JOIN USA journey into the past
A t a time when bullet trains run at an unimaginable speed, Shatabdi and Rajdhanis will soon be left behind with monorail entering the scene soon.
Majority of the people opt for trains for a comfortable journey and also to enjoy beautiful countryside rich in greenery.
But it was not the same 50 years ago when the trains were still pulled by the steam engines powered by coal. Not many of us have know how the steam engines were and the role it played during the era of independence, which has been relegated to the pasages of history .
Now, South Western Railways (SWR), Mysore division brings you an opportunity to peek into steam locomotive hauled trains of yesteryears, at a heritage photo gallery on platform 1 at the Mysore railway station.
There is steady trickle of visitors, especially children, who are curious to know more about the steam locomotives, how they operated and the difference between those and the present day engines. The photographs, most of them black and white take you to 1950’s and some elders were seen recollecting the nostalgic moments.
An alert police man flagging off a train, the locomotive shed in Mysore, a steam locomotive passing at an under bridge, and different angles of the Mysore railway station then have been captured.
The filming of David Lean’s Oscar winning movie ‘A passage to India’ being filmed at the Doddaballapur railway station, with the crew braving the heat attracts the onlookers.
The unsung heroes of the Mysore locomotive shed, the photographs of Kumbh Mela, with the background of the train are also displayed. Mahatma Gandhi’s photos at different railway station is worth mentioning, with one photo showing a common man thrusting the donation on the hands of Gandhiji on a moving train, is sure to win the hearts of the visitors. Dr S Radhakrishnan, the then President of India in 1962 visiting Mysore is a sure highlight at the gallery.
A photo showing the roof top travelling on the steam locomotive train in the northern parts of India then, brings a smile on your face, as the situation has not changed even after several decades.
The SWR is also planning to have it on a permanent basis even after Dasara. So, if you have arrived a little earlier to catch your train, you can have a glimpse of these rare photographs at the gallery on platform number 1.