National Geographic: The Great Indian Railway Page #3

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The beginning of every trip is

a ritual for the six-man crew

Each engine is an antique heirloom

that's been entrusted to their care

And they look after them like living

breathing creatures

feeding and watering them

The fireman knows that

only a good head of steam can carry

the train up to 7,407 feet

to reach the highest station

in all of Asia

With two men riding on front

ready to throw sand on the rails

for traction

and a coal breaker riding on top

the train finally sets out

Each engine has its own distinct

personality

And no one understands his better

than the driver, Mr. Gurung

Like his father

he was assigned this same loco for life

And everyone along the way knows its him

by the sound of his whistle

For Sherab Tenduf

one of many who have fought

for its preservation

it's a reminder that some things

do stay the same

And not to have it would be a great loss

When I was young

people really didn't travel that

very much

The airplane hadn't arrived

And the train was an important image

for all of us

An escape to the outer world

A chance to see something

over the mountains

You had this train which represented

to us an opportunity for adventure

We used to jump on and off the train

Tickets weren't that important

There was the chugging

the sound of the movement of the train

The energy of this train

it was like a little Tibetan terrier

The obstacles that the British overcame

in 1881 are still impressive even now

On the foothills of the Himalaya

they had little room to maneuver

and only by ingenious loops

and switchbacks

and the narrowest of tracks could

the little "toy train" reach the top

If the train does not run

we do feel that there is something absent

and we do feel it very strongly

But as long as it is there

yes it's a part of life

And everyday if we don't see it

we see that something is definitely

is missing

India is a country of villages

More than 70 percent of its people live

out their lives in a day-to-day existence

where there is no hurry

And only the changing seasons mark

the passage of time

This is where the railway is a lifeline

bringing these remote areas in touch

with the rest of the world.

In south India

Palur is one of thousands of small way

stations

which haven't changed much

since British colonial times

It is a single line track off

the main route to Madrasm

and only four trains a day stop here

Mr. Govindarajan is the stationmaster

He took a demotion from a bigger station

choosing Palur to be near his sick wife

and to live out his days

in the peaceful quiet of the country

He shares his responsibilities

with Kamakshi

a railway widow who is officially

the sweeper-porter

Between the two of them

they run the entire station

"Palur" means "milk village"

and for the last hundred years

the villagers have relied on the milk

train

to carry their cans to the city markets

But before the train arrives

Govindarajan must coordinate

with other stations

to make sure that his line is clear

for the coming train

It is a time-honored system

in place since the days of the British

a ball token must be carried

by the driver

giving him the right-of-way

on a single-line track

At every station

he must pass the token

and pick up another

only then will he have permission

to continue on his way

I am asking line clear

The line is officially open

and Kamakshi can change the signals

that will indicate to the driver

that the track ahead is safe

She will pass the ball on to the driver

and prepares the cane pouch

She is one of the few women working

directly with the trains

but gained her job after a great loss

Her husband had been a fireman

on a steam engine

and committed suicide when he didn't

make driver

It is the railway's custom to give

a position to the widow

And Kamakshi will have a job for life

As the train comes in

the ball token is handed over

Now the driver can move safely into

the next section

Mr. Govindarajan has dedicated 33 years

of his life to the Railway

and understands better than anyone

how much these trains mean to rural India

But changes are coming

and he has received word that

with his retirement his post

will not be filled

and Palur station will be closed

They tell him that with only a few

trains a day

there just isn't enough profit

Soon the trains won't be stopping here

and people will have to take the roads

He will be the last station master of Palur

On Southern Railway, south of Madras

the Pondicherry Special makes her

last journey.

Nothing evokes the romance of the

railway like a steam engine

Her arrival into Pondicherry station

is a grand event

and she will bring the platform to life

for one last time

This is one of the few holdouts of steam

The locomotives were phased out of

the big cities years ago

and now even small stations are seeing

them vanish

But perhaps the greatest loss

will be felt by those who have steam

in their soul

And Dhandapani is one who'll feel it

the most

A third-generation railwayman

he became what his father

a gatekeeper

always hoped he would be a driver

the pride of the line

Now he's been given the honor of takin

the Pondicherry Special on her final run

His engine may be old and worn down

by age

but Dhandapani knows that what he is

doing is something noble and historic

And he's always been proud of his duty

In India, the relationship between

railwaymen has always been like family

The firemen, guards, cabinmasters

and gatekeepers

all have developed a deep bond

through the years

Stationmasters on the single

line tracks

and the drivers of steam know that

a time is coming to an end

Now, the trading of the cane pouch marks

the changing of the guard

Both Govindarajan and Dhandapani

have since been retired

the Pondicherry Special has been condemned

And little Palur station is now

closed forever

Varanasi, Madurai, Barddhaman

these are some of the sheds where

generations of workers

were born to serve the locomotive

with a craft held sacred

And where it was always believed that

a father's knowledge would one day be

handed down to his son

We'll be closing down this steam loco

shed in a couple of months

when the last of these Black Beauties

would have move out

This shed had something like 71

locomotives a few years back

What we feel sad about the whole thing

is that something which fascinated every

railway traveler over many

many years is dying out

And what I feel personally sad about

is that with the locomotives

is dying out a breed of men

who had nerves of steel

they were men of muscle

understood metal

what it was all about

What we get today in lieu is the diesels

the electrics, which have really

no muscle in them

They're all technology

There's no spirit behind them

To us as old railway men

they are really not comparables

This shed where the epitaph

is now being written

will see a gloomy picture

in a few months from now

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