Farewell to Metre Gauge in Madras region

This is not a trip report.This is not a rail fan's technical writing.It does not contain any train numbers,station codes,engine numbers and other trivia which is immensely discussed by the typical rail fan.

This is just an article that describes the series of events that unfolded on the evening of 30th May 2007 and on the 31st May 2007.

It was around 1100 hrs.I got a telephone call from Poochi Venkat. He informed me about the plan of capturing photos and videos of the MG(Metre Gauge) train services between Tambaram-Villupuram,which would be terminated by the 1st of June 2007. He also informed me that he had obtained the permission to capture photos and videos in the section.I was happy to join him on this rare occasion.Ashwanth also joined us.





There are several reasons which made this a very rare occasion.The metre gauge section was the first major railway line to be built in South India.This section has served for many years beyond its centenary.This line(the original line started from Madras Beach) has very high quality of workmanship and accuracy.This railway line is denoted as the Madras-Thiruchirapalli(Trichinopoly) chord line.It was constructed by the erstwhile South Indian Railway.Relics of the railway company can still be found around the stations along this line.Till late '90s, this section was the backbone of rail travel in South India with major passenger and freight trains running through this line.This is the only place in the world where electric engines were deployed in the Metre Gauge.The Madras Beach-Tambaram section also happened to be the only place in the world to have witnessed Metre Gauge Electric Multiple Unit(EMU) traffic.

Therefore, the closure of this line marked an end of a significant chapter of transportation in South India, though not much of media attention or public awareness was given to the occasion,excepting a short article in the fifth page of a popular English daily, The Hindu.

The plan was well set out. Myself, Poochi Venkat and Ashwanth had planned to take a cab from Madras and proceed towards Villupuram so that we could return into the city by one of the last services in the Metre Gauge.We were forced to leave the city at an unearthly time of 0130 hrs so that we reach the station by day break to catch the return train.

The planning was done.But the implementation suffered some setback.Both myself and Ashwanth had overshot the alarm clock and slept extra than what could be afforded.I woke up at 0130 hrs and called Poochi Venkat and told that it was too late for me to join him and asked him to carry on.He said that Ashwanth was also late and so we can start late.By 0200 hrs, I was ready and waited for Poochi Venkat and Ashwanth.




We started on the journey towards Villupuram. We had an initial chat but it was soon engulfed by a quietness, with myself and Poochi Venkat looking at the city and its outskirts in a different angle(Madras at 0230 hrs was very different).There was no traffic within the city till Guindy, so the cab sped through.Once we reached Grand Southern Trunk Road(NH 45), the highway traffic began to accompany us.Late night intercity government buses, freight trucks, night work employees and private vehicles were the main constituents of the highway.

We saw a long freight train near Maraimalai Nagar. The road was clear enough to reach Chengalpattu(Chinglepet) fast. Till that point, we did not notice any rail traffic.But we caught a glimpse of lonely railway tracks with signal lamps glowing around them at regular distances.This was a nice view to look at.The rails shining with the occasional light from the nearby roads and villages, and the signal lamps glowing along with it,all added a nice and rare scene.

Prominent towns along the route include Chengalpet Jn, Madurantakam, Melmaruvathur, Acharapakkam, Tozhupedu, Tindivanam, Mailam, Vikravandi and finally Villupuram Junction.

Our friend Ashwanth was fast asleep now.Myself and Poochi Venkat were watching the railway line that was running parallel to the road.We saw the night trains(Broad Gauge) towards Madras making a fast move along small stations.Some trains were just leaving the intermediate stations.These trains will reach Madras by morning.




It so happened that our late start did not give much time for us to go all the way till Villupuram Junction, which is 164 Km/ 101.90 miles from Madras.So we decided to curtail the journey till Tindivanam.We entered the town of Tindivanam, made our way through the flyover and reached the station, alighted from the cab and made our way into the booking office at the station.There was no one to issue tickets.

