Journey on the Earliest Trains

Today completes 1 yr of me starting this blog. Last year, I had a desire to have my own blog, wherein I could express information with a greater freedom, than what Wikipedia offered. so I began this blog on 17th June, starting with an introduction for the entire site, where I expressed my intention and feelings about writing on railways, and this blog, and also how my interest began! 

So, as a 1 year special, here I present to you the experience of traveling on India's first trains.While reading each part of what is written, I'd like you to imagine it. I specially wrote everything in such a manner, that enables you to picture the scenario, using imagery. Then, all will be more fun, than what simple reading can provide. Hope you enjoy the ride!

18th April, 1853

Today was an exciting day! As, today you had your first ride on the new railroad in Bombay. Your excitement had kept building up since the day of  reading that advertisement in the Bombay Times of 8th April. You were sure to cut it out for reference. The railway opened this Saturday (16th April), but the event was for some special people only. So, you had only gone to see the train passing near the Byculla rail crossing. There was quite some crowd, but you could spot the train, being pulled by three long steam engines steaming towards Tannah (Thane). It was exciting for all to see such a event occur. But now, even you could relish the privilege of journeying through this new transport system.

You had to visit your friend living along the Chimaji Street (near the western edge of the fort) in the afternoon. So you decided to go to Mahim, rather than the faraway Tannah. Because, then you could both experience the novel transport system, and wind all up in 2 hrs, reaching back home at around 10 a.m, after leaving at 8 a.m.

[Reader's Note: When the first railway opened from Bori Bunder station in Bombay, besides going to Thane, there was a branch line till Mahim. While the mainline would continue northeastward toward Tannah, the branch line would veer west, to reach the fishing village of Mahim. It was relinquished in the mid 1860s]

You got up early at around 6 a.m.  After competing morning chores, you had some Breakfast, and left home at around 7:15. Then, you headed towards the Bazaar Gate, walking on the Bazaar Gate Street. After quite some walk, looking at the moderately sized buildings, you exited the fort through the gate, and walked over the two moat bridges just outside. Then, you turn right, and walk close to the fort walls, and look at the water tank just left of you. You look just a bit further, and can finally see your station.

The Bori Bunder station in 1854

The first thing you spot are station's large sheds (see the above image) . As you rush to find the entrance, you also spot the nearby Dhobi Talao, and some people washing clothes. You enter the station, and reach the ticket office. You buy a Second Class ticket at 6 Annas and 8 pies (paise), and head towards the platform, just in time. And it was there. The train standing along the platform, with its Green GIP-1 class locomotives, hauling wooden carriages. Mesmerized with the scene, you walk towards a II class carriage with that feeling of excitement within. You find the coach, and a seat inside soon enough, and assume one along a window on the left side

The Train Standing...

At sharp 8 o' clock, a whistle blows, and with the application of a lever, the pistons begin their oscillations. The train departs from the 19 acre station, and heads up the down line. Soon come into view the Sepoy lines, a large extent of land, wherein the Native Brigade was stationed. And then there is the displeasing smell from the Slaughter Houses along the sea. Nonetheless, the train moves ahead the fairly straight track, and you spot buildings in the nearby Mandvi on the left, with the Carnac and Masjid Bunders at the right. Soon, you see smaller settlements, and then the Nowrojee Hill (where Sandhrust Rd station is today located). After passing the tall land-form, the train assumes a leftward turn, and after passing the Mazagaon Road Viaduct, you spot the Suddar Adalat, and the Police Office at Mazagaon. The curve goes gentle, and reverses direction to the East. And after traversing the curve, you pass the Byculla Rail crossing, and finally reach the Byculla station.

The Byculla station in 1854

Here, the train stops, the time being around quarter past 8. This would be its last stop before reaching Mahim. The train then lets out another whistle, and sets off for its destiny.

Soon, it goes under the beautiful Byculla viaduct, and leaves the tiny station. Now, you pass by the Phipps' Oart, a former toddy plantation site. You know it well, since you had visited it a year ago, to see Bombay's first locomotive in action. Lord Falkland as it was named, attracted large crowds of the native populace, to see a steam chariot pulling ballast wagons till Sion, ever since it was commissioned on 18th February 1852. The Locomotive had ferried ballast, to aid in the construction of the Bombay-Tannah line itself. It had also conducted an inspection special journey between the Sepoy lines and Parsik point in November last year, when officials inspected the route, accompanied by friends. It passes by pretty soon, and now you see patches of land outside. These were the Salt Batty lands, and rice was cultivated here.

Looking outside the windows..

The train now turned eastward, and set off for a fairly straight track till Sion. Faraway, you see tall trees, a part of the Mahim Woods. After a few minutes of looking at the countryside-like region, the train makes another sharp turn. You reach the curve of the Mahim Branch line, a single line going alone towards Mahim, while the Main line continues for Tannah. You spot the signal cabins, from where the junction was all controlled. Then you realise that the end of the journey is close. The train now makes a final curve towards the west, and slows down to halt at the terminus at Mahim. You arrive at sharp 8:40 at the serene fishing village at Mahim. Nearby was a lush forest, close to a marshland. 

You get off the train, and turn to have a look at it. You had just been ferried to the Northern part of the Island from its extreme south in merely 40 minutes. You amaze at this thought, and after a while, decide to have a stroll in some nearby regions, like a windmill that was situated nearby, to pass the time. You'd have to wait till about 9:20, when the return train would depart towards Bombay. 

Even while walking away, you have glances of the train, the new and quick ferry between faraway locations, which offered also a quick tour of all the unique and diverse sights, that lay between the two end points.

Thanks for the Scroll!

External Links-

• A hi-res scan of an 1840s map of Bombay's Fort- Google Arts and CultureGoogle Arts and Culture 
• An 1855 Map of Bombay: The Fort can be seen in Bottom Left, with Bori Bunder Station just right of it.- Wikimedia CommonsWikimedia Commons

Addendum

This is an addition to my most recent post, where I'll put some extra details!

1) Present day locations of some old stations:

The Route of the line was a pretty interesting one. It passed through famous landmarks, moved through cut up mountains, and over a former marshland! In this section, we'll find the location of two of these stations, Bori Bunder, and the old Byculla.

a) Bori Bunder

The route began at Bori Bunder station. You would want to know where it once stood. 

