A Journey to Sion in 1853

 Welcome to this short story about a journey to Sion set in November 1853, 7 months after the first train run between Bombay and Tannah. I have drafted this narrative using several maps, photographs, and literary resources. It is more of an experience rather than a story. Hope you enjoy this trip to the past!

You wake up on a cold November morning, fresh for a new day. It's 5 a.m., as you see on your wall clock, and you head out to your window to have a look outside. You feel the cold on your face, and yet you peek into the dark night. You see an empty street, and all the multi-storey houses crowded nearby. You look up and see a crescent moon in the eastern sky, just barely visible in its current phase. From your third floor home along the Bazaar Gate street, you can just see the moon unobstructed. Pleased by the peaceful environment outside, you head in for your morning chores. 

Your Uncle had long been asking you to pay a visit to his cottage at Sion. He is your favourite Uncle, and so you're just willing to oblige. Free from work, you chose this day to be the one. It would have been a long journey by road, for you were living in the Fort of Bombay: nearly the southernmost tip of the island. Your Uncle, on the other hand, lived at the Northern extreme of the island. Fortunately, the railways had been in existence in the city for the past seven months, and shortened the time needed from hours, to just a little more than half an hour. 

You have a morning cup of tea, certainly a refreshing beverage in the cold, and otherwise. Besides, you have an early breakfast, and lock your door around 6:30. This would be just enough time to catch the 7 am train to Tannah. You climb down the stairs, and enter the barely wide Bazaar Gate Street. This street was called so, as from the outside, it led to the Bazaar, where you could buy cloth of many colours, crystalware, and even fruits and vegetables.  There were certainly more people hanging around at this time, in contrast to when you had seen an hour back. You walk northward, and as you walk, you see the five storey buildings alongside the road. These buildings housed the offices of rich businessmen within the fort. After a bit of walk, amidst the cold still felt in that wintry air, you reach the inner Bazaar Gate. 

Crossing the Stone gate through one of its pedestrian walkways, you walk over the moat bridge, onto the Bazaar Gate Ravelin. The fort was surrounded by a long water moat (similar to a canal) for defense purposes. The ravelins were like islands on this ditch, often serving as offices for the government. After crossing the other two gates, you finally exit the fort, onto the vast open Esplanade. 

The Esplanade was a vast expanse of land, that surrounded the fort on the Northern and Western sides. Vegetation that grew here was cleared regularly, as this land was considered as a clear firing range in case of an attack on the Fort of Bombay. Besides this, it served as the grounds of the Native Infantry, which was stationed at the Northern end. The Bori Bunder station was situated just adjacent to the military grounds.

You turn right, walking adjacent to the walls of the Fort George, a northern extension of the fort built in 1769. You spot the Phansi Talao on your way, and observe the Women washing their daily stock of clothes at the Dhobi Talao. And not faraway, you see the starting point of your upcoming trip: The Bori Bunder station.

The Bori Bunder Station 

You arrive around 10 mins prior to the scheduled departure, and get yourself a Second Class single ticket for Sion at 8 Annas and 3 pice. You rush to the station platform, and find the train waiting. Head to the front, you have a look at the Locomotive, painted a bright green, with the initials 'G I P' painted yellow on the tender panels. The driver was in his open air cabin, with his hands on the reverser lever, waiting for his signal. You now walk back to find a second class carriage, and find a good window at eastern side. A whistle is heard, and the pistons are set into motion. The train slowly picks speed, and gradually departs the 19 acre railway station at Bori Bunder. 

Now you feel an unpleasant smell in the cold air from the windows. The train moves on, and you discover the source: The infamous slaughter houses. These were located along the eastern waterfront, close to Mazgaon, soon after Bori Bunder. Indeed, the reek of these Slaughter houses often offended passengers. Eventually the smell fades away, and the train navigates a leftward curve. You look inside the still fairly dark coach. It was not filled to the brim, and consisted of both native and the British folk. While some conversed, others sat quietly, gazing out of the open windows, observing all kinds of scenes one sees in Bombay. 

The train now turned right, and by pushing your head just barely out of the window, you spot that great green Locomotive, sending clouds of smoke into the winter air. The train now slows down, lets out a high pitched whistle, and enters into the small but fashionable Byculla station. 

