IRFCA Mailing List Archive


Messages 7281 - 7300

From: Anand Krishnan <>

Subject: Re: Diesel Fiesta

Date: 29 Jul 1999 01:42:42 -0500


Hi Shankar,
Just too good !! Fantastic photos. Wish there were more.
Wating to
see more them from your side. Hmph!! my only sorrow is that u have
pressurised me to put up a few more of my snaps a little too early than
i
intended to. BTW Is "Modern Locomotives" a magazine or is it a book by
someone. High time i started buying some books on Railways, particularly

Indian Railways. Literary freaks o the list , Royston, Apurva, Vijay and

others, please recommend some good books on IR(priority 1) and railways
in
general.


P.S : The Vaigai from the hill top was all class. Pallavan in its
original
grandeur was another ultimate one. Wonder what livery they have now.
Anyway
Kalakiteenga !!! [thats bravo!! in tamil]

Kind regards,
Anand


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

From: raymond/Polaris <>

Subject: Hindi Movies and trains

Date: 29 Jul 1999 05:50:11 -0500




Dear gang,

Was seeing "Dil Se" on Cable TV last night. I have been trying hard to
figure
out on which line the song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" was shot. I thought I saw
"E.R."
on the bogies and "S.R." on the engine. Does anybody have any clues ?
Maybe this
is elementary for some you, but then...

Also does anybody have an idea about the other train sequences seen in
Hindi
Films, apart from the ones shot on the Darjeeling - NJP line. Thought it
would
be great getting your feedback on this.

Regards

Raymond Arogyaswamy

From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: Re: Hindi Movies and trains

Date: 29 Jul 1999 06:24:42 -0500




raymond/Polaris@polaris.email wrote:

> Dear gang,
>
> Was seeing "Dil Se" on Cable TV last night. I have been trying hard to
figure
> out on which line the song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" was shot. I thought I
saw "E.R."
> on the bogies and "S.R." on the engine. Does anybody have any clues ?
Maybe this
> is elementary for some you, but then...

The place where you read ER is where I read ER too but in the next scene
it is clear
that it is SR. So this is Mettupalayam - Ooty NMR section. Can you
identify the
lower quadrant signalled diesel hauled section in which Mehnaz sings her
new song on
MTV/ VTV ? Lots of tunnels and curves.

Apurva

>
>
> Also does anybody have an idea about the other train sequences seen in
Hindi
> Films, apart from the ones shot on the Darjeeling - NJP line. Thought
it would
> be great getting your feedback on this.
>
> Regards
>
> Raymond Arogyaswamy

From: Mike Brooker <>

Subject: Re: Diesel Fiesta

Date: 29 Jul 1999 06:26:09 -0500


>Do check out my first homepage: diesel fiesta.
>
>the url is:
>
><A HREF="http://members.tripod.com/shankaronline/dslfiesta.htm">http://members.tripod.com/shankaronline/dslfiesta.htm</A>
>
>I had originally intended to pay glowing tribute to the WP, but sadly,
>the WP page could not come up as per my expectations.
>
>I am working on it, and hope to have it up and running soon.
>
>Do let me have your comments.


The 1928 loco looks like it could still be running somewhere in India!

A nice site, but here's another vote for clickable thumbnails instead of
full-size pictures to make it load quicker. The pictures are
***enormous***!! I need two monitor screens to view image #12, WDM/2
18613
pulling into Hyderabad.

I presume there was a Telugu text above the Hindi and English on the
sign in
image #13. I've never seen Telegu script; wonder how it differs from
Kannada?

********************************************************************
Mike Brooker
99 Wychcrest Ave.,
Toronto, ON M6G 3X8
CANADA
(416) 536-7406
********************************************************************

From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: [Fwd: Sparks from the exhaust

Date: 29 Jul 1999 06:31:32 -0500


More juicy news from Ray, why does he feel that the rest of
the IRFCA is not interested about this subject. If it is on
rails, the IRFCA is interested, right gang ?