The Bori Bunder station

Thankfully, cartographers of the past era made detailed maps, interpolating which with present day maps, helps us trace out the older structures. And I did just that.

An 1855 Map of Bombay

And this I put behind a screenshot from Google Earth. I carefully aligned as many roads, buildings, and even narrow lanes as I could, and finally ended up with this-

1855 v/s now
(credit for satellite map- Google Earth)

It might look disgusting at first, because within the span of 170 yrs, several changes have been made. But yet, you might want to look at the upper right part. Doesn't it look like a wonderful match? At certain places, there's clutter, but at others, all lines perfectly.

Well, this is how you can pin point ancient landmarks to a high precision. If you observe carefully, you may spot CSMT as that portion with a large railway yard. We're lucky, as Bori Bunder station has been mentioned on the 1855 map. Interpolating, we find that Bori Bunder was situated just a bit north of today's CSMT. I've put the interpolation on Google Earth.

The White area represents the station complex. The white line depicts the railway.
Credit: Google Earth

b) Byculla

Byculla was among the more interesting ones. It was quite a humble station, with just two platforms, and a road over bridge at its northern end. In the background was the Byculla Mankeshwar Temple, one that manages to appear in most of the station's old pictures.

The old Byculla station.
Note the Temple in the Background, along with the bridge!

The Old station was situated around 550 m south of the present station. The site can be located easily using the temple as a guide. Consulting the old images carefully allows us to estimate the position and structure better. (Again credit to Google Earth)

An Approximate Interpolation.
The Platforms are labelled Yellow, the bridge Grey, while the Temple is marked Red

And here's a bigger picture for better understanding. Spot the present Byculla station with its red roof-

The bigger picture (Credit: Google Earth)

More to be added soon!

171 Years of the First Train Run

 Today, the 16th of April, 2024, completes 171 years of the Indian Railways. It was today, on a Saturday afternoon in 1853, that the first official passenger train chugged on iron rails laid on the country's soil. For those who witnessed it, it was an awe-inspiring event, for never before had the native population of India seen a steam chariot pulling hundreds of passengers in such a grandeur. The railway had arrived, and was on its way to redefine history, culture, and economy. Superstitions were broken, myths resolved, and the geographical extent practically shortened. And it all started from the 34 kilometers from Bori Bunder to Thana.

The railways were envisioned in India for a multitude of reasons. Railways could provide a means for swift transportation between regions, making commerce and governance easier. It could convey goods from throughout the country, to economic hubs, such as port cities, benefiting trade. The aid in transport of cotton was one of the major reasons for the bringing of railways in India. 

Bombay was one such city. Its position on the Western coast allowed for easy transport of goods through maritime means. It was just alongside the Bombay Harbour, where ships would regularly dock. Further the British had established a strong foothold in the city, being in possession of the archipelago of Seven Islands since 1661. A fort had been constructed on the Bombay Isle (being one of the seven Islands) in 1769, named Fort George, after the then British emperor. By 1838, the Seven Island had been linked by the Hornby Vellard reclamation project. Despite this, the region around the Fort remained the single most developed region for quite a while.

The first Railway line between two cities had been inaugurated back in 1825, the Stockton-Darlington Line in the Great Britain. The first major intercity railway was the Liverpool and Manchester railway, which commenced operations in September 1830. The technology just had to make its way to the port of Bombay. And that happened in the decade of 1840s. Around this time, several began raising plans for a rail network in Bombay. They knew that Bombay would benefit immensely from this new and rapid means of conveyance. The first formal proposal was put forward by Colonel G.T. Clark in 1843. 

The plans were further motivated by enthusiastic businessmen, social reformers, like Sir Jagannath Shankerseth, Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, and even British gentlemen like Sir John Chapman. He was among the more prominent figures behind the advent of railways in India. In 1845, he, along with a group in England, formed the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. This group from England was merged with the one in Bombay (called the Bombay Great Eastern Railway), and was collectively tasked to lay a rail line in Bombay. The Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR) was finally incorporated on 1st August 1849, by the Act of British Parliament. The contracts were finalized, and the company was tasked with constructing a 21 mile (34 km) experimental line between Bombay and Tannah. The sod turning ceremony took place on 31st October 1850, at Sion.

Now with the aims straight, some problems were to be confronted with. The country was tropical, ridden with unfamiliar terrain, and wildlife, and this was to be the first project of such a scale to be realised in the country. Problems appeared sooner than later. For one, there was a large marshland at Sion, with no stable land to lay tracks on. A clever approach utilized the quarried material from the nearby Sion hill, and mangroves were used along with the soil, to create a firm bed on top of the murk. And soon after the works commenced, well, the rains poured heavily, slowing progress down. And the work was to be carried out by native labour, which too was fairly untrained. That brought out issues of its own, since local superstitions, and native beliefs, and practices came into the picture. Nonetheless, work went on, and by the end of 1852, the line from Tannah to the Sepoy Lines close to today's Masjid Bunder). 

It is interesting to note, that on 18 November 1852, the officials of GIPR, along with their friends had conducted an inspection of the entire line on a train, about 6 months before that official ride in April 1853. It was pulled by a shunting locomotive, Lord Falkland (named after Bombay's then governor) all the way from Sepoy Lines, to Parsick point (at Parsik Hill, much ahead of Tannah stn). This is a wonderful story per se, and if you're interested, I've written on it as well!

It was 1853. All was ready for all that was awaited. The journey was set to occur from the rail terminus at Bori Bunder (near the Fort George's Bazaar Gate), all the way till the station at Tannah. And the celebrations were to be held at the Bori Bunder station.

The Bori Bunder Terminus, 1854

The inauguration was to take place, but as fate would have it, Bombay again received heavy thunderstorms. So the new date was Saturday, the 16th of April.

On April 8th, the GIPR published its timetable in the local news daily, The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce (which would later be named The Times of India). The advert detailed train routes, timings, fares, and other basic information. I'll put links to originals at the bottom.

And finally came the day, on which the long wait was to culminate. A Public holiday had been declared in Bombay, and several honorable dignitaries had been invited to the special occasion. The governor of Bombay, wasn't able to attend, but his wife, Lady Falkland made her presence at the ceremony.