The Byculla Station 

This station had only two platforms, with a few small structures for the station itself. From your window, you spot the Mankeshwar Mahadev temple. Construction of this impressive shrine had begun back in 1839, but could not be concluded even as the railway opened just next to it. You plan on visiting this temple sometime next year. As you ponder all this, the train lets out another squeal, moves on, and passes under the ornamental Byculla viaduct. As it heads north, it passes by the Phipps' Oart, a former toddy grove that was acquired by the railways to station the first steam locomotive of Bombay: Lord Falkland. You have fond memories of the past year, when you joined the crowd that gathered to witness the shunting operations of this new wonder of Bombay.

The next few miles, the train chugged on a straight line of track, passing through the salt batty lands. These were lands reclaimed from the sea, and were mainly used for cultivation, specifically of rice. The train now navigates a final curve, before an even longer straight stretch of rail. You take a look at the sky. The eastern sky had a yellowish tint from a sun not yet completely risen, and as you turn look through your coach towards the left windows, you see the vegetation of the Mahim Woods, much farther away. 

You now sense the train losing speed, and judge that this journey is almost at its end. You see many more settlements here, than you had seen in a while throughout your journey. As the brakes are applied, the train slows further, coming to a stop at the last station of the island city at Sion. Further along the line lay the Salsette, and further beyond, Tannah, and then the Ghats. But this is all you want to experience for the day, and plan to go further, sometime later. 

The Sion Station 

You stand up, and head towards the wooden door, and with your feet still inside the carriage, have a look towards the front and rear of the train. A few houses lay close to the station, and behind them, a small hill. You then step out onto the small platform, and after a while of standing, gazing at the train one last time, make your exit. As you walk through the kutcha streets toward your Uncle's beautiful cottage, you hear that loud whistle. The whistle of the train departing for its final destination miles away, but now hours closer.

Thanks for the scroll!

The Branch Line to Mahim

 Many know about that first rail route that was established between Bombay and Tannah in 1853. That date is etched in history: 16th April 1853. Stretching 21 miles (34 km), it was a new connector, that would facilitate the quick conveyance of goods and public across distances. By connecting that first stretch from Tannah, it paved way for the eventual extension to Nasik, and Poona, the latter via the Campoolie (Khopoli) branch line, which diverged from Callian (Kalyan). It was via this line, that the railway at Bombay extended south ward.

However a much less known fact is that when the railways opened back in 1853, just before reaching Sion on the way to Tannah, a single track veered left from the double line to Tannah. This track went on till the sea in the west, and was GIP Railway's first branch line: The Mahim branch line.

The Mahim Branch line, 1852

The Branch was opened to regular traffic on 18th April 1853 simultaneously with the entire Tannah line. It was around 3 km long, and diverged from the main line near Sion. Orders for its construction were issued by the court of directors shortly after October 1851. By October 1852, as the Bombay Times reported, the Branch line was in the course of completion. Construction of the Mahim station, among others was to be done simultaneously. This station was the OG Mahim station of the GIPR, and was situated near the Customs House at Mahim, close to the Mahim Fort (check the above map, at the left corner, reading Mahim). This station would continue in service until June 1869.

On 8th April 1853, the front page of Bombay Times (later renamed as The Times of India) carried a long advertisement titled in bold: 

THE GREAT INDIAN PENINSULA RAILWAY 

OPENING FOR PASSENGER TRAFFIC.

___________________________________________________

It listed the the departure and arrival times of trains running on the new route. The last two tables informed the reader about the services to and from Mahim. From there we come to know that there were two daily services. The first train departed from Bombay Bori Bunder at 8 am, stopped at Byculla by 8:18, and finally reached Mahim at 8:40. It then began its return trip by 9:20, reaching the Bori bunder terminus by 10 am. The last train started from Bombay at 5 pm, reached Mahim in 40 mins, started it return trip by 6, finally reaching back at 6:40. The first class fare to Mahim was Rs.1, while the third class fare was 2 Anna (16 Anna=1 Rs). I'll link to the original advertisement at the bottom.