Apurva

From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: Re: Diesel Fiesta

Date: 29 Jul 1999 07:11:15 -0500


> High time i started buying some books on Railways, particularly
> Indian Railways. Literary freaks o the list , Royston, Apurva, Vijay
and
> others, please recommend some good books on IR(priority 1) and
railways in
> general.

Do you have 'No Problem Sahib' by Jordan, Paget and Charlesworth (Three
Counties
Publishing, UK)? I am sure Higginbothams in MAS must carry a copy of
this excellent
large format coffee table book on the Indian Railways (about Rs. 600 ten
years back).
If you are seeing this book for the first time, you are guaranteed to
not sleep that
night.

Apurva

>
>
> P.S : The Vaigai from the hill top was all class. Pallavan in its
original
> grandeur was another ultimate one. Wonder what livery they have now.
Anyway
> Kalakiteenga !!! [thats bravo!! in tamil]
>
> Kind regards,
> Anand
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: Re: Hindi Movies and trains

Date: 29 Jul 1999 07:12:57 -0500




raymond/Polaris@polaris.email wrote:

> Dear gang,
>
> Was seeing "Dil Se" on Cable TV last night. I have been trying hard to
figure
> out on which line the song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" was shot. I thought I
saw "E.R."
> on the bogies and "S.R." on the engine. Does anybody have any clues ?
Maybe this
> is elementary for some you, but then...

Have you also seen Gurudas Maan's new video in which the symbolism
suggests Macho =
WDM 2 ? Gurudas and his band members drape themselves on the short hood
of a WDM 2 in
this song. There is also a lovely shot of a double headed WAG 5 hauling
a container
load through a station in this music video.

Apurva

From: S.Shankar <>

Subject: WP page.

Date: 29 Jul 1999 07:24:04 -0500


Hello,

Thank you very much for the kind words and encouragement on my diesel
fiesta page.

Check out the WP page now:

<A HREF="http://members.tripod.com/shankaronline/wpphoto.htm">http://members.tripod.com/shankaronline/wpphoto.htm</A>

As I had said earlier, this was to have been my first web page, but, it
was not to be. I have rectified some of the maladies, but some might
still be present. My apologies for any inconvenience that might caused.

I will reply individually to those who wrote.

I shall now take a break till I master incorporation of thumbnails. I
know things are much faster with thumbnails. I promise you that my next
webpage will incorporate thumbnails for faster loading.

Please bear with me for a while more.

In the meantime, enjoy!

Best regards.

Shankar

From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: Re: [Fwd: Sparks from the exhaust]

Date: 29 Jul 1999 07:44:42 -0500


> The other thing I wanted to talk about is the 18 and 54 kmph changes
(Joydeep
> has different speeds). What my driver friend said was that they had to
ease back
> on the throttle so that the jerk was not transmitted to the train. He
used to
> say that if you did not feel a jerk on these changes, or while coming
to a stop
> at the station, it had to be a driver based out of BZA !!

Only one transition is felt around 39 Kmph. The second one is not
noticeable. Also the
reverse transitions are not felt at all. There are some shed wise
differences in the WDM 2
powers from various sheds. It is possible to perform a 'MT' or a manual
transition in Pune
and Itarsi locos. This is a toggle switch on the electrical control
panel (on the generator
room - cab wall). So when the driver needs fast acceleration, he
operates the MT switch and
the loco jumps from Series to series parallel at his command. This is
specially required in
lightly loaded passenger trains which whose loco might have the first
transition slightly
late. Unless the transition comes, the train would not accelerate fast.
Once the MT is
performed, the assistant must remember to switch the MT switch back to
normal position or
the loco makes a very sluggish start. Infact the Pune locos had the MT
switches wired in the
off position after some freight drivers forgot the MT in the 'operated'
position during
starting and burnt out their main generators in the process. Although
during this time the
MT switch was outlawed, the drivers would wire a separate switch on a
wire between two
points inside the panels and perform the MT when they wanted.
On Gooty and Erode locos the motoring/ braking lever can be moved to the
extreme left (away
from the driver) and that causes a transition as well. This feature is
missing from the Pune
locos.
During the transition, the prime mover (engine) is unloaded and the
field excitation cut off
momentarily so that the switch gear does not flash. But that jerk that
you feel even in the
train is the price you have to pay.
The procedure that Ray mentions, to power down a loco at the transitions
is counter
productive as the loco is trying to accelerate while the throttle is
shut to avoid the jerk.