For the historical event, several preparations were made. The 300 ft long station platform at 19 acre Bori Bunder station was neatly matted. It was curtained with a white screen on the western side so as to block both the glare of the sun, and the dust blowing afternoon wind. To make the sight more cheerful, the screen, and the platform ceiling was festooned with flags and coloured cloth pieces. At the front lay the ensign of St George, but was soon replaced by the Royal Union Jack.

The train itself was quite interesting. It was hauled by three Tender Locomotives of the classification GIP-1, built in 1851 at the Vulcan Foundry at England, and joyfully named Sindh, Sultan, and Sahib. These would together pull a chain of 14 carriages, consisting of First, Second, and Third class coaches, along with a state carriage, and a carriage for the Governor's Band. 

My Sketch of a GIP-1 Locomotive (for copyright reasons)

At 2 o' clock, the invitees began assembling at the platform. Soon, the platform was tightly filled with European Ladies and European and Native Gentlemen. By around 3 p.m, the Masters of Ceremony for the event, Captain Barr, and the GIPR Traffic Manager, D.M.Roche, began allotting places to the ladies, following which, the gentlemen were asked to secure for themselves a seat. The State carriage was occupied by among the more important individuals. With most accommodated soon, the platform was fairly empty by 3:15 p.m.. 

At exactly 3:30 p.m, canons were fired from the ramparts of the nearby Fort George. The train, with its 400 passengers, left for its maiden journey at 3:35 p.m, up for an exciting journey to Tannah.

As the train chugged forwards, it passed through a crowds of thousands. Men, women, and children looked on from wall tops, windows, temples, houses, masts of Arab Bungalows, even from the branches of trees! Every person in that region was certainly enthusiastic enough so as to not miss a glimpse of it. And Bombay being a trade hub, people from all around the world were effectively present to witness this grand sight.

The train, after departing, initially went along, a straight route, followed by an S-shaped curve (which still exists) to reach its first stop at Byculla. Byculla too was, back then, a humble station with nothing more than some structures on two platforms. It was close to the Byculla Mankeshwar Temple, which appears in several old photos of the station. The station has since been moved north, but the temple still exists.

Byculla Station, 1854

The train then moved toward Sion. At Sion, water was filled in the engines, along with their wheels greased. After departing from the station, the train entered Salsette, the island of sixty villages. The scene here was similar, with the residents of villages crowding on both sides to have a look. The train had its final intermediate halt at Bhandup. After that, it moved straight towards Tannah. The entire journey occupied 57 mins start to finish. The maximum speed being around 30 mi/hr(48 km/h)

At Tannah, a crowd lined on the sides thickly for more than a mile (1.6 km). It had to be kept in control by the Ghat police. Upon their arrival, the Passengers of the inaugural train were welcomed with large Durbar tents, under which they could have a tiffin, and some rest.

Soon followed the National Anthem, after which some notable gentlemen took their parts in delivering speeches. The first was the company chairman, Major Swanson who acknowledged the interest of the governor in his attendance, in lieu of his presence. He was followed by Sir William Yardley, who, began by asserting that the day of "16th April 1853 was, and will continue to be one of the most memorable days, if not the most memorable day in the annals of British India". In his ensuing long speech, he mentioned how the experimental line to Callian (Kalyan) was completed in a solid state, for an amount 20% less than estimated. He also talked about the native labour, stating that they proved to be "most intelligent, and industrious", and they, on working on the line, earned 4 to 5 times what they would have as rude and uninstructed labour.

Several expressed their joy and satisfaction. But I'd like to focus on the line's Chief Engineer, James John Berkeley. And that's for a reason. He expressed his joy with stating how around 500 people had been conveyed  till Tannah in a great public event, in a short time. He then wished to mention certain facts from his experience, that could "inspire public confidence in similar undertakings".He said that the country provided enough to facilitate the entire construction. He then said that they were able to maintain a vigilant superintendence. He then praised the native labour, saying they "far exceeded our expectations". He spoke of the several native troops, whom he praised of their docility and discipline. He also spoke that immense potential lay, even in the lowest classes of the natives, and they were "capable of becoming skillful and handy artisans". He then declared his thanks to the contractors, Messrs. Faviell and Fowler, completing in a energetic and satisfactory manner.

After some more speeches came the time to wrap up. The tents were closed by 6 o' clock, as the passengers were to now depart for their return trip. They entered their carriages, and set off for Bori Bunder, which they reached at 7 p.m., after journeying for 40 mins. The passengers, left, with a jolly emotion, cheering others, who returned the enthusiasm and heartiness.

Two days post the event, on 18th April, newspaper like the Bombay Gazette, and The Bombay Times, reported the historic event in their columns (the entire page in case of the former).  On the same day, regular trains were dispatched on the route. In that, month, 21,992 passengers had traveled, which rose to 61,413.5 in December. Season tickets were issued next year in 1854, and in the same year, the line was extended till Callian (Kalyan). In 1863, Bombay was finally connected to Poona, through the Bhor Ghat. Essentially, all went full steam ahead. 

There was no turning back. The railways had reached, India, and were all set to redefine its economy, culture, and beliefs. Soon, the rail web spread throughout the subcontinent, reaching even the more remote regions. It contributed to the country's progress, and grew with it. Several developments were imminent, and the legacy continued even after we became free. 

The railway remains, till date, among the most popular mode of travel, also among the most affordable. There would be few Indians, who cannot relate to railways today. They were, and still are the lifeblood of the nation. And it had its humble beginning from a 21 mile experimental line between Bombay and Tannah.

Thanks for the long scroll!

For more details, read this as an addendum

Links- 

• 16 points about India's first train journey- Rajendra B. Aklekar's post on some fun facts about the first train run!
• When the First Trial Train went to Tannah- My post on the inspection special trip to Thane, 6 months before the official trip
• The First Advertisement The Front page of Bombay Times, 8th April, 1853.
• Lokhandi Rustyanche Sanshipt Vurnan, 1854- Krishnashastri Bhatavdekar- An old Marathi book on railways. The images of Bori Bunder, and Byculla stations was taken from this.

When the First regular Local Service began on the Western Line.

 Today's Western Suburban Line spans from the city's heart at Churchgate, all the way till Dahanu Rd, around 120 kms away. It indeed is a long route, and around 37 stations lie on the line. Needless to say, it is the lifeline of the city (along with the CR line of course), ferrying about 2.657 million passengers daily! However, the suburban line was extended till Dahanu only in 2013, before which the locals would only travel till Virar. And this was the case for around 140 years. 

