Presenting a travelogue of my first Rajdhani journey (in June 1983):
ROYALITY, EUPHORIA AND TWIN-DIESELS
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I woke-up from a rather disturbed sleep, in time to see the train run through Kota on the main line. The Queen was in the midst of a terrific run from Ratlam…..
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it the wonders of the brain, but I still remember the first mention of the word ‘Rajdhani’ and how it planted a seed in my mind. I had barely begun to comprehend my abnormal interest towards trains and my close friends (we were probably in 1st grade at that time) had noticed that as well. One fine day as we all headed towards the park, my friend mentioned that a wonder train called Rajdhani had been introduced and it was the fastest in India. I did get excited although I was not quite sure what to make of it.
A decade went by before I had my first rendezvous with the Bombay Rajdhani. By this time, I had already digested various timetables and developed an admiration for both the Rajdhanis due to their impeccable halt patterns and enviable runs. The encounter happened when I was totally unprepared for it. My mother and I were crossing the foot overbridge at Dadar when I heard the unmistakable horn of a diesel loco. Before I could realize the source of it, THE RAJDHANI whizzed past us with its fleet of nine red-and-cream coaches. A lone Alco was in charge with matched livery. Not only did it leave me mesmerized but it ignited a dream in me to actually travel on it. This dream turned to desperation when I saw the train in filmi avatar, thanks to The Burning Train. The 70mm screen at Maratha Mandir portrayed various shots of the Super Express thundering past level-crossings and stations.
Fast forward to 1982! A close friend from college suggested that we undertake a trip to Kashmir; his parents were already planning a trip to Dehradun the following summer, and we could piggyback on their plans. Being an opportunist, I retorted that we cover the first leg to Delhi in, what else, the Rajdhani! My frenzied interest in trains must have been rubbed-off on him since he readily agreed. The next few months were spent in chalking out the itinerary.
And then the day arrived when I was mentally submerged into the journey, the day of making reservations. A quick enquiry at Bombay Central station revealed that the 151 Dn/152 Up Rajdhani boasted of a separate reservation counter, tucked away on the right corner next to the entrance. There was hardly anybody there as my friend and I coughed up the amount for two AC Chair Car seats. (It might interest you to note that one ticket was worth around Rs. 250). We examined our airline-style tickets to confirm that one of them was, indeed, a window seat. That was fast!
As we emerged from the entrance, I was like a duck – cool on the exterior but vigorously paddling on the interior. After all, this trip would be my first ever long-distance journey out of Bombay Central and I couldn’t have chosen a better train!! I was vividly imagining how the journey would unfold with only The Burning Train to offer me a semblance of exposure to this mystical route.
After what seemed like excruciatingly long years (in reality, it was just a four-month period from March to June 1983), the anticipated day dawned. Sure enough, my friend was there to pick me up along with his parents and uncle. Mr. Uncle had graciously agreed to be our chauffeur. In all the excitement, I had somehow forgotten to pack my timetable. No problem, I knew the 151’s schedule like the back of my hand: Bombay Central 16.00, Vadodara 20.56/21.06, Ratlam 0.35/0.49, New Delhi 9.20. I was really looking forward to the Surat skip and the non-stop Ratlam-Delhi run.
An uneventful ride to the station gave us a buffer of half an hour. And then, a major magical moment – I came face-to-face with The Queen! The rake was parked on platform 2 with its glistening red-n-white coaches accompanied by overpowering EOG sounds. Just two years prior, the train had acquired brand new air-braked rakes of 16 coaches each. In fact, it was the first air-braked train on IR. I was rudely yanked out of my stupor by my friend who was eager to board the train. Thankfully for him, our ACC coach was towards the rear.
After dumping our suitcases onto the rack above, we headed towards the sleeper coach to meet my friend’s parents. The coach was spanking clean and presented a plush interior. But I was only too eager to return back to my accommodation for that night. Hurray!! I was FINALLY inside the Rajdhani!! From here on, nothing could diminish my excitement, not even the fact that we got non-trackside seats with my friend usurping the one next to the window.
At ten minutes to four, the attendants were ordered to close the doors and the platform occupants were requested to step away from the train. Mr. Uncle wasn’t exactly pleased with this development and had an altercation with the attendant. Fortunately, it was sorted out and we bade goodbye to a more-pleasant him. Promptly at 4.00 pm, the train eased out of the station. What was in store for me for the next nineteen and a half hours?!