Some locos are set wrong and they oscillate at the first transition,
giving multiple jerks
during acceleration. The reverse transition that these locos experience
is something that
the drivers dread, the loco just does not accelerate beyond one speed
for a long time.

Apurva

From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: Re: Diesel Fiesta

Date: 29 Jul 1999 07:59:42 -0500


>

The Pallavan power seems to have 'end of train' marker lamps (found near
the guard's
door- with changeable colour lens - Guard is supposed to turn the lens
red towards the
driver in the event of him wanting to stop the train) on the sides of
the cab. This is
unusual.
The lower quadrant signal in the Baramati picture was permanently in the
'off'
position (train can pass the signal) when I saw it last in 1992 (?).
There is no
safety problem, this is 'one train only' territory.

>
> I presume there was a Telugu text above the Hindi and English on the
sign in
> image #13. I've never seen Telegu script; wonder how it differs from
> Kannada?
>
> ********************************************************************
> Mike Brooker
> 99 Wychcrest Ave.,
> Toronto, ON M6G 3X8
> CANADA
> (416) 536-7406
> ********************************************************************

From: Samit Roychoudhury <>

Subject: Fw: Diesel Fiesta

Date: 29 Jul 1999 08:54:17 -0500



>
> Do you have 'No Problem Sahib' by Jordan, Paget and Charlesworth
(Three
Counties
> Publishing, UK)? I am sure Higginbothams in MAS must carry a copy of
this
excellent
> large format coffee table book on the Indian Railways (about Rs. 600
ten
years back).
> If you are seeing this book for the first time, you are guaranteed to
not
sleep that
> night.
>
> Apurva

i second that... no problem sahib is a wonderful book with a striking
cover. why not also "india by rail" by royston ellis?

also try "the imperial way" by paul theroux and steve mccurry.

samit

From: Tim & Anita Wakeman <>

Subject: Re: Diesel Fiesta

Date: 29 Jul 1999 09:31:02 -0500


Apurva Bahadur wrote:
>
> Thanks you for the wonderful page Shankar. I am flattered that you
should
> choose to name me in the page. In the similar light I feel indebted to
> Prakash Tendulkar who went as far as to actually make a website for me
> while I was limping along with my HTML. What I miss in your page is
> thumbnails. They speed up the loading enormously by allowing multiple
> pages to be opened at the same time.
>
> Apurva


Apurva,

How does one go about the way you have your page set up? I'm impressed
with the format and how easy it is. Plus, the amount you can store. I am
trying to develope a site to share my photos with everyone through
Tripod, but ca'nt figure how you go to your format.

Tim

From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: IR books + need info. on Daboo's book

Date: 29 Jul 1999 09:31:31 -0500


I third that - "No Problem Sahib" is a great book and so is "India by
Rail". I have a couple
of railway books by Brian Hollingsworth - "Locomotives" and "Railways of
the World" - has
some good shots of IR locos. and trains. The National Geographic issue
which has
Paul Thearoux's trip across India has some good photos, as well.
Any other books with IR photos?

If you are techincal inclined, some good books are -
Electric Traction by B.H. Partab
Diesel Locomotive by ?????
IR operations - books I and II
I don't recall the names at present. If anyone is interested,
I'll dig them up from my storage.

Does anyone have the latest price for J. Daboo's book on IR locomotives?
Satish had mailed me the info. a while back - I can't seem to find it.
Also, how does one in US go about getting this book?