All this properly started all the way back on 12th April 1867, which is around 157 years ago! In this article, I'd like to tell you a few things about how it all began.

The BB&CI Railway (precursor to today's Western Railway) formed in 1855 with the task of laying a rail line from Gujarat to Bombay, the latter being an important port, and a hub of commerce. Work progressed, and the line reached Bombay by the 1860s. Soon on 28th November 1864, the first train ran on the line between Grant Rd and Ahmedabad. This was an important achievement per se, since now cotton and other goods from the country could be easily transported to Bombay, to ferry off via the seas. But now, Bombay had got another railway service (after the GIPR line on the east), this time on the western side. The railway could now try to expand its service within the city. Land was soon reclaimed at Backbay, and a line was laid upon it. This allowed further extension, till Backbay by 1866, Churchgate by 1870, and finally to a terminus at Colaba by 1873.

Besides the main line services till Gujarat, the BB&CIR also began suburban services. The first such service began from that erstwhile terminus at Grant Rd, till the Bassein Rd station (today's Vasai Rd  station). It was commenced on the 1st of November 1865, and consisted of one train in each direction, reportedly with just two coaches. 

Soon the southern terminus was shifted further south to a temporary station called Bombay Backbay in 1866. The station would cater mainly to ballast trains, which would bring ballast from Santacruz, for the Backbay Reclamation scheme. It was a project to reclaim a portion of the Backbay, a large body of water beside today's Queen's Necklace. The company undertaking the project, The Back Bay Reclamation Company, could not reclaim all it had to, since it underwent liquidation after the end of American Civil War in 1865. It could reclaim a strip just wide enough for the BB&CIR to extend its line. 

Till then, the railway began services from that temporary station at Backbay, with three trains in each direction starting from 1866. All this was soon overhauled next year, with a regular suburban service, and better systems for efficient operation. 

It was on 12 April, 1867, that BB&CI began that first regular train service. Back then, besides this, there was just one mixed train, and one passenger train per day. The service ensued between Bombay Backbay station, and Viraur (Virar). I'd like to place the old names for the stations ahead. (the names though were quite liquid, and they varied from publication to publication. I'd like to use the names from the December 1923 issue of BB&CIR Magazine's article: 'The Bombay Local and Suburban Train Service'. 

Actually, lets play a game. Try to identify the names of the stations yourself.(The answers will be given below). The stations on the line were as follows- 

1) Bombay Backbay

2) Grant Rd

3) Dadur

4) Mahim

5) Bandora

6) Santa Cruz

7) Andaru

8) Pahadee

9) Berewla

10) Panjo

11) Bassein Rd

12) Neela

13) Viraur

Answers: (in order)- Backbay, Grant Rd, Dadar, Mahim, Bandra, Santacruz, Andheri, Goregaon (most likely!),Borivali, Panju (defunct, lay on the Panju Island between the Vasai Creeks), Vasai Rd, Nallasopara, Virar.

The train left Viraur at 6:45 a.m towards Backbay, and depart from there for the return journey by 5:30. The journey apparently took lesser time than what it takes to travel the same route today, for there were less stations. The service consisted of one train having 4 coaches, in each direction. Further on the composition, the train would comprise of three classes (Ist, IInd and IIIrd), with a Ladies only coach in the IInd class, along with a smoking zone. For this service, the fare for IInd class was 7 pies/mi, while it was 3 pies/mi for IIIrd class.

On 1 October 1867, the BB&CIR published its first Timetable, for long distance trains, which also mentioned the major suburban stations where these trains halted. The time standard opted was the then prevalent Bombay time (that was 39 mins ahead of present IST).Here's a table adapted from the book- 'Anchoring a City Line' by Rahul Mehrotra, and Sharada Dwivedi, mentioning some stations along the line, along with fares to the stations, from Grant Rd-

As per the archives, there served only one train per way from 1867 to 1870. This would have been reasonable, since the railways had still just begun such a thing, and the crowds would not have appeared, until a bit later. For one, there were no suburbs as well. But apparently, the crowds must have soon risen, and by 1870, when Churchgate station was opened as well (10th January), 5 services were commenced each way per day. Soon after this was expanded to 24 trains each day.

It was doubtless then, that the crowds grew, and the services were increased. Since Bombay city was growing, its population rose, and people began finding homes in the northern parts of the city. Bandra was one example, that turned into quite a suburb. All this was made possible by a local service, that could effectively transport the public to and fro their homes and work places. Next? Well statistics reveal that in 1888, 98,65,000 people journeyed through the suburban service. 

There was no turning back from there. The BB&CI did its job well, and expanded their services as needed. Electrification was completed in the 1920s, with the first train running on 5th January 1928. 4 years post Independence, the railway was named the Western Railway. In the era of independent India, the rakes were improved, stations overhauled, services increased, and systems made better. Several problems like overcrowding faced the management, but all were resolved. Mumbai's suburban railway continues to be a lifeline it was more than a century ago, and it all began, with that humble service of April 1867.

Thanks for the scroll!

Leave no Name Unchanged..

 This morning, while reading the The Times of India I found a unique article. I was excited to read it at first. But that excitement didn't last long. The article was presumably just "about the origins of several stations' names". Hence my initial joys. But on a closer read, I was shocked to say the least. The special article enlisted the names of certain stations, and their origins, but just below that, some other names as well. I realised then, that the whole reason this article was written, was to convey that it was these stations whose 'colonial era' names were to be changed now.

These were the proposed changes-

Mumbai Central   > Sir Jagannath Shankar Seth

Marine Lines        > Mumbadevi

Charni Rd             > Girgaon

Currey Road         > Lalbaug

Sandhrust Rd.      > Dongri

Cotton Green        > Kala Chowki

Dockyard Rd.       > Mazgaon

King's Circle         > Tirthankar Parshvanath

My emotions were terrible. They were mildly akin to a feeling of losing something dear. They were of shock, and hurt. They were, on an honest note, also of anger. I felt it was an unnecessary action, one that would have painful, and lasting consequences on us rail historians and enthusiasts. I gave a rough read to the article, to get an idea of which stations were being renamed. 