We entered the station and went to the Station Master's room.He asked what made us come to his room.We showed him the permit letter to shoot photos and videos.He read the letter and assured all possible help.But the only help we wanted from him was 3 tickets to Tambaram and also arrival time of the first service in Metre Gauge.

He accompanied us to the booking office and by that time, the booking clerk had come to his seat.So we bought tickets and settled ourselves at the platform.We saw two more overnight trains(Broad Gauge) towards Madras at Tindivanam.These trains made a brief halt here and departed in a couple of minutes.



Meanwhile, we were waiting for our train(Metre Gauge) at platform number 1.There were some interesting things to note.The platform shared both Metre Gauge and Broad Gauge.But the platform retained the height of a Metre Gauge .The station had some of the erstwhile permanant way Metre Gauge relics like old signal posts, overhead electric wires.It was time for daybreak now and soon the rays of the morning sun started falling on the platform.We made use of this opportunity and captured a few photographs.They came out perfectly.



Our train arrived sharp on time.It was behind a diesel engine.It is a fast passenger train.So there was only a brief halt at Tindivanam.We hurried on to the engine driver's cabin and showed the permit letter and explained our reason for taking photos.They were glad to hear that and soon posed for a couple of snaps.The signal turned to yellow and we got into the first coach of the train.

The journey was a very different one.It was a typical MG coach,with narrow side passages. The height of the coaches are also relatively low which gives a 'toy train' effect.Since it was early morning, the whole coach was empty.So, Mr. Poochi Venkat positioned himself at one of the doors to unleash his exceptional photographic skills.It was excellent to watch a Metre Gauge train pick up speed and reach its peak speed.Since we were at the first coach,it was possible to hear the loud sound of the diesel engine working the train.If one peeps out of the door,the aroma of diesel combined with hot black smoke can be experienced.




Since it was a fast passenger, it did not stop at stations like Olakkur,Thozhuppedu,Acharapakkam,Karunguzhi and Ottivakkam.An MG train passing through all these stations at such speed parallel to the Broad Gauge is a marvel to look at.The line which served the South Indian people for more than a century was seeing the last day of service.It was indeed a very important day,but the people who depend on the MG service were not aware of the services being terminated on that day.






The three of us explained that this service will be terminated and a similar service will be operated in the Broad Gauge.The train neared Melmaruvathur,where a huge group of college students and people going for work entered the coaches.Here,our friend,Naveen,from Pondicherry joined us on our trip.He was delighted to see the MG train and clicked a few photographs from the tracks.

After few minutes,the train departed and sped along the straight stretch of track towards Chengalpattu
(Chinglepet) Junction.Here,a point to be stressed is the condition of the tracks.The line from Villupuram to Tambaram have been laid in an extremely straight manner as long as the geography of the land was favourble.The South Indian Railway company wanted to save costs of infrastructure.This prompted them to construct tracks in straight lines.A great additional advantage that this offered was the opportunity to pick up speed enormously.




If one has not seen the Diesel Engine powered Vaigai express(introduced in 1977, this train plies between Madras and Madurai and is famous for its convenient timings and punctuality) or the Electric Engine powered Pandian Express accomplish this feat, i would say that one has certainly missed something marvelous in life.Despite the speed limitations of the Metre Gauge,the drivers have shown impeccable performance by driving trains in perfect punctuality.Two reasons can be attributed to this.Excellent engineering work by the Britishers and fine driving skills.

At this point, it would be unjustified if i do not tell about the MG Electric Engines.This is the only place in the world that has witnessed Metre Gauge electric traction.The engines for this purpose were commissioned from Japan in 1969 and were in service till 2004.A few of them have been retained for preservation while the rest have been scrapped.

Let us now come back to our coach. Poochi Venkat planned for a video session.There were 2 more services towards Tambaram that morning,excluding the one we were traveling in. Poochi Venkat suggested that i alight at Chengalpet station and ask the drivers of the 2 trains to switch on their headlamps so that he could capture a brilliant video in one of the subsequent stations(Singaperumal Koil).






