RAILWAYS MAGAZINE XVII National Steam Congress Issue No.: XVII WINTER 2019 ` 20 About ISRS from the Editor
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INDIAN STEAM RAILWAYS MAGAZINE XVII National Steam Congress Issue No.: XVII WINTER 2019 ` 20 About ISRS From the Editor... The Indian Steam Railway Society is a non-profit organisation formed on 23rd October, 1999, by railway enthusiasts committed to the preservation The Guinness Book of World Records lists the 1855- of steam and other railway heritage. built Fairy Queen or EIR 22 as the world's oldest working locomotive. This is being hotly contested by the Express, EIR 21, Fairy Queen's sister locomotive, Advertisement Rates : also built in 1855. Whichever loco gets the title of the • Back Cover - Rs, 50,000.00 oldest working locomotive is not at all relevant as • Inside Back Cover - Rs. 50,000.00 both the locos are of the same vintage and both are • Full Page Spl. - Rs. 25,000.00 • Full Page - Rs. 10,000.00 owned by the Indian Railways. • Half Page - Rs. 5,000.00 The question that now comes up is the third position. • Quarter Page - Rs. 3,000.00 A strong contender is the 0-4-0T Anjubault-built locomotive, the Ramgotty. Built in the year 1862, the For Details, please contact : Ramgotty first worked on the Indian Branch Railway Secretary Company, a 4-foot gauge railway between Nalhati Indian Steam Railway Society and Azimganj in the Bengal Presidency of British National Rail Museum, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi - 110021 India India. The Fairy Queen and the Express worked Email: [email protected] between 1855 and 1909 after which they were retired. Website: http://:www.indiansteamrailwaysociety.in Ramgotty on the other hand had a much longer working life from 1862 to 1974 when it was also ISRS Executive Committee retired. Thanks to the push given by Ashwani Lohani, the then Chairman of the Indian Railway Board, Chief Patron: Member (Rolling Stock), Railway Board & Ramgotty was taken up for revival in 2018 and this Ex-Officio Secy. to the Govt. of India year, it is in steam for the first time since it hissed steam last in 1974. This makes it perhaps the third Telephone oldest working locomotive in the world. If any person President: Mr. R. S. Virdi 8800990870 is aware of any other older locomotive, please let the Vice President: Sir Mark Tully Indian Steam Railway Society know. Getting the Ramgotty working again was an even Working President: Mr. Ashwani Lohani bigger challenge than the revival of the Fairy Queen Secretary: Mr. G. Shankar 2924-2474, 2923-0453 and the Express. The latter locos were both taken up Joint Secretary: Mr. Dileep Prakash by a full-fledged workshop that had been at the Treasurer: Mr. P. J. Singh 9810411980 forefront of steam loco overhaul and maintenance in the steam days. Ramgotty, on the other hand, was Members: Mr. Abhimanyu Shaunik 9811322052 taken up by the Train Set Depot at Shakurbasti in Mr. S. K. Luthra 9717745757 New Delhi. Yes, the depot had been a steam loco shed Mr. Ravindra Gupta at one time but such sheds did not undertake the kind Mr. Arun Mohan of heavy repairs that workshops did. Yet, the depot leadership and staff took up the challenge and their Editor: Mr. J. L Singh 8130111589 confidence in themselves bore the fruit of the Patron: Director NRM 9717641051 Ramgotty being in steam once again. While the boiler of the locomotive was repairable, the frame and the undergear had to be virtually rebuilt. The Indian Steam Railways Magazine encourages readers to Therefore, it is a tribute to the great work done by the contribute to the magazine about issues related to preservation of Shakurbasti depot that the theme of the National steam and other railway heritage. Such contributions may include Steam Congress this year is RAMGOTTY RETURNS. technical papers, humorous articles, information about Let's hope that in the years to come, others follow suit forthcoming events, memoirs or photographs. All published contributions shall be suitably acknowledged. Please send your and we have many more steam behemoths returning. contributions to : Happy steaming… Editor Indian Steam Railway Society National Rail Museum ( J L Singh ) Chanakyapuri, New Delhi – 110021, India Editor Email: [email protected] The theme for the 17th National Steam Congress is “Ramgotty Returns” 1 CONTENTS 0504 PRESIDENTS MESSAGE RAMGOTTY RETURNS - 0605 FROM THE FAIRY QUEEN TO RAMGOTTY STEAMING ON! 0508 THE UK'S LATEST Ramgotty being renovated at the STEAM LOCO TAKES TO Shakurbasti Train Set Depot at New Delhi THE TRACKS Paul Whittle DARJEELING COMES 0510 TO THE UK David Barrie THE RIVER, FORT AND BRIDGE XVI NATIONAL STEAM 0512 P J Singh 0513 CONGRESS - A REPORT PHOTO FEATURE 0517 ISRS STEAM RUN 2018 TRAIN TO RAJMAHAL 0524 P K Mishra BOOK REVIEW 