Just below this, was another related article. It was about the public opinion. The title read 'New names may confuse rly commuters'. In it, several people gave their opinions on the decision. Some highlighted the fact that some stations on the list viz. Marine lines and Charni Rd had no colonial connection. Others went more philosophical, bringing up the question, that where are we exactly heading by changing the name of stations. One person lamented that despite any name change, the old names will forever remain in the minds of commuters. For instance despite being renamed CSMT long ago, the popular name of the CR's grand terminus remains VT. A conservationist beautifully stated that developments and achievements ought not be built by tampering the nomenclature of the past.

The issue is much larger than what the title suggests as the issue. Long before railways arrived in India, the places where the stations today lie, had been known by a name for one or the other reason. The reasons, for some, originate decades or centuries before the advent of rail in India. You might have also wondered about why the suffix 'Road' (as in Charni Rd) or 'Marg' (as in Kanjur Marg) exist. This story belongs to the early decades of railway. Every name has a backstory. And each story is curiosity provoking, and wonderful. 

Let's begin with Charni Rd. In the 1830s, Cattle belonging to the residents of Bombay's old Fort area would graze at the site of the present day Azad Maidan. The British introduced a fee for grazing in 1838, something some owners couldn't afford. Thus, the well known Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy bought a piece of land at Thakurdwar , just so that the cattle owners to graze their livestock for free. 'Grazing' is known as 'Charna' in Marathi and Hindi. Hence the region began to be called as Charni, and a station in the same region opened in 1868, was be named 'Charni Rd'. This is the tale of philanthropy behind this station's nameplate.

Let's get to Currey Road. This station was built as a permanent halt between 1890 and 1895, though it existed much before, for transporting horses. It was named after Charles Currey, the Agent (General Manager as it is called today), of the neighboring Bombay Baroda & Central India Railway (BB&CI Railway), today's Western Railway. It was kind of how we name certain parks, and stations after prominent figures today. The station has a part in India's Independence Movement, for it was this station that Mill workers had partially burnt in 1908, to protest the arrest of Lokmanya Tilak.

Onward to Cotton Green. Now's an interesting part. Bombay was like a cotton hub of India back then. Several bales of cotton would be brought to the port city of Bombay to be transported to Britain. In fact cotton was among the most prominent reason for the beginning of Railways in India per se. The bales were stored in a region near the docks, close to where Horniman Circle lies today, hence the place was named Cotton Green. The store of cotton was, by 1844, shifted to the reclaimed land in Colaba, which became the new cotton hub. It was later shifted to another reclaimed site near Sewri-Mazgaon. The station that was built just close to the cotton exchange building now came to be known as Cotton Green as well.

Now to Sandhurst Rd. In 1896, Bombay was struck by a Plague Epidemic. Thousands of Bombay's residents died in this tragic happenstance. Soon, the authorities made several reforms, aimed at improving the living and sanitary conditions in the city, as well as improving the infrastructure. For this, the Bombay Improvement Trust (BIT) was formed by the government at the end of 1898. The Governor of Bombay during this time was William Mansfield, the First Viscount Sandhurst, better known as Lord Sandhurst. He was assigned to this task of destruction of insanitary property, and cleansing of the city and suburbs, for, it was believed that these insanitary condition played a role in the spread of the disease. India's first two-tiered station, that came up in the 1920s in view of the extension of Harbour line to VT, and the upcoming electrification of this line (another first in India), was named after this very governor, who took up the task of purifying the city, to prevent the infection of the local populace.

Mumbai Central. Still known by some with its former name 'Bombay Central', it was one of Bombay's most important Terminus. The other two being Victoria Terminus, and the erstwhile Colaba Terminus that existed on the BB&CI line. It was constructed, because the Colaba Terminus was to be demolished to avoid interruptions in the then upcoming reclamation scheme, and BB&CI needed another long distance terminus. This station was to be Bombay's Central terminus, and was completed in a time frame of 18 months, and opened in December 1930. Since Colaba Terminus too went defunct in the end of that year, this became BB&CIR, and later WR's main long distance train station. The name in my opinion, be it Bombay or Mumbai Central, has a stature, a strong personality of its own. It gives it a status close to that of New York's Grand Central station.

There exist about a hundred stations in Mumbai's Suburban rail network. I told the tale of just a few, but they suffice to give an idea about the nomenclature they possess. Each had a unique element, the same applies to every other station. Some stations are named after the local vegetation, be it Chinchpokali, the purpose of the region, as in Vidya Vihar, the geography of the region, as in Ghatkopar, the name of some important personality, as in Grant Rd (after governor Robert Grant), the connection to some place of commerce, as in Dockyard Rd. Every name is significant in on or other reasons. In this rapidly changing world, where future arrives quicker than anticipated, after hundreds of alterations, these names remain as a testament to the humble past, and wonderful anecdotes. And these names are all, that provoke people to know their home-place's rich history and reasons for certain practices and traditions to exist, the way they do. 

Changing names, in the name of just erasing the colonial links with no practical basis whatsoever is irrational. Doing so might please some groups, but inevitably, it acts to diminish the feel of a place's historical importance. Its just to some, like I mentioned before, akin to losing something dear. Hence I dearly feel, that something as rich as a name, must never be changed, and rather left to us curious explorers as treasure clues leading us to the eventual treasure, the stories and links are.

Even now, as I finish this article, I am incredibly grieved upon the prospect of the names of my Rich Bombay's links being broken, just as my feeling are right now.

Some References taken from-

• Anchoring a City Line: 2000, Rahul Mehrotra, and Sharada Dwivedi
• Halt Station India: 2014: Rajendra Aklekar

125 Years of Churchgate's Headquarter Office

The Western Railway Headquarter Building
at Churchgate

Celebratory Decorations

 I read about it in a Times of India article back in December I guess. The article stated that in preparation for a quarter and a century celebration of the grand WR headquarter building in 'January' the following year, the Western Railway would be undertaking restoration and painting works there. The Railway was to also open a new heritage gallery on the building's third floor, as an addition to the one on the ground floor. The article further went on, discussing and marveling at the building's architecture, quoting from the book 'Anchoring a City Line' By Rahul Mehrotra and Sharada Dwivedi. That book was published back in the year 2000, on occasion of the building's centenary. Well, it wasn't quite likely that I would be willing to miss this opportunity. I requested my mother regarding the same, and we planned to pay a visit in the third week of January.