The railway undertook its first inspection special on 18th November 1852, between the Sepoy Line (Near today's Masjid Bunder) and Parseek Point (under Parsik Hill). It was joined by railway officials, engineers, and their friends. It was described vividly by the Bombay Times, where the article described the whole route, along with the journey. The Mahim branch received a brief mention. The newspaper commented that while It was back then "an unimportant fishing village, but [it was] likely to be transformed by the railway into a port of importance." The paper reported the branch line as just having been completed.

 The Branch opened along with the main line on Monday, 18th April 1853, when regular passenger service commenced on the newly inaugurated line. 

Let's travel 11 yrs forward. The date was 6th April 1864, around 9:30 in the morning . A passenger train from Mahim was on its ways towards Bori Bunder, and minutes away from Dadar station. The train, composed of third class coaches, composite rakes, among others, and a guard car at the back. The frontal third class coaches were empty, left for accommodation by passengers from Dadar. The train was in the process of crossing the up track on its way to the down track to Bombay, when tragedy struck.

Now around this time, several reclamation projects were in progress, to make land where earlier was the sea. Several ballast trains would be run, and by several companies, on the same railway lines as the regular passenger trains. In fact there used to run about seventeen or eighteen such ballast trains around then.

The Mahim Dadar junction was a dangerous one. For instance, the semaphore signals were situated quite close to the junction itself, rather than farther way. Secondly, there would be the regular happenstance of a ballast train of Messrs. Nicol & co. running within just some time of the Mahim passenger train. The latter train would depart Mahim at 9:30, and about every day would come across this ballast train, and the line clearance between them would just be a harrowing 20-60 yards (18-65 m). The down tracks (toward Tannah) were situation west, and the up tracks (to Bori Bunder) were at its east. A train entering the up main line from the Mahim branch would therefore have to cross the down tracks first, before entering the up line.

On this eventful day of April 1864, it wasn't to be that regular pass with the ballast train waiting just before the junction to give the passenger train clearance. The passenger train, with its eighteen coaches carrying around 1000 passengers, was in the process of leaving the branch, and crossing that down track, when the ballast train, this time tender first, collided into the third class carriages just before the locomotive of the passenger train, and reduced the first few coaches to a wreck.

Article from The Bombay Gazette,
7 April 1864

Although the trains were travelling at low speeds, the damage was profound. Immediately after hitting the first coaches, the ballast train engine derailed, and was damaged. The tracks near the site were torn up. Other damages included 5-6 ballast wagons, and the brake van, 3-4 third and second class carriages, as well as a composite coach: most of which were smashed or destroyed. Four Indians 'natives' were seriously hurt. Two were carried on a stretcher. The injured would be admitted at the Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy Hospital. Over the days, two would be reported serious, and one would unfortunately prove to be a fatality in this accident.

Immediately after the news arrived, the principal officers of the Traffic and Locomotive departments rushed to the site, accompanied by the best medical assistance available. The Down train to Ponna, was stopped at Dadar, and returned in reverse to Byculla, this carrying the passengers of the affected train, as well as the injured. 

The newspapers over the next days would extensively cover the incident in long articles, coverages of the official enquiries, and even correspondences from the general public. While some would write accounts, other would give suggestions (such as using a chain linked system between the engine and guard wagon at the end to enable driver-guard communication), and one would end up into a duel between an 'Englishman' and 'A Voice from a Corner': as to whether it was prudent to have native staff on the line itself!

The blame initially fell on the Engine Driver of the Ballast train, Thomas Duffin. Many argued that he was responsible for stopping the train before the signal at the junction, and that at this instance he had been negligent in doing so. His train would be stopped before the junction everyday, and so he would have been habituated, said some. His testimony was heard on the 21st April. He claimed to have seen the unlowered signal, and immediately applied his brakes. He signalled his guard to apply the brakes on his side, but judged that the guard hadn't done so (in contradiction to the previous testimony of the guard). He then argued his obligations in the situation, pointing to the regulations, and that he had done what he could in the situation, driving a heavy ballast train. He also claimed that the train had just stopped before the collision, and it was infact the Mahim train that crashed into his, rather than the other way around.