As per plan, i alighted at Chengalpet with the permit in hand,while Poochi Venkat,Ashwanth and Naveen continued their journey.Chengalpet station is a very pleasant place.There is a large lake adjacent to the station called Kolavai.The line from Madras makes a huge curve along the banks of this lake and enters the station.So,if one stands on the foot-over bridge, the train approaching the station can be seen from quite a distance.There is a line branching from the station towards Arakkonam(via Palur,Kancheepuram).Just after the station,there are 2 old sheds built in original British style with sloping roof.These were used as sheds for steam engines.Now they are used for storing old rails.






Platform 1,2 and 3 are for Metre Gauge.But platform 1 and 3 are no longer in use.There is also a loop line from platform 1 where a tanker rake has been stabled.All this will be history from the dawn of tomorrow.Metre Gauge has a charm in itself which cannot be articulated in words.It has to be seen and felt to know.There are some old MG style relics in platform 1 and 2 that are worth noting.The hexagon shaped cement benches around iron support pillars for seating passengers,a non-functional fruit juice stall, sloped roof supported by arched iron structures take you back by atleast half a century.

That was where i spent the first half of my day.There were 2 more hours for the next service of the MG train to arrive at Chengalpet Junction.So i decided to explore the MG platforms and take some photos using my phone.The platform was deserted.But the situation of the Broad Gauge platforms were just the opposite.Chengalpet is the terminating station for Beach,Tambaram and Thirumalpur bound Electric Multiple Unit(EMU) trains.Needless to say, all office goers and students relied heavily on the morning services to reach their places of work or study in Madras city.




Though there were services almost every ten minutes, there was huge crowd for each service.I was quietly watching all the acitvity standing over the foot over bridge.Soon it was around 0745 hrs.It was time for the Pondicherry bound fast passenger(Broad Gauge) to arrive.I was eagerly looking towards the long curve through which the train has to pass before entering the station.Minutes later,the train became visible.It was coming with good speed.The train was small and the diminutive view of the train from the bridge made the train look like the ones we see in children's movies.The train negotiated the curve and entered the station majestically.

This was followed by an express bound for Guruvayur,a temple town in Kerala.Amidst all this busy activity,the deserted Metre Gauge platforms appeared to emphasize a well known proverb,"ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END".What happened to be the king of in South India was now lying in its death bed.I decided to give it a fitting farewell by acknowledging its greatness by writing an article on it,which i have done successfully.I also captured some photographs.

Now it was time for the MG service to arrive.I took position at the place where the engine would stop.The train emerged from a curve.It was powered by a green and cream coloured engine.The train came into the station with dead slow velocity and finally made a halt.I quickly ran to the engine drive's cabin,showed the permit letter,explained about our trip,and told that Poochi Venkat was waiting at a station to capture a video and photograph of the train.They were happy to hear all this.I requested the assistant driver to switch on the headlamps and also to sounds the horn when the train stopped at the station where Poochi Venkat was standing.






He agreed.I thanked him very much.I also obtained his telephone number and promised him a copy of the video and photograph.It was soon time for the train to leave.Both the drivers hurried to the nearby refereshment stall to buy a cup of tea.I used this chance to capture a photograph of the cabin of the Metre Gauge engine.They returned and soon took the train out of the station.

In a couple of minutes, the last service of Metre Gauge bound for Tambaram emerged out of the curve.I was thrilled at the sight,since this service is never going to be operated at all hereafter and this is the last train in Metre Gauge ever, going towards Tambaram.This happened to be a fast passenger train and would not stop at all stations en route and most importantly,it would not stop at the station(Singaperumal Koil) where Poochi Venkat is waiting to capture the video.This provided an excellent opportunity for capturing a speeding MG train.