Well, I was quite emotionally connected to this building. Back in Dec 2019, when I visited the CSMT Heritage Gully for my very first time, my actual destination was this. My Father, who accomapnied me there, thought I wished to visit there, while I was willing to visit the WR Heritage Gallery inside this building. While returning from the CSMT gallery with a cheerful mind, on my way to Churchgate, I saw that building, telling my father, that this was my actual destination. But, we couldn't find the entrance, and that chance went empty. I recollect myself just desperately willing to visit the WR Gallery, one reason being the presence of a model of an early BB&CI EMU train there. 

Last year, in May, I visited the Heritage Gully at CSMT again. Again I spent a while there all again, and after fulfilling my desires, again tried to get to the gallery at Churchgate. This time I reached all the way till the gate, only to be told by a security guard, that due to it being some special day, the gallery was closed. I remember returning from there with nothing, but a picture of the entrance plaque.

It was 7th of January in the morning, when my father informed me about a planned celebration for the commemoration of 125 years of the Western Railway headquarter building. And that was to be held for three consecutive days from 7th to 9th January. It was quite clear, that I was just going there. I quickly prepped up, taking with me some valuable items. Firstly, a cutout of the WR advert of the event, a book titled 'Anchoring a City Line', Rail historian Rajendra Aklekar's 'Halt Station India' and my folder of Rail research materials. Eventually I dropped the latter, to keep luggage light.

I left from Borivali by 11 or so. I took my 'much fond of which' window seat, and began my research. What research you might ask? Of any old relic might find on the tracks, throughout my nearly 1.5 hr journey to the rail terminus of Churchgate. I had just forgot to bring a notebook, and had to make-do with the notes app on my device. And relics came soon. Just after departing from Borivali, I spotted double headed rails. All throughout my journey, I looked keenly in search of any old remains. I spotted fences, bridges and abandoned platforms (near Grant Rd). 

I finally reached Churchgate by 12:30. There I clicked this image-

The Churchgate Station

I went to have some lunch at the nearby Stadium Restaurant, on the station's western side, and after that, marched my way to the eastern side. It was there, that I had my first glance at the Headquarter building. Needless to say, I glanced in awe, while still crossing the street.

After doing so, I entered through the gate, only to encounter the same issue again. The guards stopped us. The special exhibition was erected just on the left side, on the lawn, and yet the guards were saying it was not to start today, but tomorrow. Well, my father argued otherwise, since the advert in the newspaper certainly suggested otherwise as well. The reality was something like the exhibition was to be inaugurated today, but was to be open to public only tomorrow formally. My emotions were again down. I turned my head up in the south east direction, and looked at the magnificent headquarter building. I thought, as though I was have to satisfy myself with nothing but this.

But we weren't alone. One old aged couple too argued that the WR had clearly invited us to the event, and they had traveled a long distance to come celebrate the building'd 125th anniversary with WR. Well, eventually one employee of the railway arrived, and allowed us to enter the exhibition. 

The exhibition (I'm in the picture somewhere!)

On entering, we were greeted by a info-tunnel. Screens surrounded us all around, with a video on the Railway's history playing. After stepping inside, we were greeted by several info-cards on the walls. Now that I'm posting images of these, I would like to credit Western Railway for all the archival images coming henceforth.

The first info-card (Credit: Western Railway)

There were tons of images all around us in the first part.

An Image pillar (Credit: Western Railway)

Now, I won't be able to include all the images for obvious reasons, but trust me, there were a lot!

On going ahead, there was a VR desk, which I tried out; it was a 360 degree tour of certain spots in the building just close by. I was immersed in the VR experience for so long, that the person handling it had my chance was over! Just adjacent, was one sci-fi projector, which I would like you to check out on your own.

The "Sci-fi" Projector

Moving a bit ahead, was the most exciting part. It was the place I spent 2 hrs at that day. You might ask, isn't 2 hrs a bit too much to spend at one place in the entire exhibition. Clearly there was something that made me lose my sense of time. And that was this desk.

A BB&CI Bell

Information on 'Why bells?'

A Handheld Kerosene Lamp

A model of a WG Steam Loco

A Magneto Telephone

And, finally the reason for my standing there for 2hrs-

The Reason..

Well, actually it narrows down to two too odd looking black books. And actually I spent most of the time on the book low in the picture. And what were these books exactly? Any rail historian's most prized treasure.

The Treasure

These were two Magazines of the BB&CI Railway, dating 1923 and 1931. Actually there was also a timetable from 1960 kept in the middle, but trust me, I did not even open more than once. The former things were much more significant to me than the latter.

I'm an obedient kind of guy. I just can't do things without asking for permission sometimes. And this was one such time. The book was an archival copy, and I thought it wasn't meant to be opened, but rather just displayed there. I mean there was a barricade like thing in between me and the table. But this wasn't time to be the most obedient. And being a rail historian, I was pretty confident that I could handle a 100 year old treasure trove safely. But of course I had to ask permission first. I went on the other side of the exhibition, granted a permit from a somewhat confused person somehow affiliated with the railway I thought, and walked back to that spot. 

With a baited breath, I carefully opened the cover. I first tried the 1931 magazine. I was first met with some random text (Railways used to put tons of advertisement in publications), and didn't find much in terms of 'fun stuff'. All I found were Locomotive diagrams, a somewhat interesting economy scale (BB&CI's fun way of displaying expenditures and income), but nothing more. That was one observation I made of the 1931 book, after several readings; there was nothing much. So I tried my luck on the 1923 magazine. Again, nothing much at first, but interesting things came in soon. The book was divided into monthly sections, regarding to the happenings of each month. And along side carefully turning 100 yr old pages, I clicked pictures of things I found interesting. 

A Typical Month page..
(Credit: Western Railway)

The frequency of the lights there messed up some of my images, but I eventually realised that increasing brightness removes the bars of darkness in the pictures!

Well, I continued scrolling through so on, until my father called me. I was then introduced to another rail historian, someone who shared my interests. He was clicking pictures from a rare Western Railway book, and my father was helping him in the process. In our conversation, we discussed several things and he asked me several things as well, from, why Dadar West is called Dadar BB, and Dadar East, Dadar TT, to what the Salsette Trombay Railway was. It was an engaging discussion, that went on for quite some time. Later, I went back to my task of exploring my book.

