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Glimpses of wheels on rails

RAIL HISTORY: Stamps on Indian Railways brought out by the Postal Department from the collection of Toneesh Thomas.

The rails have a pretty long story to tell. The way the Railways emerged as a means of transport across the length and breadth of the country is history. This is featured in a series of stamps brought out by the Indian Postal Department. The stamps collected by an avid philatelist and a TTE of the Southern Railway Toneesh Thomas give a glimpse of the path traversed by the Railways in the past.

In fact, the journey of the steam engine in India started even before the country won Independence. The four-anna stamp released in 1937 depicts a portrait of King George VI and a steam loco of East Indian Railway.

Another stamp released in 1953 commemorates the Railways centenary in India. It was on April 16, 1853, that a train with 14 railway carriages and 400 guests left Bombay on its maiden journey, says Mr. Thomas. The train left Bori Bunder to Thane with a 21-gun salute and Governor's band. The journey took an hour and 15 minutes. The Great Indian Peninsular (GIP) Railway from Vulcan Foundry, England, acquired the locomotives. The GIP NO.1 is featured in a stamp brought out in 1976.

Three other stamps issued in the same year feature different types of engines. One of them is the F/1 engine, the most widely used engine during the pre-Independence days. Dubs & Company, Glasgow in 1875, built the first of these engines. From 1895, these engines were manufactured in India at Ajmer Railway workshop. These were withdrawn from active service in 1958, says Mr. Thomas.

A broad gauge express locomotive, the prototype of which was built in United States in 1947 and later manufactured at Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, is pictured in a one-rupee stamp. Another is the diesel locomotive weighing 113 tonnes and capable of hauling freight trains of 2,250 tonnes and mail trains with 18 coaches.

The Darjeeling-Himalayan railway line having a two-feet wide track is the subject of the stamp released in 1982. The railway line linking Darjeeling and Siliguri covers a distance of 87.48 km. The UNESCO has declared Darjeeling Himalayan Railway as a world heritage site.

The Victoria terminus, Mumbai, another heritage site, is featured in the stamp brought out on the occasion of its centenary in 1988. Nilgiri hill railway is the subject of the stamp released in 1993.

The national rail museum, Konkan railway and Doon valley tracks are other interesting pictures on stamps.

Stamps brought out on the occasion of Golden Jubilee of Integral Coach Factory, Silver Jubilee of National Rail Museum and 150 years of Indian Railways are other attractions.

R. Ramabhadran Pillai

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