Eventually the charges on the driver were dropped, and it was reported on 25th April that the railway had given up their intention to charge the driver. Out of this enqiury, the railway was advised to improve the marks of communication between the driver and the guard, and also to place another semaphore signal on the Bombay side, at a sufficient distance.

In November of the same year, the Bombay Baroda and Central India Railway (BB&CIR) entered Bombay, and established a somewhat direct rail connection between Bombay and Ahmedabad. Interestingly, the route of this railway (which coincides with today's Western line) might have passed over the route of the GIP Railway, perhaps creating the need of another junction of some sort. 

Service on the line continued till the end of the decade. Now, it was time for Mahim branch line to close for good. The railway announced the closure, in the Bombay Gazette of 27th May 1869. The section was to close forever from the 1st of June, and several trains on the main line too were rescheduled. 

The notices: Bombay Gazette,
27th May 1869

Services on the line were concluded on the 1st June 1869.  Native and European passengers, who used the line for so long, presented a short address to honour the station master of the erstwhile Mahim station, Vishnu Narayan, who worked with extreme civility and zeal, for the previous 12 years. Eventually, the Mahim service was replaced by a Bandora (Bandra) service run by the BB&CIR upto the Bori Bunder station of the GIPR. In fact, on 6th June, the Portuguese Community at Bandra held a mass on account of this very act of the BB&CIR.

Well, today there lie two Mahim stations, one each on the Central and Western lines. While these remain busy stations, the original Mahim station has been quite forgotten. But I'm sure you'll agree, that despite it having been presumably lost to the annals of history, it gives to us a rather amusing and interesting tale; of that old Branch line to Mahim.

Thanks for the scroll!

Credit for all Newspaper articles: The Asiatic Society of Mumbai

P.S This article contains some of my recently found research from 2023!

Further Reading:

• A journey along the Mahim Branch Line in 1853: An imagining

When Railways first reached Kalyan

 Many know about that first passenger train journey between Bombay and Tannah (Thane), that took place on the 16th April 1853. The day was one of utmost significance, when 400 passengers were conveyed the 21 miles between Bombay's Bori Bunder to Tannah, in under an hour, truly commencing the rail age in India. But while this event occured, work was well underway on another section of the same line: the next stretch of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (which became today's Central Railway) from Tannah to Callian. This was an important feat, for Callian (Kalyan) would become the first major junction on the railway, that would from there split into two routes; one would head Northeast toward Nasik, and thereafter toward Calcutta, and one heading Southeast towards Poona. Reaching Callian was therefore an incredible milestone.

The completion of the section upto Tannah was no trivial feat. The route went through marshes and hills. Hills had to be cut into (For instance at Kurla and Ghatkopar) or even largely quarried (Dug up, as in case of the hill of Sion) just to make the laying of rails possible. And if that wasn't enough, there was the matter of labour relations between English contractors, and native workers. All these had to be dealt with, before the line was completed. And yet this section was comparatively straightforward, relative to what was to be encountered in the succeeding section.

A high view of a train passing through Sion

The line, immediately after leaving the station at Tannah, hit its first obstacle: the Tannah river. It had to bridged through two viaducts, one short, of around a 100 m in length, and another long, 175 m in length.  The longer one had an iron span of around 30 m in between, to allow ships to pass under. And interestingly, both of these are used even today!

The Shorter Tannah Viaduct

The Longer Tannah Viaduct

Credit for both images: DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

This section was handed over to British contractors M/s Whythes and Jackson in April 1851, at a cost of Rs. 3,41,407. Besides these two viaducts, the contract composed of two tunnels dug through the Godadunghur hills (Parsik Hill). This is not the well known Parsik Tunnel though, which was opened much later in 1916. This is along the second route through Mumbra that many locals take today. Constructing the tunnels was no easy feat too. The first tunnel had to be blasted out of the rock, while the second one was bored into the earth, built solidly with masonry. 

View of a train chugging out of one of the tunnels
(This is probably the second tunnel)

After this complicated section, there was a relatively easy stretch till Callian. The route curved towards the left, passed along the margins of the Callian river (Ulhas river) before finally reaching the village of Callian. The stretch from the tunnel no.2 till Callian was handed over to a Parsi Contractor, Jamsetjee Dorabjee Naegamwala in May 1852, for a cost of Rs. 1,65,851.

