The Train Ride Saga continues...

So finally we step into the cabin. Its a unique experience to see the railway tracks that we see everyday but now from the point of view of someone who's gonna manouver on them. Joe uncle is very kind and keeps up a continuous monologue describing all the little useful things that make up the cabin. Its fascinating to see the multitude of controls and signals that aid the motorman.

And that is when my misconception about driving a train broke once and for all! I used to think that like any other vehicle, one actually has to steer the train on the rails.........n now thats some job!! Taking care of the shifting tracks and all.. But thats not how it works. The motorman simply has two sets of brakes at his hands- air brakes and pneumatic electrically controlled brakes. And speed is the only thing that he has to control while moving between stations. Well sounds simple enough eh? Thats what I thought too.... but having to keep drifting your eyes between the host of signals and alerts built in the cabin, its quite a herculean task!

The train that karan had travelled in earlier had just one chair for the motorman and he'd had to stand. But this cabin, we were surprised to see, had two chairs and so we could comfortably sit and enjoy the view! (apart from Joe who had to worry about driving the train, for us it was quite a fun ride!) Joe kept filling us in about the three types of signals near every station that indicate the position of the preceding train in front, so as to adjust the speed accordingly. Joe was giving some sort of a directly proportional formula.. "yellow double signal..toh 35 ka speed. nahitoh we can go beyond 50" etc etc. And as many of you must've been sharing my doubt about "How do the specific train bogies like First Class always halt exactly near the stripes where its supposed to?? Driver ko kaise dikhta hai??"........Well the train comfortably halts at a position marked as EMU HALT. N thats the only thing the motorman has to worry about. (y am i giving you the impression that driving a train is no big deal :D hee hee) no offence to the skilled motormen haan.... they have to train for years to drive the "esteemed" Mumbai local! (esteemed eh?)

I also learnt about an "intelligent" auxiliary agent built in the cabin to take charge of the train in case of emergencies..which include the motorman sleeping off!!! Damn convenient na.. Then Joe told us how the control room at VT centrally keeps track of all trains and controls the track positioning and everything. All of this was amazing amazing info.. kinda felt bombarded at the time honestly :D but gaining info was nevertheless a part of our supposed "official college project" remember?

Then just after a few stations, we wistfully got off at Matunga cz we had to attend college. Otherwise Joe was willing to take us all the way till Kalyan! I never wished for this ride to end.. It was just something that i myself wouldn't have imagined me doing some months back!

Would just like to add...Karan.. thanx yaar! Adios

One of the most improbable things you get to do!!

Here come one of my instances after a long time here :D

One of my best friends Karan is a member of the renowned Indian Railways Fan Club of America; better known as IRFCA of course. Somehow I wasn't quite aware of it when he described it at first but later I was amazed at the close-knit network of its fan members spread all across the country.

Now these IRFCA guys keep having interesting conventions and stuff and hang out and basically do everything related to their beloved topic...trains! And one day Karan tells me he and another fellow fan talked to a Mumbai Local Motorman ( read train driver for laymen :P ) and got a chance to actually ride with him in the motorman's cabin!!!! Now this is something! N not stopping at that.. Karan's friend had met the motorman uncle once again and he actually had a chance to work the controls! n not js watch :D

While I was going bonkers with jealousy, there came a surprise call from karan... "Hey mona, remember my ride in the motorman's cabin? Wanna do that??? I talked to him.......n he's willing to take us on!". YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS! was my reply without a second's hesitation. I was supposed to meet Karan at CST Station at around 2 pm and our friendly motorman uncle was gonna take us aboard on the 2:34 Kalyan bound slow local. Now the only hitch was uncle warned us that women are not normally allowed inside the cabin! ( How chauvinistic, I thought ) But he'll make an exception considering we were such sincere engineering students engaged in an active project involving the SIGNALING MECHANISM IN TRAINS. Oh well... that was our alibi to substantiate our sudden interest towards train driving; complete with a permission letter on the most-easily-reproducible "official" VJTI Letterhead with our "project-guide's" signature underneath!!!



So, I reach CST, haunted somewhere by flashes of images of the very same place ravaged by the gruesome events of 26/11, but nevertheless undauntedly excited bout this extra-ordinary ride. After waiting outside the officers' cabin for a while, inside which were a horde of people working on a host of controls and displays that centrally governs our entire central railway system, Karan pointed out to the motorman uncle (Lets call him Joe) who amicably led us to the 2:34 train that he'd be driving. While passing the compartments, which normally never earn a careful glance from hurrying commuters like us, Joe explained to us that, there are three types of dabbas comprising the train:

1. the 76 ones: comprising the motorman's cabin
2. the 70 ones: carrying the driving motors of the train and
3. the 72 ones: extra compartments having only seats.
These 3 dabbas make up ONE unit and THREE/FOUR such units make up the whole 9/12 coach train; which therefore, in technical terms, is called an EMU (Electrical MULTIPLE Unit)! Now thats info for u, right? :)

Thus,I found myself beginning to learn tonnes about a field of info completely new to me and it was fun! After walking the length of the train, we reached the front cabin. Joe rolled up the destination indicator to Kalyan and then we entered into the small cabin for one of the rarest rides I'd ever be on!

What happened once the train started??........to be continued.. Keep dropping in..