The Train Journeys of yesteryears!!!!!!!
Posted Oct 16th, 2009 at 08:23 AM by arjay
The Train Journeys of yesteryears!!!!!!!
*Raju Jamil*
I remember my first ever rail journey from Karachi to Rawalpindi in 1958 enroute to Murree for our summer vacations with grand-mother (Dadee Amaan) my mother, brothers and sisters and our family servant Farid Khan by Tezrao in that inter-class bogey which had wooden seating for eight and sleepers (upper berth) for two each side. The bogey had fans with control knobs, adequate roof lights with switches, a sizeable toilet well maintained. The emergency chain handle always attracted me and I had to control myself from pulling it...that there was a Rs.500 fine those times which should be close to Rs.5000 today!
The best part of train journey was the night time when the holders (known as HOLLDOLL) was unwrapped and laid on the seater and the berths with soft cotton mattress, soft pillow and of course a quilt which, in current modern era, would best be known as a 'comforter' ! and then the huge nashtay daan (lunch box) was opened which normally for train journeys, always had parhathaas, qeema, omelletes, tarkari and before the departure of the train....a mud pitcher known as 'sura'hee' was essentially purchased for Rs.1/- and filled with water from the railway station tap and by God...we didn't hear of people being hosiptalised or dying due to cunsumption of railway station's tap water then !!!!!!!!!!!!!!in fact we ourselves were the 'consumers'......of that water!
A game of ludo or rummee during the train journey was sizzling to the extent that instances have been noted of the ludo game board flying out of the train window with tempers flying high on the umpteenth try for SIX on the dice and not getting it! The sweet sound of deisel engine crusing smoothly towards the destination witha down train passing by in speed---was all too exciting and if you were traveling to Quetta or Peshawar, the keen await for a tunnel (surrangg) was more exciting.
The train heading in speed---intially provided the view of Drigh Road, Malir and Landhi areas when proceeding from the ever green, though small, Karachi Cantt., Railway Station which was the commencement point for major trains like; Tezrao at 1.30 pm, Tezgam at 3.45 PM and Khyber Mail at 9.45 pm...Tezrao ended journey at Lahore, Tezga at Rawalpindi and Khyber at Peshawar. Lahore journey took close to 20, Rawalpindi around 22 and Peshawar about 25 hours. It was fun traveling by smooth and sparkling trains then...or say...till late 70's or early 80's afterwhich...everything became a dream...!
As time progress, my father's job also progressed---which provided me three opportunities to travel in what we can describe as "Priority Lounge" we have at Banks these days....yes, I am talking about the German made Airconditioned Coaches and Sleeper Cars attached with an airconditioned dinning cars.....where the cooling was ten times better then the cooling you receive in your airconditioned car. There were coupe of two and four berths which more mostly occupied by families. The berths were clad with chamoise cloth in dark green color and the coupe had even a ladder to climb the upper berth when going for slumber. It was heavenly to travel airconditioned coupe and so serene and magical atmosphere was in dinning car that we use to sit there for hours after breakfast or lunch or dinner---enjoying discussions and the sheer excitement of traveling in such a quiet and serene atmosphere!
The BEIRA (attendants or waiters or servers commonly known as..then) in airconditioned coaches/dinning cars, were in white attire with thick belt bearing steel emblem of PWR (Pakistan Western Railway....the new name of NWR...North Western Railway from late 60's....) and a kulla with a starched fan type cloth emerging out to add to the grace of it being worn....something like the cap worn by our guards at the border between Pakistan and India at Wagah these days.
The dinning car had the best breakfast with all kind of cereals and the dinning car food was quoted in parties---much to the disdain of being made a mockery in the famous TV comedy '50-50' some years later---due to the extremely dilapidated condition/food quality the raliway dining car food turned into on account of the catering business outsourced and quality not controlled!
The other kind of AIRCONDITIONED compartment was the one which was mostly on QUETTA and PESHAWAR routes. The airconditioned was fan controlled with layers of ICE laid on the top duct area...which too provided adequate cooling.
The train journey in Pakistan from any point to any point----was the most exciting affair for the school students like us in late 50's through late 60's and for a short while thereafter-----and the maintenance of compartments, bogey and the general atmosphere in trains was incredibly high on quality..!
