Today completes 3 yrs of this blog, which began with my introduction post on the 17th of June, 2023. Its been a wonderful journey, with countless memorable moments. Over the years, we have explored topics ranging from old Locomotives, to long lost railway stations, and enjoyed delightful stories. Its been quite an experience!
While going through old newspapers for my research and otherwise, I occasionally come across some interesting article, or account, that uncovers moments from the railway life in those early days. In the absence of much modernity, those simple moments invoke a smile at the humble past. From passengers stranded at Karjat due to a train accident, to passengers being hand shunted between stations during floods, they are a delight to read!
To celebrate the moment, I present to you a few such interesting anecdotes from Bombay's Railway Network. Enjoy the read!
1) Left behind at Mahim-
This story is from 1874, when an Indian clerk was boarding a local with his wife, kids, and servant at the Mahim station of the BB&CI Railway (today's Western Railway). There were ladies carriages even back then, and so the man made his wife and their seven month old son sit in the 3rd class female carriage. As the rest of the party (the man, his son, and servant) was on their way to pick a coach for themselves, the guard whistled, and the train left without them.
The man apprehended the Indian guard for letting the train away before they had assumed their seat. The guard pushed him away rather rudely, and after the train departed the man reported the incident to the station master. The latter advised him to write to the Traffic Manager. Having his wife's ticket with him, his wife was forced to wait at Marine Lines for 2 hrs, and he too had to wait for a similar time at Mahim.
He then wrote a letter describing his pleas to the Traffic Manager, and soon enough received a response from the office. He was told that upon enquiry, the guard had denied all the allegations made by the clerk, which the respondent judged was not the guard's fault, as he may not possibly remember some particular incident in the busy profession of his. The clerk was suggested that had he tried sufficiently well, he could have easily boarded the train.
Source: The Times of India, 16 May 1874
2) Third Class tickets unavailable-
This is a story from 1865 when the BB&CIR local services had just started. A man on his way to Dysur (Borivali) arrived at Bandora station (Bandra) two hours before the scheduled train timing, and tried to obtain a Third class ticket for himself. He found out that none were available, and enquired with the station master. The Station master informed him that he had for long pushed the authorities to make third class tickets available (perhaps the local tickets), but the request hadn't been effected yet. The man wrote to the newspaper, that many of the poorer passengers had to stay back, being unable to afford the fare of the first and second classes.
Source: The Bombay Gazette, 5 May 1865
3) First Class coaches unavailable-
This is the account of a rather irritated passenger who was unable to find himself a First class accommodation at Grant Rd.
He began his narrative with two European women who arrived by carriage at Grant Rd, 40 minutes before the departure of the 1 p.m. train. When they applied for first class tickets, they were told that there was no room available, it being fully occupied. Upon requesting a remedy, they were told to wait until the 5 p.m. train. Eventually they were issued the tickets and went on to find their seats. They found a single first class carriage, which was filled to the brim with Parsi Gentlemen. Upon seeing the plight of the ladies, two of them immediately gave up their seats to accommodate them.
The narrator then arrived at the station with his friend to escort the ladies on the journey. They enquired with the station master, who replied that only only one first class coach was available, and if they could stand between the seats upto Dysur, the Parsis would depart there.
When they entered the First class, there were a total of 19 passengers against the labelled 16. The second class, had they chosen it, was similarly filled, and though the writer found it beneath his dignity, even if they had resorted to the Third class, no seats would have been available.
The writer complained that this wasn't a singular happenstance, and that he had had a similar experience a week back. He highlighted that it was absurd on the part of the company to run only two or three passenger trains daily, and that there was an insufficient first class accommodation. He also implied that it was imperative to improve the designs of the first class coaches on the said railway.
Source: The Bombay Gazette, 20 March 1866
4) Stranded at Kurjut-
Many people may relate to the experience of having your train stopped between stations to let another train pass through, an experience that may sometimes even check your patience. The situation for the passengers in the following tale was even more sore!
On the morning of 6th April 1864, along the GIP Railway (today's Central Railway), the Mahim passenger train was on its way crossing the junction near Dadar when it collided with a ballast train on its way to Coorla (Kurla). The Ballast locomotive was derailed, and several passenger and ballast wagons were damaged, besides the tracks were quite torn up. Doubtless the railway services must have been severely affected as a result.
This story is of passengers who were stranded at Kurjut (Karjat) for two hours on the evening of the day of the accident. The passengers had to be detained at the station, but instead of stopping the train alongside a platform, it was shunted into a siding. With this, the passengers were effectively locked inside their carriages with no opportunity of free movement and refreshments, as might have been possible in the former case. To add to their agony, the train had been sandwiched between two other trains on either side, one loaded with cotton, and other occupied by foul smelling goats. Although the passengers counted nine hand-lamps moving around the station, no help was sent for them.
The writer opined in his letter that what the railways needed were one or two "respectable" men, who could thoroughly understand the duties of a station master, and would be willing (or able) to go along the line to establish a permanent discipline throughout.
Source: The Times of India, 11 April 1864
5) When the floods came-
Floods. We must have all seen that picture of a local train wading through water during times of heavy rains, when the drains were simply unable to cope up with the volumes of water they are confronted with. The situation was no better in those early days. This is the account of one such passenger in 1882, who was stranded between Palghur (Palghar) and Dhanoo (Dahanu) as the line in between had been washed away.
The narrator left Bombay one Sunday evening on a Surat bound Down mail train. Upon their arrival at Palghur, the passengers were informed that the line ahead had had been washed away, and they had wait until the waters had subsided, and the line had been set right. Meanwhile, as a telegraph was sent, the Traffic Manager, Mr. Duxbury, arrived at the scene with the Traffic Superintendent, as well as the Inspector of Police. They suggested hand shunting the carriages, and accordingly, the train was taken ahead about three miles, at a reduced pace. The carriages were then detached, and shunted by men over the tracks; however the downpour had created huge ruts within the soil, and the method had to be abandoned, as the rails began to sink under the weight of the carriages. The whole train was thereafter taken back to Palghur, to spend the night until the following morning.
Fortunately, the weather fared much better the next day, and after a few repairs the carriages were successfully shunted one by one to Boisur station (Boisar). At Boisur they realised that the situation ahead lay much worser; the three miles of the line on the Dhanoo swamp had been completely swept away, a fact that made the passengers rather anxious. The train was allowed to proceed until the station at Vangaon. Here they learnt that the Up Mail train from Surat had arrived at Dhanoo. This could perhaps be taken in reverse to Surat, to convey the passengers of our Down train. The only obstacle was the three miles of line that had been washed away. Mr. Duxbury suggested that the mails of one train should be transferred to the other, and that the passengers be returned back to their departure stations. However the matter of crossing the swamp was still under consideration. The female passengers were at a fix on how to carry their children and luggage across the uneven grounds, covered with boulders and sharp stones. Eventually, they tucked up up their clothes, and trudged ahead with their belongings. For the others, only one lorry was available, and was kept reserved for those incapable of making the crossing without harming their health. The journey was eventually accomplished in a matter of two hours, in a fairly overcrowded lorry.
The narrator ended by saying that although their journey had been a tiresome one, the assistance rendered by the railway officials had made the troubles considerably lighter. It was expected that the line would be repaired by the next week; until then, a number of lorries and coolies were sent from Bombay to facilitate the transfer of passengers and mail.
Source: The Times of India, 8 June 1882
Thanks for the scroll!
P.S. This being my 12th std year, I won't be able to make posts for a while now. Until then, you can check out my other posts!
See you there.. and Adieu!
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