20 Incredible Facts About Indian Railways That You Probably Did Not Know

[anant_s]

Anyone have any idea how much KMs are added to the network each year?

btw this is why we should be adding to existing lines at even faster rate.

Most of the routes are operating well above 100% utilization, thanks to our myopic Rail ministers who kept on adding trains without upgrading networks.

 

[Gibbs]

Indian railways is an Engineering feat actually.. And waht is India today would not have been possible without it's railway links

 

[Capt.Popeye]

@Rain Man @Capt.Popeye
the voltage indeed is DC at 110V.
I'm not sure if theft was a consideration for design but the insulation level of batterries and cable is an engineering factor for this voltage level. Also at this voltage, risk of fire reduces multi fold.

That explanation is logical and correct. There was a time when, Electric supply in Cities like Kolkata, Bombay were run on that system in the past, the reasons being simplicity, cost and safety. Some parts of Kolkata had this system into the 1970s, our Kolkattan members can confirm. But the transmision losses were huge over distances, so it was phased out.

In the Railways, the electricity generated by the wheel driven dynamos is stored in lead-acid batteries before supply to the coaches, easier to manage that with D.C. for the afore-mentioned reasons, no need for inverters to change to A.C.; though I am inclined to believe that small inverters now supply the Cellphone charging points in the Compartments, but much smaller and cheaper than having to install inverters to take the entire load. The point about "Theft-proof" may be just a bonus, whether intended or unintended.

 

[T90TankGuy]

@Rain Man @Capt.Popeye
the voltage indeed is DC at 110V.
I'm not sure if theft was a consideration for design but the insulation level of batterries and cable is an engineering factor for this voltage level. Also at this voltage, risk of fire reduces multi fold.

btw point number 10 is not correct.
i personally have seen diamond crossings at North of Bhusawal jn (maharashtra) and one near Ratlam jn.

also point 5
the train is basically for railway man who travel between city and electric loco shed and workshop situated at Ajni.

Tell me do you travel frequently ? if so is the guy who made omelettes at Bhusaval Jn (the guy who throws them in the air high) still there?
I used to love them when i was a kid and traveled in trains in those days, Of course this is the 80s

 

[anant_s]

Tell me do you travel frequently ?

Yes fairly frequently, i like train journeys, don't think there is any better way of learning about people and with IR fares, its dirt cheap way of doing so.

if so is the guy who made omelettes at Bhusaval Jn (the guy who throws them in the air high) still there?

Unfortunately i don't travel much on central railways where Bhusawal is and sometimes when i do, its mostly on Punjab mail. As the train's schedule would have it, Bhusawal arrives on either side during night, so really don't know if our omelette ninja is around.

I used to love them when i was a kid and traveled in trains in those days, Of course this is the 80s

oh yes, 80s evoke a sense of nostalgia. I do remember travelling between Agra and Bhopal (where my maternal grandpa lived) every summer vacations. Those days one would have to pack a bedroll, a water can and a lot of other things (home cooked food for example) that are getting lost today.
btw on question of food, i'm sharing an old image and a story (taken some time in winter 2009, while travelling on Punjab mail to Agra).
I was quite pissed off with very poor breakfast served by train pantry (some greasy cutlets and bread). Our coach attendant advised me to try out some vendor food. When train made a stop at a station called Hoshangabad (MP), i got down and found hawkers selling Samosas, jalebis, wild berries and tea to passengers of unreserved coaches. I had some samosas and can say without any doubt, some of the best i ever had. i keep this picture as a souvenir of that chilly misty morning and a fact that its on journeys like these that one finds little treasured moments.
& i bet thats possible only on Indian railways.

 

[Jai_Hind]

Few more....

The station with the longest name is Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta.....And it’s sometimes spelled with ‘Sri’ prefixed.

The station with the smallest name is called ‘IB ’: It’s in Odisha

The railway station of Navapur is built in two states; half in Maharashtra and the rest is in Gujarat

 

[T90TankGuy]

Yes fairly frequently, i like train journeys, don't think there is any better way of learning about people and with IR fares, its dirt cheap way of doing so.

Unfortunately i don't travel much on central railways where Bhusawal is and sometimes when i do, its mostly on Punjab mail. As the train's schedule would have it, Bhusawal arrives on either side during night, so really don't know if our omelette ninja is around.

oh yes, 80s evoke a sense of nostalgia. I do remember travelling between Agra and Bhopal (where my maternal grandpa lived) every summer vacations. Those days one would have to pack a bedroll, a water can and a lot of other things (home cooked food for example) that are getting lost today.
btw on question of food, i'm sharing an old image and a story (taken some time in winter 2009, while travelling on Punjab mail to Agra).
I was quite pissed off with very poor breakfast served by train pantry (some greasy cutlets and bread). Our coach attendant advised me to try out some vendor food. When train made a stop at a station called Hoshangabad (MP), i got down and found hawkers selling Samosas, jalebis, wild berries and tea to passengers of unreserved coaches. I had some samosas and can say without any doubt, some of the best i ever had. i keep this picture as a souvenir of that chilly misty morning and a fact that its on journeys like these that one finds little treasured moments.
& i bet thats possible only on Indian railways.
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Bedrolls !!!!! Damn . I almost forgot about those.
Still remember when we had steam engines , soot used to get into our hair , washing it off meant a lot of dirty water.
in those days we used to get this amazing veg cutlets , i still remember those, and the chicken curry with rice in VT station first floor dining room .... God !!!!
Really miss those days , its been 12 yrs since my last train ride. now a days i drive or fly .

22 signs you grew up in the 1980s - Rediff Getahead

 

[Jai_Hind]

STRANGE STATION NAMES that makes me LOL

Kala Bakra in Punjab

Singapur Road in Odisha

Tung in West Bengal

Divine Nagar in Kerala

 

[anant_s]

22 signs you grew up in the 1980s - Rediff Getahead

Pronoy Roy, The world this week.

I remember that was on friday nights. The only day of week when father allowed us to see TV beyond 10 o'clock.
Zia was Pakistan president then, Senator Pressler was moving amendments on F 16 sales to our neighbor in US congress, Bofors had still not happened and world was a fairy tale.
How time flies. well like Mumbai Rajdhani express i guess