India: Running out of Steam (part 1) - What Railways mean to India

These are excerpts from National Geographic's "The Great Indian Railway"(1995), probably the best documentary ever on the Indian Railways.

As a young boy, I used to travel to Grandma's place by the Howrah Mail from Madras. In 1989, on one such trip, My dad pointed out to a gigantic engine puffing smoke in the shed at Madras central as our train was leaving and said: "Manu, look, that's a steam engine". I forgot about steam engines later.

In 1999(10 years later), I watched the National Geographic's special screening of this documentary on TV. I remembered my encounter with the puffing beasts in 1989. I couldn't stop crying by the end of this documentary.

Starting in the early 80's the Steam engines of the Indian Railways have been slowly phased out of all the main lines in favor of Electric and Diesel locomotives due to economic pressures. By the turn of the 90's, it had become a rare sight to see a Steam-driven train.

You can buy the DVD or VHS of this 115 minute documentary on nationalgeographic.com. It costs $15 including US local postage.

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[niladrisil1]

Great narration.

The same way we were told stories about RELGADI by our granny.

[binoyrakesh]

Thats the voice of Linda Hunt. She is a great narrator, has a deep, touching and pleasant voice. She won the oscar recently.

[vmdave]

great upload....love to watch...i still love chhuk chhuk gadi at the age of 52

[binoyrakesh]

Sir, Please watch all the videos. there are five parts including this one. check for the next part on the related videos :) ---------->>

[TheWidowsSonTemplar]

Hope you add another video. I'd like to see who won the Black Beauty contest. This is how I will always remember India. It was heaven in the days of steam.

[binoyrakesh]

By the 90's the Government was forced to replace these beauties for faster, more reliable electric engines.

But the thing is: Steam locomotives have a character to them. The way they look, the way they puff, the chugging - They have life. We won't get that amusement from seeing an Electric in action.

I have uploaded another part. Which has the black beauty contest covered. There will be five parts in all. Watch them all. :)

[resist4resist]

Binoy, I completely agree with the opening phrase of the video. I belong to that group of "boys", who never thought of steam engines as they were being gradually phased out. It took several years, before the remorse set in. All we can see now are plinthed steam locomotives at various stations, branch and head offices of IR put on for public display like the mummified bodies of Egyptian pharaohs of antiquity. Take your diesels and electrics away...and give me back my steaming beauties!!!

[deepam08]

you know in 2008 indian railway made highest profit in the world 2500000000000 rupees!! more then wallmart highest in the world pride to us!!!!

[GTGreviews]

It will be the same once the world replaces the loud mean looking beast of today, with the speeding dildos.

[suryasanyal]

i think the indian railways should think of bringing back steam engines in some local routes maybe.....

[4freespeech]

@Chris9017 In a remote village named CASS, in the State of West Virginia USA, where I was born & raised, the governor made an old steam logging railroad into a State Park when it was about to be scrapped back in the 1960s. Today it runs several steam engines daily, the oldest of which is over 100, on the same tracks almost the same way they used them on the mountains 60 years ago. The engines only require a small amount of OIL for lubrication, but burn coal mined in the mountains.

[4freespeech]

This is what happens to nations who get in the grip of the World Bank. The

criminal banksters first arrange for cheap oil so economical coal engines are scrapped in favor of oil. THEN, when the coal engines are GONE, the banksters RAISE THE PRICE OF OIL, making it "unprofitable" to stop at small stations. SO the stations are closed, the villages become bereft of their transportation, the jobs are LOST, and the World Bank has STOLEN yet another nations LIFE

BLOOD, HERITAGE and SOUL. TRAGEDY!

[imkoolkiller99]

steam i want to stay why they do this

[superstarprithviraj]

WOWWWWWWWWWWWW BROTHER THANKS

[TheDepotCat]

Steam is great. I recently posted a video showing a preserved example at Woking in the U.K.

watch?v=tu8BXbz8KEA

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Take a look at the BBC documentry too.

Bombay Railway - A BBC Documentary - Part 1

watch?v=9fIuMzQwGJ8

[trainlover658]

steam locomotives are the closest things humans have created that is almost alive...

[justin10347]

I know how y'all feel back here in America we used our steam engines well into the late 1950's some of us really miss them. The smoke and steam even the sounds of the whistle's blowing :(

[flyingWIDdaFISHES]

Reminds me of those days when i had to take the train from Calcutta to Siliguri on to Kurseong and Darjeeling at times. i'd do anything to get on that ride someday. as a person born in Calcutta and now residing in Toronto, India must make a sacrifice for environment and economic reasons, yet i wanna ride on that train someday before i am gone.