Thanks,
Vijay


>-----Original Message-----
>From: Samit Roychoudhury [SMTP:samr@vsnl.email
>Sent: Thursday, July 29, 1999 11:54 AM
>To: IRFCA
>Subject: Fw: Diesel Fiesta
>
>
>>
>> Do you have 'No Problem Sahib' by Jordan, Paget and Charlesworth
(Three
>Counties
>> Publishing, UK)? I am sure Higginbothams in MAS must carry a copy of
this
>excellent
>> large format coffee table book on the Indian Railways (about Rs. 600
ten
>years back).
>> If you are seeing this book for the first time, you are guaranteed to
not
>sleep that
>> night.
>>
>> Apurva
>
> i second that... no problem sahib is a wonderful book with a striking
>cover. why not also "india by rail" by royston ellis?
>
>also try "the imperial way" by paul theroux and steve mccurry.
>
>samit
>

From: Shanku Niyogi <>

Subject: Re: IR books + need info. on Daboo's book

Date: 29 Jul 1999 10:24:53 -0500


Another really good book is "Rail Across India: A Photographic Journey",
a
coffee-table book. Lots of pictures, many rail-related (including a
spectacular panoramic shot of the Patna station in steam days)

-----Original Message-----
From: Vijay Balasubramanian [mailto:VBalasubramanian@Softrax.email
Sent: Thursday, July 29, 1999 9:32 AM
To: 'Samit Roychoudhury'; 'IRFCA'
Subject: RE: IR books + need info. on Daboo's book


I third that - "No Problem Sahib" is a great book and so is "India by
Rail". I have a couple
of railway books by Brian Hollingsworth - "Locomotives" and "Railways of
the World" - has
some good shots of IR locos. and trains. The National Geographic issue
which has
Paul Thearoux's trip across India has some good photos, as well.
Any other books with IR photos?

If you are techincal inclined, some good books are -
Electric Traction by B.H. Partab
Diesel Locomotive by ?????
IR operations - books I and II
I don't recall the names at present. If anyone is interested,
I'll dig them up from my storage.

Does anyone have the latest price for J. Daboo's book on IR locomotives?
Satish had mailed me the info. a while back - I can't seem to find it.
Also, how does one in US go about getting this book?

Thanks,
Vijay


>-----Original Message-----
>From: Samit Roychoudhury [SMTP:samr@vsnl.email
>Sent: Thursday, July 29, 1999 11:54 AM
>To: IRFCA
>Subject: Fw: Diesel Fiesta
>
>
>>
>> Do you have 'No Problem Sahib' by Jordan, Paget and Charlesworth
(Three
>Counties
>> Publishing, UK)? I am sure Higginbothams in MAS must carry a copy of
this
>excellent
>> large format coffee table book on the Indian Railways (about Rs. 600
ten
>years back).
>> If you are seeing this book for the first time, you are guaranteed to
not
>sleep that
>> night.
>>
>> Apurva
>
> i second that... no problem sahib is a wonderful book with a striking
>cover. why not also "india by rail" by royston ellis?
>
>also try "the imperial way" by paul theroux and steve mccurry.
>
>samit
>

From: Rajan Mathew <>

Subject: Re: Hindi Movies and trains

Date: 29 Jul 1999 11:29:21 -0500


For a fact, the filming was done on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
The makers of the movie wanted to cast it in the north east as a
reference
made by the hero, Shah Rukh Khan who was trying to rush into the rain
drenched station for the "Barak Valley Express"

This evening I just turned on the Bengali Channel while channel surfing
-
infact I always check out the Bengali channel after Apurvas' tip that
many
classic shots of the railways - especially of older times came in the
movies
screened here. A classic steam loco on what seemed like a meter gauge
line
at a station "Patihal". Then movie was B & W

Rajan

From: <raymond/Polaris@polaris.email
> Dear gang,

> Was seeing "Dil Se" on Cable TV last night. I have been trying hard to
figure
> out on which line the song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" was shot. I thought I
saw
"E.R."
> on the bogies and "S.R." on the engine. Does anybody have any clues ?
Maybe this
> is elementary for some you, but then...

> Also does anybody have an idea about the other train sequences seen in
Hindi
> Films, apart from the ones shot on the Darjeeling - NJP line. Thought
it
would
> be great getting your feedback on this.