I rushed to the chief driver.Naveen had told that the chief is his friend.So i introduced myself to him as Naveen's friend.There were only 2 minutes.I had to explain about myself,our trip,the permit letter and the request to switch on the headlamps and horn at Singaperumal Koil.I achieved the feat.As usual,the drivers ran to the refreshment stall and ran into the engine with their cup of tea.They started multitasking by drinking it and also driving the train.I appreciate their dexterity.




I also got into the first coach of the train and settled myself at the door.The engine picked up speed as it covered the curve around the lake.I was blessed with hot black smoke from the engine.It was bliss.The smell of diesel,the unique sound of the Metre Gauge diesel engine and the hot air brushing past my face is an experience in itself.One cannot get it from a Broad Gauge at any cost.

The train neared Singaperumal Koil.I was getting ready to pose for the video near the door.The chief driver promptly kept giving the horn till the entire train sped past the station. Poochi Venkat was at the South end of the station,ready with his camera. waved at him.He was capturing the train with rapt attention.After that the train stopped at few stations and sped through the entire line.The run was excellent and a very memorable one.I stood by the door for the whole journey.The hot air combined with heat from the black smoke did not deter me from enjoying the beauty of the engine working the train.Now we reached the outer limits of Tambaram.Here a red signal stopped us.After a couple of minutes,we were allowed to proceed into the station limits.






I was surprised to find many railfans there.Ashwanth and Naveen were waiting there.I met Swaminathan and Ramesh for the first time. Poochi Venkat caught a local from Singaperumal Koil and reached Tambaram to join us.Here, we went on a walk to see the Metre Gauge railway yard,clicking pictures all the way.We were also lucky to see the rake formation for the evening MG services from Tambaram,which are the last MG services that Madras region is going to witness.






The official MG farewell ceremony is in the evening.Since i had lost sleep the earlier night, i could not attend it.But Poochi Venkat,Ramesh,Krishnakumar Kannan and Krishnakumar attended it.

An era of railways came to an end that evening,with the sun setting forever on the Metre Gauge.I returned home with memories of the railway gauge i had grown with.






I thank all the railfans for giving me company to make the farewell to MG a memorable one.I also thank Aravind and Ramesh for allowing me to use their photographs in this article.

Do leave your comments in the comments section.

Trip Report -- Chennai(MS)-Chengalpattu-Arakkonam-Chennai(MAS) trip - Part 2

Note: This trip report is of meaning and significance only to a railfan of Indian Railways and will not prove interesting to anyone not deeply into railfanning

Members present: Aravind S, Ashwanth R, Harish K(myself) and Naveen.

Photo courtesy: Aravind S

This is the diesel turtle that had taken us to Arakkonam.



We started roaming about in Arakkonam station.And soon it was brunch time.We ventured outside the station in search of a vegetarian refuelling point.Aravind,with his usual bank of knowledge was quick to locate a street which had plenty of hotels.

We entered one of the hotels.All of us had our fill of the usual South-Indian delicacies of Masala Dosa,Idlies,Vadas.We left the hotel with a bottle of Slice(mango juice) which got empty even before we reached the borders of Arakkonam station.Now we had quite some time left before our return train's arrival(Hubli Express).So we decided to do some surveillance work around the station.

One should be reminded that Arakkonam is a strong hold of our dear big brothers - the RPF.So Aravind did not take out his camera.Even a rifle or a pistol is allowed but a camera will be treated on par with RDX by our dear cops.Everything is for the safety of the stations/trains and its users but picking on innocent railfans like us is a point to be pondered into.

So we just had to capture the action with our natural camera - our eyes.We saw a clean and freshly painted WAM-4 in the typical green and yellow livery of the Chennai Central - Thirupathi Sapthagiri Express and a very dirty electric loco from a shed in South Central Railway.

Now,it was time for arrival of our train.So we seated ourselves at the bench of platform 2 of Arakkonam station.The train arrived on time behind a WDM-2A 16603 from Guntakal.Aravind managed to capture the train.