I surveyed the occupants of our coach and my eyes came to rest on this naughty little girl right across the aisle from me. She was the younger of two siblings who were traveling with their mother all the way till Delhi. God knows why, but she warmed up to us instantly … all through the journey, my friend and I would keep her occupied with our bag of inane tricks. As we sped past the suburbs, the on-board music was interrupted with the first lengthy announcement of the evening, meant to educate the uninitiated about this one-of-a-kind train. This was the fastest train between Bombay and Delhi, maximum speed of 120 kmph, our tickets included supper, dinner and breakfast – I already knew that (ahem!) And so the announcer continued, “The train will have three halts at Vadodara, Kota and Gangapur City.” Wait a minute! What? Gangapur City? No non-stop Ratlam-Delhi run? Why? Do trains reverse there? And that, my friends, was how I got introduced to the world of technical halts!
I was so preoccupied with this new irritating halt that I almost didn’t notice our train stopping before a large body of water and then crawling on a bridge over it. Later on, I would learn that the rear diesel loco had been switched off just before crossing the Vasai creek, so as to cause minimal vibrations to the aging bridge. As we entered AC territory, I could sense the train accelerating to its new speed. I wasn’t too focused on examining what stations were being hurriedly left behind, since I was waiting for the Big One – Surat! As we passed the suburbs, the train slowed down and made a brief halt but outside the station limits. Fortunately, it went through the station albeit at a snail’s pace. Good enough for me, Surat had been skipped … that was immense fun!
It was getting dark outside and my attention was diverted to the unmistakable aroma of hot soup. Tomato soup was being served as part of evening supper and I devoured it with delight. This was followed by delicious dinner – we were certainly being pampered, weren’t we? Pretty soon, the train slowed down for its first commercial halt. I got down at Vadodara with an air of arrogance about me - “don’t mess with me, I am traveling by the Rajdhani.” But that was short-lived, since we were off towards Ratlam after a ten-minute halt.
Pretty soon, it was nap-time, the long kind which usually lasts through the night. Pillows and blankets were being duly distributed. Since there was nothing much to see outside and we weren’t allowed to stand near doors, let alone open them, sleep seemed to be the only possible option and I reluctantly shut my eyes. I wasn’t exactly comfortable with this arrangement and had a tendency to wake up whenever the train slowed down. But I still can’t explain how I slept through the Ratlam halt – had no clue when we crossed it. But fate wanted to compensate me and that is why I was awake when we went through Kota without much fuss.
My first doorplating opportunity came the next morning. The train was traveling at a leisurely pace and a handful of my traveling companions were at the door. I peered outside to catch a glimpse of the rake even as we were negotiating a gentle curve. In the distance, I could spot the loco’s driving cab. Only one driving cab? What about the other? Shouldn’t I see two cabs? Is out train only being hauled by one loco? I had naively assumed that both locos would be oriented in identical fashion (SHF) and was rather disturbed not to spot the rear cab. I was still trying to make sense of it, when Gangapur City suddenly appeared – that irritating halt again!
After a sumptuous breakfast, we were greeted by the train superintendent who wanted to be assured that all was well with us. My first question to him was, “Is our train double-headed?” Pat came the reply, “Yes, of course.” I then requested for a quick tour of the AC First Class interiors - surprisingly, he obliged! What struck me most about the coach was the thick red carpet that covered every inch of the floor and the elegant paintings on the cabin walls. As we headed back towards our coach, a small mishap occurred. My friend’s thumb got caught in the door and turned an ugly shade of blue. He immediately rushed to his parents’ cabin to get some treatment done. When I saw him again, his face was still contorted. It would be a while before he could force a smile.
It was nearing half past nine and we were close to our destination. A double-electrified track was about to join us on the left and WAM4-headed train was parked on it. All coaches except the pantry car had the red-n-white livery. The AC deluxe express (from Howrah) had been halted there and the mighty Rajdhani was allowed to go ahead. Within ten minutes it was all over! I stepped onto the foot overbridge at New Delhi station with a sense of accomplishment. My dream of traveling in the Rajdhani had been realized! Bombay Central to New Delhi was no longer virgin territory; it had been conquered in style!
As our bus raced towards Dehra Dun, I tried to get rid of that nagging thought – “did our train really have two locos?” And then I dozed off.