Rail journey to places like QUETTA and PESHAWAR or hilly areas----essentially had LOCOMOTIVES pulling the bogeys as the incline could only be scaled when a LOCOMOTIVE was deployed. Locomotive had steam engine which ran through coal and the first ever Locomotive provided to Pakistan was on 20 August-1947 by the British Government which was manufactured in Glasgow-Scotland and during my last three visits to Scotland for shoot of Zulfi Shaikh's serials and once of my own for 'hogmanny' (new year eve at Edinburgh) I had the opportunity to visit the Locomotive Factory nearby Glasgow which is now a bit quiet. But interesting, a low powered Locomotive still attracts attention of tourist in Rawtentall near Manchester---where you get the opportunity to ride a World War-II train pulled by a locomotive (see the attached picture) and it was during my journey on that train in July this year (2009) that the Locomotive driver told me about the history of Locomotive manufacture and the fact that how some were exported to Pakistan in 1947.
In Pakistan since my phoppa (aunty's husband) was a senior official in Pakistan Railways, I had the opportunity to travel by the USA gifted DEISEL ENGINE from Lalamusa to Rawalpindi and in a Locomotive from Karachi to halfway through Quetta...years back.
The other fascinating part of rail travel was to travel in a SALOON which were specially provided to senior officials and of course the Minister of Railway while there was a special three bedroom SALOON of the then President of Pakistan fitted with just about everything. There are two categories of SALOONS; an ordinary one and the one fully airconditioned. I traveled both...and it was simply mesmerizing and out of this world that i have not been able to forget about that journey in airconditioned saloon from Sukkur to Lahore with my Phoppa and Phoppi and their family.
One of the most exciting 'gadget' in railway...I call, was; TROLLEY but it was always heart wrenching to watch two well built guys pushing the trolley for miles while the DSO or DO Railway sat with his hunter's hat and a stick under a huge umberella.... to inspect the technical sides of railway in connection with the laying or maintenance of railway line (or tracks) then. Thank GOD! that I also saw Electronic Trolleys or Deisel Trolleys...which had a mini engine like a motorboat...handled by the driver sitting nearby it...!!!
There was always a GUARD bogey right at the end of the 12 bogeys usually connected through crankshafts with each other. The guard bogey had an emergency brake system he could apply if required. The guard would always remain vigilant also for getting morse code messages and the management of signals clearing the train to proceed further--at some stations and points with many number of tracks!
PAKISTAN RAILWAYS played an important role in Pakistan's politics as well...when Field Marshall Ayub Khan then President of Pakistan, went on a crusade on PAK-JUMHOORIYATT SPECIAL TRAIN with his team of cabinet ministers and officials from Karachi to Peshawar...stopping at each major station...addressing the awam and also granting monthly grants to the widows etc., I actually went to that special train and visited the saloon of Brig.Nawazish Ali anf F.R.Khan, MS and Private Secretary to Field Marshall as my father was also traveling with FM by virtue of being his Personal Staff Officer then.
Pakistan railway has come a long way--though sadly, it has not been able to maintain the grandeur RAILWAYS was required to maintain.
Some of the railway stations I remember passing by on journey from Karachi to Hyderabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi and Peshawar---on account of their landmark and importance on something..were;
A train getting late during our days (late 50's through early 70's) was something quite rare....! and so were the happenings we hear---on train journeys of today!
*Raju Jamil*
I remember my first ever rail journey from Karachi to Rawalpindi in 1958 enroute to Murree for our summer vacations with grand-mother (Dadee Amaan) my mother, brothers and sisters and our family servant Farid Khan by Tezrao in that inter-class bogey which had wooden seating for eight and sleepers (upper berth) for two each side. The bogey had fans with control knobs, adequate roof lights with switches, a sizeable toilet well maintained. The emergency chain handle always attracted me and I had to control myself from pulling it...that there was a Rs.500 fine those times which should be close to Rs.5000 today!
