers that come to your “enthusiast mind” please let me know.

Oh, and what does he want to do after he grows up? Again, no marks for guessing, “Train Driver”

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by shifu

What are the other options that I have to fan his interest? Are there any good railway museums where he can learn about trains? Any pointers that come to your “enthusiast mind” please let me know.

Here are a few that I can think of:

1. Take him to the station as much as possible and make him meet railway employees, observe how stations/trains function and know more about them. Most loco pilots would oblige giving him a tour of the cab as well.
2. Give him reading material about trains, and make him read it. It a million times better than watching Chota Bheem or Doremon.
3. Take him to the National Rail Museum at Delhi, its the biggest we have in the country.
4. Ask him what he understood and remembered after each session at the station/book he read and the train he saw.

It is pretty evident that you are a novice when it comes to trains and it is always good to learn mutually. He will of course, overtake you quickly...!!!

Originally Posted by shifu

Oh, and what does he want to do after he grows up? Again, no marks for guessing, “Train Driver”

A lot of us here wanted to be truck drivers/train drivers in that age, and there is lot of talent needed in the railway engineering field. You never know what he can invent/develop/scale.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by shifu

Are there some programs that the railways run for little kids that help them learn about trains? Any pointers that come to your “enthusiast mind” please let me know.

https://www.irfca.org/

This train craze was with me from the day I could recognize a train. Years went by under the feeling, am I the only crazy chap out there who likes trains? Then I stumbled upon Irfca back in 2002-2003. I also discovered that my child hood pal, who is also on tbhp, FM tharian, is another train crack. This was discovered way back and when we were just 8 or 10 years old. A gold mine of information related to the operations of Indian Railways is available on Irfca. The group used to have an active Photo sharing library. I believe this has stopped. However; the collection in there is huge. The Irfca forums is another useful place together information. A few passionate folks are also IR employees. The group has yearly meets too which is very well organized. I have attended one of them a decade ago.

Your boy has plenty of time and hopefully by the time he grows up, working conditions should improve. As of now, being a train driver or locomotive pilot - as IR prefer to call it, is a high stress and tiring job.

The other aspect is respect for a job in the railway. A locomotive pilot gets a respectable pay but it can take forever in terms of career progression. The job can also be monotonous. Then off course, if you talk to someone about it, I am not sure how well they take to it. Not that you should care about what other people think.

Do allow your son to follow his passion and interest. I did not, could not and regret it in a lot of ways.

[shifu]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

A lot of us here wanted to be truck drivers/train drivers in that age, and there is lot of talent needed in the railway engineering field. You never know what he can invent/develop/scale.

Thanks for the inputs!

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Your boy has plenty of time and hopefully by the time he grows up, working conditions should improve. As of now, being a train driver or locomotive pilot - as IR prefer to call it, is a high stress and tiring job.

The other aspect is respect for a job in the railway. A locomotive pilot gets a respectable pay but it can take forever in terms of career progression. The job can also be monotonous. Then off course, if you talk to someone about it, I am not sure how well they take to it. Not that you should care about what other people think.

Do allow your son to follow his passion and interest. I did not, could not and regret it in a lot of ways.

Thanks for your inputs. He hasn't learnt browsing yet, and I'll try to keep him away from the www as much as possible. But will use this website to learn myself.

I am hoping that by the time he is ready to be a loco pilot, the bullet trains are running full steam (no pun intended) in India!

[MadiMaama]

Originally Posted by shifu

s.

At first I was a bit worried about this madness. But he is otherwise ok, and looking at the passion you folks have on this thread, I am not really worried. However, I would really like to help him pursue this passion. I have started reading about the various locomotives there are in the Indian Railways, and try to explain him. But he is only interested in the colour of the train/type of train etc as of now.

What are the other options that I have to fan his interest? Are there any good railway museums where he can learn about trains? I went to the one at Kachiguda, but that is a very small one. Are there some programs that the railways run for little kids that help them learn about trains? Any pointers that come to your “enthusiast mind” please let me know.

Oh, and what does he want to do after he grows up? Again, no marks for guessing, “Train Driver”

Hello Mr Shifu

To fan the little ones interest, there is a Rail Museum in Mysore(Behind the station) and one more at Chennai(ICF). Take him there for a visit. He will surely enjoy the YDM 4(MG Diesel loco) the rail bus that used to do duty on the Shimoga Talguppa MG line and many more steam locos and carriages. The Maharani's carriage is displayed at Mysore.

At Chennai, you have the WCM loco(DC loco that used to run in Mumbai), the YAM 1(MG AC Loco, that plied on the Chennai Egmore Villupuram section), the YDM 1(Gandhidham based) and many more locos.

You can also come over for a Rail fanning session, where even we adults turn into 6 year old kids. The IRFCA has many chapters across India.Do get in touch with them and will let you know where the meeting happens.

Regards
Anirudh

[unk9ja]

Hello Shifu, If you find yourself with your kid in Pune, please make it to the Joshi's railway museum. It is situated in Kothrud and has shows for a duration of half an hour. More details can be found in the following link.

https://www.minirailways.com/

[shifu]

Originally Posted by unk9ja

Hello Shifu, If you find yourself with your kid in Pune, please make it to the Joshi's railway museum. It is situated in Kothrud and has shows for a duration of half an hour. More details can be found in the following link.

https://www.minirailways.com/

Wow. This is just brilliant. I can just imagine him getting super duper excited about this. Do they also sell the miniature stuff?

Many thanks for sharing this. I was in Pune in March this year, I wish I had known about this earlier. But anyways. Another ride in the Shatabdi for him!