0530 A SHORT HISTORY OF INDIAN RAILWAYS Photos Courtesy Train Set Depot, Shakurbasti 2 3 go 'on line' and check for any data requiring Southern Railway (SR) leads in providing updating - or discrepancies requiring corrections, Workshop support for the 'heavy repair' of steam and communicate them to the Secretary via email locos at its Perambur and Golden Rock Workshops. for updating/correction. Members who find their SR also runs the EIR 21 'Express' - the twin of oldest name missing may also apprise the Secretary with working steam loco in the world the 'Fairy Queen' - particulars of date and tenure of membership. much to the delight and acclaim of the public 'down South'. The steam operations on Niligiri Mountain And all readers are urged to log on and apply on line Railway are the only MG steam services at present, to join the movement. Promise to revive your while on NG it is that lovable iconic B-Class that steamy memories – pun not intended! continues to provide 'Joy' and rides on the Toy Train The accounts for the last FY 2018-19 have been of the DHR on the Northeast Frontier Railway audited and uploaded on the website for between Darjeeling and Ghum. information of all members. The AGM of the Society On the Eastern Railway little “Miss Muffet” was – probably the second after inception - was held on taken off her tuffet - and brought back to life to ride the 22nd of September 2019 at the NRM New Delhi. for a while – on the rails inside Jamalpur Workshops. A summary of the activities of the Society was R. S. Virdi While on the South-Eastern Railway Kharagpur presented and the audited accounts passed. The President ISRS Workshop toiled hard to breathe steam into that existing Managing Committee members were giant – the Bayer-Garrett - and run it on the requested to continue till the next AGM - which Kharagpur - Midnapore section. At CLW the 1:8 MESSAGE should be held by around May / June 2020. The scale working model steam loco was fired up to the holding of the long overdue AGM may not have EIR 21 “Express” steaming on Southern Railway joy of the children there. ISRS enters its twentieth year - with about a hundred much of an impact on the movement for restoration and eighty-six members on its rolls. A hundred and of Steam - but it is a legal requirement for registered have since decided to stick to the date, time and Ratlam Division on Western Railway has done twenty two are original life members - and sixty four Societies and must be fulfilled. venue of the meeting in future! We fervently request some exemplary work in retaining and restoring the tenure members for ten years who joined 2013 9 km MG hill section from Patalpani to Kalakund The Managing Committee met regularly on the greater participation from Members. onwards - including your current President who (near Indore). This section should see the added second Sunday of every month through the year – Steam activity on IR... joined the Society post retirement in 2015. The attraction of steam operations soon as some of the barring two occasions. The first when the date grandiose plan to raise the membership to a The centre of gravity of the steam activity on IR for MG steam locomotives presently at Rewari are coincided with the date of voting for the General thousand hasn't quite started rolling yet. We BG has shifted to the Rewari Steam Heritage Centre. being transferred there. Mumbai Division of Central Elections in Delhi - the 12th of May 2019. The managed only five new members in the last one It is here that Northern Railway through the Sr. Railway runs the only B-class other than those on meeting had to be cancelled. The other occasion year. DME Shakurbasti and his team - work the magic of the DHR, on the NG section from Neral to Matheran. was when the date coincided with the date of the keeping the BG steam locomotives in fine We finally have the current and updated list of Statesman Vintage Car Rally in Feb 2019. The Exciting times ahead… maintenance fettle. There are 3 WPs, one sole members – uploaded on the ISRS website at meeting was pre-poned by a day - and despite the surviving WG, one AWE and one WL based at Rewari The news that IR is planning to offer operation of indiansteamrailwaysociety.in. Request members to usual notices, it did lead to a lot of confusion! We of which at present only two WPs are operational. As passenger services to private sector players is of course is the “Fairy Queen” EIR 22. There are four potentially great news for promoting “steam MG steam locos here too, but no track to run them heritage tourism” – which incidentally were the on. The WL is in Amritsar Workshop for the last three theme of the XVII National Congress this year that years, awaiting the attention of its benefactors to has been changed to Ramgotty Returns.