The best part of train journey was the night time when the holders (known as HOLLDOLL) was unwrapped and laid on the seater and the berths with soft cotton mattress, soft pillow and of course a quilt which, in current modern era, would best be known as a 'comforter' ! and then the huge nashtay daan (lunch box) was opened which normally for train journeys, always had parhathaas, qeema, omelletes, tarkari and before the departure of the train....a mud pitcher known as 'sura'hee' was essentially purchased for Rs.1/- and filled with water from the railway station tap and by God...we didn't hear of people being hosiptalised or dying due to cunsumption of railway station's tap water then !!!!!!!!!!!!!!in fact we ourselves were the 'consumers'......of that water!
A game of ludo or rummee during the train journey was sizzling to the extent that instances have been noted of the ludo game board flying out of the train window with tempers flying high on the umpteenth try for SIX on the dice and not getting it! The sweet sound of deisel engine crusing smoothly towards the destination witha down train passing by in speed---was all too exciting and if you were traveling to Quetta or Peshawar, the keen await for a tunnel (surrangg) was more exciting.
The train heading in speed---intially provided the view of Drigh Road, Malir and Landhi areas when proceeding from the ever green, though small, Karachi Cantt., Railway Station which was the commencement point for major trains like; Tezrao at 1.30 pm, Tezgam at 3.45 PM and Khyber Mail at 9.45 pm...Tezrao ended journey at Lahore, Tezga at Rawalpindi and Khyber at Peshawar. Lahore journey took close to 20, Rawalpindi around 22 and Peshawar about 25 hours. It was fun traveling by smooth and sparkling trains then...or say...till late 70's or early 80's afterwhich...everything became a dream...!
As time progress, my father's job also progressed---which provided me three opportunities to travel in what we can describe as "Priority Lounge" we have at Banks these days....yes, I am talking about the German made Airconditioned Coaches and Sleeper Cars attached with an airconditioned dinning cars.....where the cooling was ten times better then the cooling you receive in your airconditioned car. There were coupe of two and four berths which more mostly occupied by families. The berths were clad with chamoise cloth in dark green color and the coupe had even a ladder to climb the upper berth when going for slumber. It was heavenly to travel airconditioned coupe and so serene and magical atmosphere was in dinning car that we use to sit there for hours after breakfast or lunch or dinner---enjoying discussions and the sheer excitement of traveling in such a quiet and serene atmosphere!
The BEIRA (attendants or waiters or servers commonly known as..then) in airconditioned coaches/dinning cars, were in white attire with thick belt bearing steel emblem of PWR (Pakistan Western Railway....the new name of NWR...North Western Railway from late 60's....) and a kulla with a starched fan type cloth emerging out to add to the grace of it being worn....something like the cap worn by our guards at the border between Pakistan and India at Wagah these days.
The dinning car had the best breakfast with all kind of cereals and the dinning car food was quoted in parties---much to the disdain of being made a mockery in the famous TV comedy '50-50' some years later---due to the extremely dilapidated condition/food quality the raliway dining car food turned into on account of the catering business outsourced and quality not controlled!
The other kind of AIRCONDITIONED compartment was the one which was mostly on QUETTA and PESHAWAR routes. The airconditioned was fan controlled with layers of ICE laid on the top duct area...which too provided adequate cooling.
The train journey in Pakistan from any point to any point----was the most exciting affair for the school students like us in late 50's through late 60's and for a short while thereafter-----and the maintenance of compartments, bogey and the general atmosphere in trains was incredibly high on quality..!
Rail journey to places like QUETTA and PESHAWAR or hilly areas----essentially had LOCOMOTIVES pulling the bogeys as the incline could only be scaled when a LOCOMOTIVE was deployed. Locomotive had steam engine which ran through coal and the first ever Locomotive provided to Pakistan was on 20 August-1947 by the British Government which was manufactured in Glasgow-Scotland and during my last three visits to Scotland for shoot of Zulfi Shaikh's serials and once of my own for 'hogmanny' (new year eve at Edinburgh) I had the opportunity to visit the Locomotive Factory nearby Glasgow which is now a bit quiet. But interesting, a low powered Locomotive still attracts attention of tourist in Rawtentall near Manchester---where you get the opportunity to ride a World War-II train pulled by a locomotive (see the attached picture) and it was during my journey on that train in July this year (2009) that the Locomotive driver told me about the history of Locomotive manufacture and the fact that how some were exported to Pakistan in 1947.
