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Blog Entry# 1587845
Posted: Sep 11 2015 (14:29)

15 Responses
Last Response: Sep 12 2015 (13:13)
Rail Fanning
284636 views
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Sep 11 2015 (14:29)   53339/Dhanbad - Chandrapura Passenger (UnReserved) | SJA/Sijua (2 PFs)
 
Arnab_K~
Arnab_K~   9042 blog posts
Entry# 1587845            Tags   Past Edits
Sijua on the DHN-KTH-CRP sub-section on the CIC line is a great place for railfanning. Trains here travel at a very low MPS, due to underground fire. This section was founded during colonial times in 1880, and in that way it precedes the Grand Chord, which was built in 1903.
At 1880 the Dhanbad-Jharia & the DHN-KTH-PLJE section was built and the tracks were laid down for the purpose of loading coal.Jharia and Katras in those days were tiny kingdoms, while Dhanbad was a small village. The coal in Jharia and Katras were the very best in the country, and as such the British made a deal with the local rulers to
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construct a railway line to Jharia & Katras. Sitting prettily in between Katras & Jharia, this small village Dhanbad was chosen as the terminus for this two lines. However there was a requirement for the construction of a Loco Tank for watering the engines, as well a loco shed for maintainance of the locos. The nearest loco shed, the then 'East Indian Railways' largest was at Sitarampur with which Dhanbad had no rail link. This was because the Damodar was then the 'Sorrow of Bengal'. Every year it flooded and caused the deaths of thousands. Even the british had tried for several years to built a bridge, but the monsoon flooding would undo every progess they made. And as such there were rail lines which terminated at Barakar. But with the discovery of rich coal areas,the british wanted them to be directly connected with the industrial heartlands of Calcutta.
This is how a small unknown village, by virtue of it's sheer luck happened to become a not only a railway terminus, but also housed 'EIR's' largest loco tank as well as largest loco shed!
After the completion of this route, the british suddenly realised that if they they laid a railway tracks from Howrah to Gaya to 'Moghulsarai' (The British name for now Mughalsarai), they happened to reduce the distance from Calcutta to Delhi even further. The Brits toiled for years and bridges were laid across the Damodar, the Phalgow and the '5km streching' Sone!
Tunnels were laid across the Gurpa & Gajhandi forrests, and curves bulit to counter the steep gradient change as the Chotanagpur Plateau receded. Finally with much fanfare Lord Minto innargurated the Grand Chord in 1906,at Gajhandi. Meanwhile the British had extended the DHN-PLJE all the way to Madhya Pradesh, and named it as the CIC section.
With the completion of the Grand Chord however, Dhanbad was connected to Calcutta as well and Delhi directly and as such, in a small space of time became a important junction on the Grand Chord. It became the center of Coal-Loading and passenger travel, as both Jharia and Katras lost their past influences, somewhat.
Within a space of 100 years a small unknown village has become a thriving industrial city! And all this started because of this two railway lines!
It is sad that both these railway lines hav had to become victims of Underground Fires, caused by pure negligence!
While the Dhanbad-Jharia line is already history, the DHN-PLJE section is counting it's last breaths! Alternate routes are being planned, and soon this line will fade into Oblivion.....................................
Coming back to the present. It was a hot sunny afternoon and myself and my friend found ourselves at Sijua station waiting to catch the Jhargram-Dhanbad MEMU to Dhanbad.
While standing the overhead bridges, we spotted three trains in the space of 1 hours. We spotted two WAM-4s, 2 WAG-9s, a WAG-7, and the MEMU itself!
However as a tribute to the WAM-4, the 'Rahul Dravid of Indian Railways', for it's selfless 40 years of service, we clicked the pictures of the two WAM-4s only!
Picture 1-5 shows MGS WAM-4 bring in the DHN-CRP passenger.
Picture 6 shows TATA WAM-4 speed by with the marathon runner ALLP-DHN Express.
Hope you enjoyed this railfanning report, I added a touch of the history of the CIC section as well!
#Arnab

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3 Public Posts - Fri Sep 11, 2015

4 Public Posts - Sat Sep 12, 2015

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Sep 12 2015 (10:34)
guest   632 blog posts
Re# 1587845-8              
I live in these area.
The fire is very dangerous. It is right beneath our floor. Often, the land subsides, people die hare.
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7 Public Posts - Sat Sep 12, 2015

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