> Regards

> Raymond Arogyaswamy

>
>

From: Rajan Mathew <>

Subject: Re: IR books

Date: 29 Jul 1999 12:10:54 -0500


Dear IR Bookworms (like me),

There are two excellent books on the Konkan Railway published by them

1. Konkan Railway - A Dream Come True - written by Menaka Shivdasani &
Raju
Kane. Produced and published by the KRCL

"A story of the triumph of technology over terrain ... a story of how
Indian
engineers battled all odds to turn an hundred year old dream into
reality in
just seven years ... a story of will-power, dedication and
determination".
Released on 01 May 1998 whem the PM dedicated Konkan Railway to the
nation
at Ratnagiri, a story book is what it is -- a easy going account of the
construction of this epic line on art paper with numerous colour
pictures
... truly an excellent book
I infact spotted a copy in Strand Bookstall, Fort, Mumbai today (they
normally offer good rebates on all books)

160 pages, glossy hardcover book, cover price at Rs. 1,000 or US$ 100

2. A Treatise on Konkan Railway - edited by Mr. S. V. Salekar
Produced and published by the KRCL

The book promises to be a treat for engineers ... (I'm not one but the
feeling is the same) - a blow by blow account of construction - history
and
survey reports, the methods and hurdles - covers all tech aspects -
tunnels,
bridges, stations .. etc and some good pictures at various stages of
construction. Detailed drawings, colour photographs and techniques of
the
construction of structures, tunnels etc. Excellent for anyone who wishes
to
read in depth on the project
Released in May 1999 in New Delhi

500 pages, softbound, cover price at Rs. 550

Published by

Konkan Railway Corporation Limited,
Plot No 6, Sector 11,
Belapur Bhavan,
CBD Belapur
Navi Mumbai - 400 614
Maharashtra

Tel : +91-22-757 2015
Fax : + 91-22-757 2420

Regards
Rajan

From: Iain A Fraser <>

Subject: Re: IR books + need info. on Daboo's book

Date: 29 Jul 1999 12:33:42 -0500


Hi

I have Mr Daboos book in stock at GBP 8.95 plus postage
Also the new Manning Wardle Loco Works History which is to be in 3 vols
Vol1 is Narrow Gauge and is out now, 2 will be Standard Gauge and 3 will
be
Broad Gauge
Its a good quality laminated softback, well illustrated at 16.95GBP and
has
been very well received.
I sold all my first batch in a few hours and am awaiting a new delivery
in
soon

Cheers

Iain
AEROLITE BOOKTRADERS (UK)
Railway and Tramway Book Dealer
FREE Bookfinder Service Available
<A HREF="http://www.aerolite.u-net.com">http://www.aerolite.u-net.com</A>

From: Iain A Fraser <>

Subject: Re: IR books + need info. on Daboo's book

Date: 29 Jul 1999 12:33:42 -0500


Hi

I have Mr Daboos book in stock at GBP 8.95 plus postage
Also the new Manning Wardle Loco Works History which is to be in 3 vols
Vol1 is Narrow Gauge and is out now, 2 will be Standard Gauge and 3 will
be
Broad Gauge
Its a good quality laminated softback, well illustrated at 16.95GBP and
has
been very well received.
I sold all my first batch in a few hours and am awaiting a new delivery
in
soon

Cheers

Iain
AEROLITE BOOKTRADERS (UK)
Railway and Tramway Book Dealer
FREE Bookfinder Service Available
<A HREF="http://www.aerolite.u-net.com">http://www.aerolite.u-net.com</A>

From: S.Shankar <>

Subject: Re: [Fwd: [Fwd: YDM4 vs. WDM 2]]

