Wednesday, May 25, 2016

The Mumbai Local

Traveled by the Mumbai local train after a long time. I was on my way to CST (Victoria Terminus) to catch the Deccan Queen. Being a Sunday, I was spared of the usual office rush. I couldn’t help but compare travelling by the local, a few decades ago. The rakes looked better and the inside was more airy and brighter. 


 It was good to see the inclusion of an announcing system inside the bogie (with a display on an electronic board)
The Indian Railways had third class bogies too which were scrapped sometime in the  sixties.


While crossing over from the Western Railway to the Central Railway, I was happy to see the absence of the hawkers on the foot over bridge. 


It was good to see some familiar sights and landmarks, like the tower of the Railway Hospital at Byculla.
While alighting at CST, I noticed the big clock. Reminded me of the times when I used to wait to see the big hand move, which looked like an enormous task, considering the size of the clock. 


There was a mural at the station of how Victoria Terminus looked during the British era.


The "statue of progress" which is about 17 ft tall stands atop the dome. I recall reading in the papers (some where in the late sixties) that the head of the statue was broken when lightening struck the dome. It was replaced by a perfect replica (made by the students of the JJ school of Arts which is situated across the road)


The above picture was the last one I clicked before boarding the Deccan Queen to proceed to Pune. 
Talking of Pune, I remember the days when we used to travel down south, the only stretch of electrified line was between Mumbai and Pune. Further down it was the good old steam engine. 
While travelling in Deccan Queen, there was this guy from the pantry car who talked politely and served every one with a cheerful smile. His face looked familiar and I clicked his picture in haste. 


It was only later I realized that he looked very much like the fruit vendor who sits at the street corner close to my residence. 




I captured a few video clips at random and put them together to make it into a 4 min video.



38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Joe, very good reminder of good old days of Bombay - Gev Mistry

Anonymous said...

Great viewing. Memories of Byculla - Sunny Varghese

Locomente said...

This is really cool... Reminded me of my journey in a local!
Thanks for sharing :)

PS: Incidentally, I have also written about train journeys (in AC coaches) Cheers for that!

Lowell said...

Quite an interesting journey; thanks for taking us along!

Unknown said...

Well narrated .. thanks for the bits of important info ..esp the bit about the dome..fruit vendor nice and colorful

Anvilcloud said...

Very nice job with the video. You were very steady, and you blended. The clips really well.

Unknown said...

Wow .. I am amazed how you always capture the simple things around you :)

Christine said...

thanks for the tour, very interesting and those men do resemble!

Sandee said...

Loved the video. Put it all together for me.

Have a fabulous day. ☺

George said...

What an interesting post about your experience on the local train. I especially enjoyed the history that you included.

Conniecrafter said...

Very interesting, so enjoyed the video and all your pictures of places I will most likely never get to see in my lifetime. That mural is just amazing and so is the statue of Progress, so neat they were able to fix it after being struck by lightning.

Theresa said...

Looks like very interesting places. I would love to have a fruit vendor near my home. Instead we have the ice cream truck ;)

LilyElement said...

He does look like him lol!

Liz A. said...

They do look alike. Sounds like things have changed for the better.

trees said...

CST brings back memories, the earliest among them being taken by my father to the railway canteen upstairs. This was always after my fortnightly visits to the dentist (Dr Bamboat at Metro junction). How I was able to eat after that experience I don't quite know but I do remember my eyes getting bigger at the huge buffet and my overflowing plate that I dug into with enthusiasm.
Later memories involve travelling to college by the crowded locals. Glad that the scene appears to have improved.

magiceye said...

Interesting observations!

John said...

Nice little film - the music works well

Jayashree Srivatsan said...

Trains in india speak volumes about life and lives

Anonymous said...

Joe,
Thanks for sharing. You have a good style, with lot of feeling - and subtle humour. Look forward to reading more of your writings.
Best regards,
Suresh

Linda said...

I love vintage! I really appreciate this post, thank you so much for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Hey I love reading your blog! I love the way you write and express things so beautifully!! Also the pictures you take!!
Wishing u luck :) - Sneha Raizada

Pat Hatt said...

They sure do look a like indeed.

Debbie said...

what a great place, i enjoyed the images and story!!!!

Cheri Savory Spoon said...

I enjoyed your video very much, the people, trains, buildings and local scenery. Very well put together.

Arti said...

Wonderful captures of the local train juxtaposed with your memories. Interesting observation about the vendor and the pantry man!

Mary Kirkland said...

The two men really do look alike. Thanks for sharing the pictures with us. It's always so interesting to see pictures of places that I've never been.

Stephanie Faris said...

What an interesting trip! I'm fascinated by places I'll likely never visit. Thank you for sharing!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

You and I have trains on our mind Haddock :)

DeniseinVA said...

Greetings Haddock, thank you for stopping by and leaving your kind comments on my blog. I have enjoyed this post very much. I haven’t been on a train since last summer. I always enjoy them. It is always nice not to have the normal crowds. Your photos were very interesting along with the history of the trains and Victoria Terminus. As a child I used to love running to the bridge and let the steam of the old train engines envelope me and my friends as they traveled underneath. I remember the fits of laughter. Thank you for taking us along on this train journey with your photos and video.

carol l mckenna said...

Fascinating post and photos of this part of the world ~

Happy Week to you ~ ^_^

Jens Hamn said...

your post is pleasant to read, thank you for this travel !

Elizabeth said...

It sounds like you had an interesting train ride. I've only traveled on a train twice and I enjoyed it. I think those two men do look alike.

Cherie Reich said...

I loved seeing the pictures and reading your account of traveling on the train. :)

Anonymous said...

Fantastic pictures. I took a trip of sorts by reading this post.

Belva said...

A great post
and a very enticing video. Loved the music and it
made me want to get up and dance.

How wonderful to have a fruit vendor so near. Fresh fruit
for breakfast and any time of the day.

Antonina said...

Enjoyed reading this post. Hm never saw that mural in the CST... Will look around next time I'm there :)

Anonymous said...


Joe, You are taking me back more than 50 years, when in Nagpur we used to wager (just like paper and scissors) to see the second hand of the Nagpur railway clock (HUGE), which was visible from a distance and guess who was giving the right answer as to when exactly the minute hand moved ONE MINUTE. - Ivan D'souza.

Sujatha Sathya said...

uncanny resemblance that !

nice nostalgic trip on the train. we went along too :)