In Pakistan since my phoppa (aunty's husband) was a senior official in Pakistan Railways, I had the opportunity to travel by the USA gifted DEISEL ENGINE from Lalamusa to Rawalpindi and in a Locomotive from Karachi to halfway through Quetta...years back.
The other fascinating part of rail travel was to travel in a SALOON which were specially provided to senior officials and of course the Minister of Railway while there was a special three bedroom SALOON of the then President of Pakistan fitted with just about everything. There are two categories of SALOONS; an ordinary one and the one fully airconditioned. I traveled both...and it was simply mesmerizing and out of this world that i have not been able to forget about that journey in airconditioned saloon from Sukkur to Lahore with my Phoppa and Phoppi and their family.
One of the most exciting 'gadget' in railway...I call, was; TROLLEY but it was always heart wrenching to watch two well built guys pushing the trolley for miles while the DSO or DO Railway sat with his hunter's hat and a stick under a huge umberella.... to inspect the technical sides of railway in connection with the laying or maintenance of railway line (or tracks) then. Thank GOD! that I also saw Electronic Trolleys or Deisel Trolleys...which had a mini engine like a motorboat...handled by the driver sitting nearby it...!!!
There was always a GUARD bogey right at the end of the 12 bogeys usually connected through crankshafts with each other. The guard bogey had an emergency brake system he could apply if required. The guard would always remain vigilant also for getting morse code messages and the management of signals clearing the train to proceed further--at some stations and points with many number of tracks!
PAKISTAN RAILWAYS played an important role in Pakistan's politics as well...when Field Marshall Ayub Khan then President of Pakistan, went on a crusade on PAK-JUMHOORIYATT SPECIAL TRAIN with his team of cabinet ministers and officials from Karachi to Peshawar...stopping at each major station...addressing the awam and also granting monthly grants to the widows etc., I actually went to that special train and visited the saloon of Brig.Nawazish Ali anf F.R.Khan, MS and Private Secretary to Field Marshall as my father was also traveling with FM by virtue of being his Personal Staff Officer then.
Pakistan railway has come a long way--though sadly, it has not been able to maintain the grandeur RAILWAYS was required to maintain.
Some of the railway stations I remember passing by on journey from Karachi to Hyderabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi and Peshawar---on account of their landmark and importance on something..were;
- KOTRI due 'Kotri Barrage' we awaited to cross with Indus River flowing proudly (currently we yearn for water there..)
- Hyderabad was the busy station all the time. The best buy there were BANGLES.
- ROHRI nearby Sukkur as Sukkur was not the stop--it was on left bank and the train went through right bank though we always saw the famous YAQOOB BISCUIT FACTORY almost attached to the railway line our train cfommuted on. Rohri also had a barrage.
- KHANPUR was famous for KHOYA and PEIRRAS. We stayed awake at 4 am the time train reached Khanpur...only to buy the khoya.
- SAMASATTA near Bhawalpur was famous for pottery works. Flashy kaamdaar surra'hee etc were the attractions.
- MULTAN was the most sought after railway station and a junction also...where HAFIZ KA SOHAN HALWA was the main item which everyone use to buy by default. Seniors mostly preferred to buy MULTANI MITTI....
- LAHORE was (and still is...) the biggest railway station in Asia. Entering the railway station created a spellbinding effect on us peeking through the window of our compartment---amazingly and keenly awaiting to see the cheerfull faces of our first cousins or friends waiting anxiously for the train to stop and order the QULI to lift the luggage...noting his badge no.
- RAWALPINDI came after passing by Lalamusa and Gujrat stations. I always wondered where Lala Musa Sahab lived? and wished that someday I may meet him!!!!
- The most keenly awaited railway station for me...during the journey from R'Pindi to Peshawar, was NOWSHERA rekindling my sweet memories of stay at my Khala's several times when my Khalu was posted at the Armoured Corp School as Commandant. The wonderful evenings at Nowshera Club....and the picnis near river Kabul...can never be forgotten.
- Passing through tunnels before reaching Peshawar was scary but exciting and a glimpse of Attock Fort...from that railway bridge....was an adventure itself!
A train getting late during our days (late 50's through early 70's) was something quite rare....! and so were the happenings we hear---on train journeys of today!
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