In the book further ahead, there were some pretty rare images, like those of the Bassein Bridge, (significant to me for reasons I have mentioned ahead), some personal accounts, like one of a person's trip to Goa, some jokes, to name a few. I found another image of the Bassein Bridge,one I found especially amusing. I would really like to include it here-

An otherwise unsuspecting page...
(Credit: Western Railway)

What's special you may ask? Check the image caption. It rather 'dully' specifies the speed of the train, something that might feel like an unnecessary addition. But its like a giggle inducing moment for anyone who knew the problem of the then bridge. Read this digitized BB&CI Magazine 'Crossing the Rivers' of 1924, and refer to the Bassein Bridges section (pg.6). 

To give you a brief, if you travel over the Vasai Creek between Bhayandar and Naigaon stations and look in the west direction, you will find a rusted bridge there. This bridge was used from 1927 all the way till 1980s or 1990s. This bridge was originally constructed in 1864, when BB&CI first entered Bombay. With the turn of the century, the bridge was found weak to handle the increasing traffic loads of the increasing services. The bridge was strengthened, but this was just a temporary solution. Hence a new bridge was to be built, the work of which started in 1923, and finished by 27'. This is that rusted bridge we see today. Before this bridge was finished, the railway set up restrictions for train speeds. A speed limit of 15 mph for local trains, and 8 mph for long distance trains was set up. That is exactly what the picture hints at, and that is exactly the reason I smiled on seeing it.

More to be added soon!

That one time when Colaba had a Railway Station

 The Western Line. Begins from Churchgate, ends at Dahanu Rd. Of course there are intermediate local termini, like Dadar, Bandra, Borivali, Virar to name a few. These are stations with a 'make believe' dead end which the locals cannot go past. The locals complete their duty of transporting its longest accompanying passengers to its own destination, lets them deboard, and heads back to its origin station after a while waiting in front of that 'dead end'. Even Dahanu, the northern terminus, faces that situation, since the Indian Railway line extends much further than the suburban line. It is the southern terminus, Churchgate that gets that one unique honour. No rail line going past it. Here there is a real dead end! But that wasn't always the case. For, once the line went 2 km beyond it, all the way to Colaba! And Colaba maintained that honour for 57 years!

You may find that surprising, but its true. And the story of its existence, is amusing, and a pleasure to both read and narrate!

Lets get back to the mid 1860s. The Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway (BB&CIR) had just recently extended its line from Ahmedabad to Bombay in 1864. The tale of this happenstance is an interesting one in its own. (If you don't know, you may read this article I wrote last month-). But today, lets discuss the events that lay ahead. When the first train service began between Bombay and Ahmedabad from 28th November 1864, the train terminated at Grant Rd station. A local train service was introduced the following year on the 1st of November. This service ran from Grant Rd, to Bassein Rd. At the same time, several improvements were done to the intermediate stations along the suburban line. 

But, along with all this, one more project was being executed, undertaken by the Bombay Backbay Reclamation Company. It, as the name suggests, was assigned the task of Reclaiming a part of the Backbay (that body of water between Malabar Hill and Colaba). Why? After all, BB&CI had to extend its line into the heart of Bombay City, and then to the cotton hub of Colaba. And that heart was near the erstwhile fort of Bombay, close to today's Churchgate. Possible routes were proposed and debated upon for long. The line reached Grant Rd in 1864, but the path just ahead was still under discussion in 1863. One option, as suggested by Colonel P.T. French, the Chairman of BB&CIR himself, was to let the line pass through the regions of Sonapur, Girgaon, and the Esplanade. But Bombay's commissioner of Police, Charles Forjett soon made a report, highlighting the impracticality of the proposition. The issue lay in the fact that purchasing patches of land in the aforementioned areas would cost more than a quarter Million Pounds sterling, which was plain expensive, and hence, what the Railway Department refused to comply with. The Chairman then found to himself only one practical option, that was to reclaim a portion of the Backbay. And this the Railway Department found feasible.

Then there were more discussions, more protests, more letters; but the plan went ahead. The Backbay Reclamation Company began the first scheme of Backbay's reclamation history. The BB&CI too got the task of supplying the necessary ballast, with its ballast trains running from Santacruz. The scheme went ahead, but then came a shock. The American Civil War ended. 

With the Civil War's advent in 1861, the British cotton supply was in danger. The British started to look at other places to procure cotton for its industry. India was one such place. Now, railways had been introduced in Bombay, and it was a port city. The result was that, in the duration of the war, Bombay profited a heck of lot, and Bombay became a cotton hub as never before. But with the end of the war, ended the monopoly. Several companies were liquidated, and one of these was the reclamation company. This was in 1865. The Government took over the project, but the result was less grander than anticipated. Only a thin patch of land, just wide enough for the BB&CI to lay its line could be reclaimed.  The Bombay Backbay station was opened here by 1866, primarily to serve ballast trains bringing in supplies for the reclamation project. The Railway then started regular trains from the station by 1867, and then continued extending the line, reaching Churchgate by 1870. But as for the Reclamation project, for now at least, it was done and dusted.

Although Bombay could not get much extra space due to the cut shorted reclamation, BB&CIR had just gotten enough. It had now established a foothold in the city, and was ready to jumpstart. And so it did, albeit again with some difficulties!

The BB&CI was now quite close to Colaba, the cotton hub. It just had to get there. And so, it requested for an authorisation for extension. The Government of Bombay gave permission, but on one condition. The condition was that the company, in an event of further reclamation schemes, or public benefit undertakings in the region, would move, i.e clear this railway route till Colaba. This condition was agreed to, and then, the year being 1873, BB&CI had achieved its goal of establishing itself in Colaba. Passenger traffic from the station was commenced by October 1st, 1873, and finally one could catch a train at Colaba, and travel all the way till Ahmedabad! And besides this added luxury for the passengers, BB&CI could too benefit a ton from transporting cotton, with its line stretching 310 miles (quite exactly 500 km) to Ahmedabad. 

On the Suburban Line, by now there were 24 locals each day (8 Bandra, 3 Andheri, and 1 Virar). And Progress continued. By 1888, 9,865,000 people had used the service to their benefit, and after 4 years, there were 4 Virar, 1 Borivali, and 27 Bandra locals each way per day. 

