I have thought about sharing my travel experiences with you all here on this site, but I never had any out of the world experiences. All of them were on a broad-gauge train going from one place to another. So, I thought of sharing my first clear memory of a train journey that made me a railfan. Let's travel back in time, to June of 2005.
I was 6 years old at that time and that memory is etched in my mind and I can never forget how impressed I was by...
more... Indian Railways and its trains.
I have a faint memory of myself as a kid/toddler standing in a train but no matter how much I try, I can't remember it more than that. I tried asking my parents about it but they don't remember it either.
So, a little background about me and my family. We live in Punjab, Jalandhar district. My father always had a job outside the state, mostly in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. So, we used to spend our summer vacation where he was working and I used to get supper excited just to travel in trains, an excitement that is still the same when I am 25 years old.
We used to live in a village that is not too far from where I live now. The nearest major railhead to our place was and still is Jalandhar City/Jalandhar Cantt. We used to board the train from Jalandhar City mostly because it was easier to reach there in a train. We took the last DEMU train coming from Pathankot to reach Jalandhar City JN. It was around 8 in the night and after boarding it, the train departed and after a couple of minutes, I felt a sudden jerk and the train stopped. My father went to check and found out that a man was about to be hit by the train but nothing serious happened. The train departed and after almost an hour, we had arrived Jalandhar City railway station. It was crowded and I was stunned to see so many people waiting for their trains. I still remember, Jammu Mail (JAT-DLI) used to go to City station and have a reversal there before continuing its journey towards Delhi.
The clock was ticking, and I was getting impatient while waiting for our train. I was the 4632 ASR - DDN Lahori Express, quite a unique name for me at that time and interesting one too. Yes, at that time train numbers were 4 digits only as you know. Anyways, the train arrived, and we boarded the sleeper coach of the train. As, it was almost midnight, my parents put me on the middle berth of the train, but it wasn't moving, turns out, the train used to halt at JUC for about 20 minutes or so and I was impatient because I wanted the train to move. So, I did what any curious kid would do, I bombarded my father with hundreds of questions about trains and railways and I was falling in love with trains with every answer I was getting.
I felt a sudden jolt and the train started to move. It was picking up speed and was giving the vibes of an amusement park ride with all the sideways motion and track sounds. I was mesmerized. The ASR - UMB - DLI route was electrified long back, and our train was hauled by a WAP-1 of GZB as it was the regular link of the train at that time.
Soon enough I slept and woke up in the morning. We were to get off at Roorkee, Uttarakhand. So, I was woken up by my parents, mostly after Saharanpur JN.
I still remember, I used to get scared whenever a railway bridge came as it produces a lot of noise, and you see nothing but water when you look down. Well, I am not scared by them now but it's always interesting going down the memory lane. We deboarded the train at our destination, Roorkee (RK) and the name Lahori was etched in my mind forever as it was the only train whose name and number I remembered for the first time. I was talking about the train journey with my family and my father's colleagues for days.
And that's how a railfan was born. I have a lot of other interesting stories to share with you guys. So, stay tuned.
Thanks to Mr. Arnab and Mr. Kumud for inspiration 😊
Until next time
Gagan
please wait...Translate to EnglishI was thinking of sharing my travel stories with y'all on this site, but honestly, I haven't had any crazy experiences. They were all just train journeys from one place to another. So, let me tell you about the first train ride that really got me into trains. Let's go back to June 2005.
I was 6 at that time, and I can still vividly remember how blown away I was by Indian Railways and its trains. My memories are a bit blurry about being on a train as a kid, but I can't recall much. Tried asking my folks, but they're drawing blanks too.
A bit about me and my family - we're from Punjab, Jalandhar district. My dad used to work outside the state, mainly in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Summers were spent where he was working, and I was always thrilled about train travel, a feeling that hasn't changed even now at 25.
We lived in a village not far from where I am now. The nearest big railway station was Jalandhar City/Jalandhar Cantt. We'd catch trains mostly from Jalandhar City since it was convenient. One memory that sticks out is when our train had a minor incident on the way. We were on the last DEMU train from Pathankot to Jalandhar City, around 8 at night, when the train jerked to a stop. Dad checked it out and found a man was almost hit, but he was fine. After an hour, we reached Jalandhar City station. It was bustling with people waiting for their trains.
I remember feeling impatient as we waited for our train, the 4632 ASR - DDN Lahori Express, a name that sounded unique and intriguing to me back then. Train numbers were just four digits at that time. When the train finally arrived, we got on the sleeper coach. As we left close to midnight, my parents put me on the middle berth, but the train had a stop at JUC for about 20 minutes. I wanted it to keep moving, so I bombarded my dad with questions about trains.
Once the train started moving, I was fascinated by it all - the motion, the sounds. Our route was electrified long ago, and our train was pulled by a WAP-1 from GZB as the usual link. I dozed off and woke up near Roorkee, Uttarakhand.
I used to get spooked by railway bridges because of the noise and the view of water below, but I'm cool with them now. Fond memories indeed. We got off at Roorkee, and the name Lahori stuck with me from that trip. I chatted about this journey for days after with my family and Dad's colleagues.
And that's how my love for trains started. Got more stories to share. So, stay tuned.
Shoutout to Mr. Arnab and Mr. Kumud for the inspo!
Later,
Gagan