Date: 29 Jul 1999 13:19:23 -0500


Hello,
Wow, that was fascinating.
Best regards.
Shankar




Apurva Bahadur wrote:
>
> Some notes from Joydeep the Alco nut.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject: Re: [Fwd: YDM4 vs. WDM 2]
> Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 21:31:04 PDT
> From: "Joydeep Dutta" <joydeepdutta@hotmail.email
> To: iti@vsnl.email
> CC: Polaris@polaris.email
>
> Hi Raymond
>
> Let me intoduce my self to you. I am a WDM2 freak of the highest
order.
> I had been obessed with that wonderful machine from 1981. As a student
at
> IIT Kharagpur I got myself technically trained on the WDM2 from the
system
> technical school of SE RLY at Kharagpur and I had really been at the
> throttle myself of the WDM2 on East Coast Route between Kharagpur and
Khurda
> Road. So I will now give you some tips how one should drive.
> Consider yourself in the cab and the loco working in the short face.
> The short hood control stand has some extra gauges which is not there
on the
> longhoodstand. When you take charge of the loco make some things very
sure
> even if your assistant checks them. Check the fuel gauge stick
attached to
> the main fuel tank. Check the generator room and the expressor
> chamber(exhauster and compressor). Then walk down to the other side of
the
> inspection walkway and check the lube oil gauge bayounet.
> After that is over come and take your seat. Dont panic by seeing the
complex
> track layout before you. See whether the brake pipe pressure is at
5kg/sqcm
> and the auxillary air pressure is at 6kg/sqcm. I am assuming an
airbrake
> express pasenger train. Just lower your brake pipe pressure once using
the
> A9 automatic train brake. See how fast the brake lapping takes place.
If
> thats ok then once you get the signal release the independent brake
and open
> the throttle ie to the first notch. Let the train start rolling and
then
> open the second notch. Allow your loco to change over from the loop to
the
> main with the second notch and then open the third notch and with in 2
0r 3
> seconds the fourth one. The train will now gain motion and once you
look
> back and see the last end of your train is negotiating the cross over
then
> open the fifth notch and gradually accelerate upto the seventh notch
and
> when you pass the advance starter open the eight notch and let it run.
Gaddi
> apni chal pakad legi.... thats what my great driver friend M. S.
Narayana of
> Kharagpur use to say. When you open the first notch you will hear a
sound
> from the electrical control panel which is in the wall separating the
cab
> and the generator room.
> That is the sound of the series contactors picking up. The loco
traction
> motors are now in series- parallel connection and at 38km/h it will
take the
> first transition from series-parallel to series - paralle shunted
field. At
> around 52 km/h there will be another sound in the control panel and a
jerk
> baclwards and a pull forwards. put your throttle back to the 6th notch
for 1
> min and then put it back again to the 8th one. At this speed the
second
> transition takes place and the traction motors are now parallely
connected.
> At 81km/h the third transition takes place and we have the parallel
shunted
> field connection. As the train reaches the maximum speed gradually
decrease
> the throttle notch and keep it a position where you can maintain the
speed.
> In the next letter I will talk about how to brake a WDM2 working at
110km/h
> since I myself have done it so many times.
>
> Joydeep
> wdm2lover@yahoo.email
>
> >From: Apurva Bahadur <iti@vsnl.email
> >To: IRFCA <irfca@cs.email
> >CC: Raymond <raymond/Polaris@polaris.email
> >Subject: [Fwd: YDM4 vs. WDM 2]
> >Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 15:44:11 +0530
> >
> >You would be surprised at how many WDM 2 lovers we have
> >aboard. Example - Joydeep Dutta has an email address
> >"wdm2lover@hotmail.email or something similar. Please share
> >such juicy trivia with all of us. I will send the WDM 3 pic by
> >a separate email to you.
> >
> >Apurva
> ><< message3.txt >>
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

From: S.Shankar <>

Subject: Re: [Fwd: Long Hauls etc.]

Date: 29 Jul 1999 13:19:32 -0500


Hello,
That is now slowly changing.
The phenomenon of pulling on with one time proven and tested design gave
us Indians another kind of reputation, which even several overseas folks
have acknowledged: that of constantly innovating and improving upon the
design way beyond its original capacity.
For instance, the WDM/2 of today, although can be argued to be of 1960s
vintage, is actually a much more updated and improved version of the
original WDM/2 as it first came in.
Or maybe it was India's way of justifying being stuck with antique
designs?
Best regards.
Shankar




Apurva Bahadur wrote:
>
> I am in touch with a lot of people who know a lot about diesel
engines. One of them
> opined that there has been very little fundamental development after
the 60s as far
> as large engines are concerned. This is primarily due to the extreme
expense
> involved for research.