But this surge in popularity came at a price. If the service receives demand, it ought to be expanded. Expansions were certainly done, but not all was achieved. One curious such problem occurred at the temporary Colaba station. About mid 1880s, the station handled 52 passenger trains every day, and due to this, there would remain no space for standing trains at the station. These could only be occupied at Grant Rd, and even this would mean three daily passenger trains to be brought back empty from the latter station to Colaba. On top of this, the Locomotive shed was at Parel, and hence Locomotives too had to run on this line to Colaba. And all this on just two tracks. The situation was a darn traffic mess! And the station too was quite cramped, which led to the following situation: It was often that on the arrival of a passenger/express train, that, soon after it would be shunted (taken away), to make space for an incoming local train. This would occur, even before the passengers of those long distance trains had the opportunity to take their luggage out!

Sure enough, came suggestions soon after. There were thoughts that the provision of additional sidings at Marine Lines and conversion of the station into a terminus for all long distance trains would curb the issue. The Government assigned a committee in 1888 to find solutions. The committee discouraged the aforementioned suggestion, for, this would mean consumption of the already limited space available for public recreation initiatives. The Committee hence suggested the expansion of the Colaba station, to cope with all the issues. 

BB&CIR was therefore provided a plot of land between Wodehouse Bridge, and the Lower Colaba Road. The Government sanctioned an amount of Rs.4,94,843 in April 1893, after plans and estimates for the station were submitted. And then came a magnificent station certainly ten fold grander than its predecessor. It was a new station, and this station was named Colaba Terminus, and it was opened to service on 7th April 1896. 

The station building was a piece of art. The façade of the station, made of stone, faced southward, and so did the station's entrance. The entrance was below a balcony, similar to that at Bandra Railway station, along with a porch for carriages. If we look at the building from the front, it was almost symmetrical, the symmetry being broken by one high tower with a pitched tiled roof on the left. Barring this, the building façade was symmetric along the balcony, there being three rectangular portions with a gable like top, the balcony being located in the central rectangle. Inside the building, were waiting rooms, an open ticket counter, and other offices. The principal columns were ornamented with iron work made from old rails. A brick wall sheltered the passengers on the Wodehouse Road side, from rains. The station was lightened with incandescent light bulbs, functioning throughout day and night. A footbridge was further constructed on the northern end of the platforms. The terminal station itself had three 500 ft (152 m) long platforms, hosting five, numbered-platforms. This was because the west-most platform hosted only one, while the other two hosted two numbered-platforms each. The yard of the station was also quite large, hosting two main carriage sidings, the West, and the East Carriage sidings. The East Carriage sidings themselves went a long way, forming a sort of a C-curve, with the southern part extended till the nearby docks. The yard further had a Station Cabin, some extra sidings, some lines assigned for Goods traffic, and most importantly, a Turntable. All the lines of the station yard, including the ones that catered to the platforms, eventually converged to just two lines, that arrived from Churchgate, one each for Down and Up lines.

Such a beauty was the new Colaba Terminus station. The station continued its service well throughout, even into the 1900s. Developments were soon to follow. Between the station and the nearby Wodehouse bridge, track circuiting was completed by 1913. In the 1910s, during a period of several station remodelling schemes, facilities at several stations were improved. Some stations covered under the schemes were- Borivali, Virar (1913), Grant Rd (1915), and Bandra, Mahim (1917,1920). Colaba's station too went under consideration, since the yard and the signalling equipment were inadequate to deal with the traffic. Keep in mind that crowds were growing profoundly in these regions, and also were the passengers, around this time. Hence, Colaba Terminus' remodeling scheme too was approved by 1920.

But another thing happened in 1920. And was quite in irony to the just mentioned development. The Bombay Government, that year, issued a notice to the Railway Company. That notice was an order to the BB&CI to relinquish its rail section, between Churchgate and Colaba, in order to remove obstacles in view of an upcoming second phase of Backbay Reclamation. And, as many authors like to point out, was on the very plot of land the government had itself reclaimed to make the rail extension to Colaba possible. And now, a department of just that government was asking to shelve that section out. 

Well, BB&CI had agreed to give away the reclaimed plot in case of such a project in future, all the way back in 1873, when it was to extend its line till here. No ifs, no buts, they had to give the land away. But it wasn't as easy as that. Colaba had been established as BB&CI Railway's terminal station. It couldn't just demolish it now and cede the land to the Government. It just had to first establish another Terminus.

Such a terminal was then planned near Bellasis Rd, and a new station was to be built there. Besides this main station, a suburban station was to be constructed just beside to provide ease of connectivity. This was to be the Bombay Central Station, or today's Mumbai Central. The Agent (General Manager) of BB&CI, Sir Ernest Jackson laid the foundation stone of the station on 11 March 1928, and the station was ready by 18 December 1930. For a moment, BB&CI had two grand Terminus stations!

Colaba Terminus' story was about to end. But the story didn't end that dull. When the BB&CI line was electrified, the first Electric Local train on the line ran from Colaba to Borivali on 5th January 1928. The same year, on 1 September 1928, the Frontier Mail was inaugurated from here. It would regularly depart from the Terminus throughout the station's remaining years, except during winter months, when it'd depart from the Bombay Port Trust Railway's Ballard Pier Mole Railway station. This train was reputed to be India's fastest, and among the most punctual trains. 

But that was more or less the ending, and its replacement had already been ready in December 1930. Its purpose was fulfilled, and so was its life. The last local train departed from the station, heading toward Bandra on 31st December, 1930. The station then closed for good, on the New year's Day of 1931.

Such was the tale of Bombay's once Southernmost station. Full of crises, but full of exciting times. In the end, Churchgate was made the Terminal again, as it was in 1870. This process was completed by 1933. Colaba just vanished in thin air, just out of public memory. Yet it served well, as BB&CI's most wonderful Terminal station, that too for 57 whole years.

Links and Resources

• The Bombay Local, and Suburban Train Service: BB&CI Annual Issue, Dec 1923- A 100yr old booklet, with history of the railway company in the first 20 years of the 20th century. Also contains diagrams of Colaba Terminus remodeling scheme. 
• A Century of Suburban Service: West rail News, 1961- A post independence issue, highlighting the history of British Bombay, along with that of the railway company. Has pictures of Colaba station building and Yard. 
• Once upon a time, there was a railway station called Colaba: WR CPRO Ravinder Bhaskar- A small article by Western railway's Public Relations Officer, about Colaba's rail Terminus.