Work was completed on the stretch by April 1854, around an year after the first train run. The first train to Callian would run on 1st May of that year.

The inaugural train was attended by around 250 ladies and gentlemen. (both British and Indian) At the terminus of Bori Bunder, the attendees were attended by two company directors, one of the them being Major Swanston. The train left Bori Bunder at around 4:45 pm that day. Running at a speed of around 30 mph (50 kmph), it reached Bhandoop in just 34 minutes. Here, the run was greeted by the Governor Elphinstone, as well as other dignitaries such as the members in council, and even the village elders, and gentlemen from Bombay. The stop at Bhandoop lasted just 5 minutes, during which water was filled into the engine. The train left, and headed toward Tannah. Here, the railway station, and even the streets were crowded with native Indians, eager to see the train.

The train then left Tannah behind, and chugged over the two Creek bridges. It moved along the curved corridor, passing through the first tunnel, and then the second. Finally, the train moved through the final stretch, and stopped near the Creek grounds of the nearby Callian river, by 6 pm.

The passengers were greeted by huge tents pitched on the banks of the river, and dinner was laid on table for around 300 guests. The invitees then climbed to the top of a nearby hill, to gaze at the magnificent scenery created by the river and the Ghats. The railway directors, fulfilled their part in the ceremony truly well, trying their best to provide for the comfort of the guests. They ensured that there were enough seats for the ladies stop the hill, and an equal number of seats were set along the riverside, when the party descended. 

A large table was prepared, which was filled completely by the guests. The dinner was enlivened by the Governor's band, which played during the dinner. Following this began the speeches. The ceremony was almost at its end. It was concluded with an exhibition of fireworks. The sky was fairly dark, it being a crecent moon night, so you can imagine that it must have been a beautiful spectacle to behold. Besides this, blue lights were burnt on the other side of a river, to add to the scene.

Around 9:15 pm, the guest gathered near the train. At about 9:45, the pistons were set to motion, and the train with its occupants left for Bombay. One last surprise was left though. When the train entered the tunnels at Parseek, passengers found the tunnels lighted up with blue lights, which would have certainly added that one last touch to top it off.

Well, the rest was same ahead. The train made a one last stop at Tannah for a short while, and then continued on,  retracing its route, and reaching Bori Bunder at around 11 pm. 

Needless to say, the passengers, who had arrived so late would have been tired from the day's adventure. However, many, while walking back to their homes within the fort of Bombay, through the narrow streets, would have reminisced the happenings of the day, and walked in a feeling of satisfaction and perhaps disbelief about how much was achieved how quickly.

 This was just one stretch though. Now upon reaching Callian, the railway got an important junction to split into two, and expand in two directions. This was just the beginning of the vast network of railways that spans our country today, and this was it's humble beginning!

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The Old Station at Colaba...

 You know that the southernmost station of Mumbai's Railway network is Churchgate. It is the terminus for all local trains that head toward South Bombay. However, for a while during the British era, to be precise, for 58 years, the lines went down a bit farther, all the way to Colaba! This tale of this station is filled with chapters of prominence, difficulties, and remedies. In fact, this station was first meant to be only a semi-permanent structure, and was eventually built as a lavish terminus, with a splendid station building, and a widespread yard. Had this new station survived, today it would have entered its 130th Year. This post is a tribute to that station, and I wish to share some interesting details about it here...

Colaba terminus, as it was called, was opened 9 whole years after BB&CIR (today's Western Railway), had established its network from Bombay to Ahmedabad, due to delays in the reclamation of Backbay (the body of water just beside the famous Marine Drive today). It was opened to Passenger traffic in 1873, and was supposed to be no more than a semi-permanent timber structure! This station was close to the Sassoon Docks, and in general the eastward docks in Colaba. While no images are said to exist of this station, we can have a glimpse of its yard, and its platform roofs in a portion of an image taken by Photographer, Raja Deen Dayal in the 1880s, which has been reproduced below.

A glimpse of the old station.. 

