The Hindu : Heritage train: a blend of modernity and tradition

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 17, 2003

National

National

Heritage train: a blend of modernity and tradition

A vintage steam engine chugging out of the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station in Mumbai on Wednesday, marking the end of the year-long celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Railways. — Reuters

MUMBAI APRIL 16. The 19th century ambience in a rail coach was recreated today when the "Heritage train" chugged out of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus here and down memory lane.

The ceremonial run was aimed at reviving memories of this day in 1853 when the first ever train to run on Indian soil rolled out and completed a 34-km journey from Boree Bunder to Tannah (CST to Thane). The event marked the conclusion of the yearlong celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Railways in India.

At 3.45 p.m., two steam locomotives pulled the three heritage carriages and an air-conditioned bogey for an hour-long journey to Thane. Crowds gathered in large numbers to catch a glimpse of the train, described as a unique blend of modernity and tradition.

The train had a diesel engine for the return journey. The wooden coaches were put alongside ultra-modern coaches to recreate the magic — a symbolic amalgam of the old and the new. For many, it was a sight to behold — the engine driver stoking the blaze and stacking coals into the fire as the hot steam puffed its way up leaving behind black soot.

As the iron horse came chugging into Thane station to be greeted by a sea of human faces, it was clear that the steam engine still cast a spell of awe on the people.

The heritage coaches were furnished with wallpaper, ornamental mirrors and curtains. While the chairs had been retained, the décor, including the curtains, carpets and seat covers, had been changed. Refurbishing one coach cost Rs. 2 lakh. The glimmering glass chandeliers with intricately carved wooden chairs and the neat row of lamps set against the wooden interiors evoked a picture of a "Gora Sahib" reclining and reading The Bombay Times and the Journal of Commerce. The recreated dining car with its plush seats interspersed with folding tables and vintage ashtrays provided a glimpse of the British fascination for rail travel. The Central Railway would run the train every Sunday to provide people the opportunity to experience the thrill of the journey. — UNI

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