The bridge that you see in the foreground is the Wodehouse bridge, that was demolished a few years after independence (when the lines below it had been removed long before). For context, the camera is facing south, and you can even see the tower gate of the Sassoon Dock (which still stands today) in the middle of the image. 

For clarity, I'll zoom in below. Here you can see the station shed, just near that white building. You can even spot a passenger train leaving the platform, if you look carefully in the centre. The lines would emerge from the southeast, make a right curve, pass under the Wodehouse bridge, and then head straight towards Churchgate, and beyond.

A better look

Well the years passed, and as the demand for the railway service increased, so did the number of services. By 1888 more than 98 lakh had made use of the suburban local service. Evidently, the terminus was coming under quite a burden. Back then, 52 passenger trains were being handled at Colaba Terminus. Since there was no room for standing trains, three daily passenger trains had to shunted back toward Grant Rd. The station was so cramped, that it was often that soon after a passenger train would arrive, it would be shunted away from the platform, to allow a suburban (local) train to enter the platform; this would have to be done, even before the passengers had enough time to take out their luggage!

Well, an issue this was, and many ideas were soon raised to remedy this issue. Thoughts were that this could be settled if an additional siding accommodation was provided at Marine lines, and this station would be made a terminus for all long distance passenger trains. This was not just a matter for the BB&CI Railway, but rather one in the general interest of the Bombay public. Therefore, the government referred the matter to a special Committee in 1888. The Committee stated that the option of Marine lines was not a satisfactory one, as it would take up the limited space available for recreation, which the public would oppose. (Just imagine how this would have affected the geography today!) Instead, the committee suggested the enlargement of the existing Colaba station. An empty plot of land situated to the west of the existing station (which you can see in the first image too, just beside the seaside road) was given to the railway, to build a large terminus at Colaba. Plans and estimates were raised and submitted in April 1893. The Government Council sanctioned Rs. 4,94,843 for this purpose. And the new Colaba Terminus was opened on the 7th April, 1896. Interestingly, the original station's lines were converted into carriage sidings for the new station.

The grand new Station Building of the new Terminus
All due Credits: Western Railway

Above is the image of the grand station building that was built. This is a northward looking view, so the station building actually faced south. As you can see, there was a large carriage porch (similar to Bandra Stn.) in the middle, and a tower with a pitched roof at the left. The station had waiting rooms, open ticket counters and certain offices. 

It had platforms, 500 ft long, and a brick wall was built on the Wodehouse road side (west), to shelter passengers from the rains. The station was illuminated with incandescent gas light burners during both day and night. Interestingly, principal columns, and a large portion of the other ironworks for the station and platform buildings were formed out of old tracks. (like the platform roof pillars of Bandra station, which are made of rails dating to 1888!) 

Colaba Terminus Yard, and a local train departing...
Due Credits: Western Railway

Above is another beautiful image, that I could stare at for several minutes at a stretch. It shows a local train departing from the station, showing both the station sidings (at the left and right of the image) and the station's platform sheds (visible at top right).

Well, the station continued to be functional for several more years, and in 1920s, was even remodelled significantly.

A diagram of the remodelling scheme
(which I originally made for Wikipedia)

During the era of electrification (the 1920s), even the Churchgate-Colaba section was electrified. Colaba Terminus also held the inaugural run of the legendary Frontier Mail (today, Golden Temple Mail) on 1st September 1928, a train known to be so punctual, that it was said that "Your Rolex could let you down, but not the Frontier Mail." 

However, by now it was well known that Colaba Station was to go. The government had asked the BB&CIR in 1920 to handover the plot of the line from Churchgate to Colaba, as it was apparently a hindrance to a new reclamation project. Bombay Central was therefore built quickly enough to replace Colaba, and it was opened to traffic on 18th December 1930. The last train left the terminus at Colaba on the night of 31st December 1930, and the line to Colaba was officially closed on the New Year's Day of 1931.

Regardless of this rather queer end, Colaba, in its 58 years as a station of the BB&CIR, proved to be a crucial terminus for the railway. Once being used to transport both cotton and passengers, this station survived the various phases of modernisation, and itself supported it. Although this wonderful station did not survive into the present times, during its time it was one of its own, and one with several stories to its name.

Thanks for the Scroll!