Meanwhile,myself and Naveen boarded the train and caught a door for each of us for peeping out.The train departed after a halt of couple of minutes.The pick up of the loco was excellent and we were soon doing maximum speed.The horn of the loco was also splendid.Aravind had recorded the horn of the same loco at an earlier occasion.

We came across a tanker load behind a WAG-5HA 23537 from Arakkonam shed after Manavur.The run was extremely good and I was surprised at how a diesel loco could have such a good pick up.Before long,we reached Thiruvallur(Thiruvellore).After that,we saw a BOX-N rake behind a Tigerface loco 27467 from Erode.

The run was eventless for sometime and myself,Naveen and Ashwanth were having a chat at the door.Aravind was having a constant watch over the door at the track side and was having his camera ready.Suddenly,we heard a horn.We assumed that it was a train.But, it was a single wagon behind the loco 11010.This was after a station called Putlur.

After this,we saw a variety of traffic:


1) WAM-4 21363(Barbie) from Arakkonam shed with WAP-4 22697 in the fast line after Sevvapet road.

2) Saw West-Coast Express on the slow line behind WAP-4 22572 from Erode shed.

3) We overtook MEMU near the TI cycle factory.

4) Train no. 6011 was crossing to slow line behind a ET WAM-4 near Pattabiram.

5) WAG-5A 23294 from Bhilai near ICF.



6) WAG-7 27757(Blue) from Erode shed with BOX-N rake of coal at Perambur.

Our spottings at Basin Bridge Junction(BBQ) trip shed:

• 22223

• 22027

• brc wap4

• 21297

• 20523

• 21304 (transferred from TATA)

• 22590

• wap4 ed

We entered platform 1 with a satisfaction of feeding a hungry railfan's appetite in each of us.Here,Bangalore intercity was waiting to depart from platform 3 behind 22649 from Arakkonam shed.We also saw 36022 with a cbc high capacity parcel van in platform 2a and 36003 in platform 2.



We reached the entrance of Chennai Central station.Ashwanth departed by bus.Naveen was in search of TAAG but did not get it there.He left for Pondicherry by bus that evening.Myself and Aravind took and EMU to Saidapet from the Park station opposite to Chennai Central.Thus,the railfanning session came to an end at the scheduled time of 1325 hrs.

I hope you would have enjoyed reading.Please feel free to comment.Please leave your name if you comment in the anonymous account.

Trip Report -- Chennai(MS)-Chengalpattu-Arakkonam-Chennai(MAS) trip - Part 1

Note: This trip report is of meaning and significance only to a railfan of Indian Railways and will not prove interesting to anyone not deeply into railfanning

Members present: Aravind S, Ashwanth R, Harish K(myself) and Naveen.

Photo courtesy: Aravind S

The day started well,with myself and Aravind meeting at his residence.We went to Saidapet station,to find Ashwanth waiting for us with the tickets for the upward journey.Since it was a Sunday, we had to wait for a few minutes to board an EMU.After getting into the train,it was just a couple of minutes before we reached Guindy.This is the place where we planned to take the Passenger train towards Chengalpattu.

As we were waiting for our train,we spotted Nellai Express behind 22255.



As we were discussing about it,we heard a faint horn in the opposite direction.It looked like a WAM-4 lurking from the Guindy curve.We thought that it was the 103(Chennai Egmore-Pondicherry passenger),so we were quite surprised since we did not expect the 103 to come so soon.But just as the loco got closer,we noticed that it was not a train but two locos,WAG-5 23129 from TKD and WAG-5 from ASN.

Though we were surprised,Aravind shrewdly managed to capture those two locos in his camera.


As we were discussing about the presence of these locos in this region,our 103 came,well on time.The loco was 22269 from ED(Erode).We chose the second coach from the loco so that our railfanning could be enjoyed to the fullest.After a couple of minutes,our train left guindy station.Since it was a small load for a powerful locomotive like a WAP-4,the pickup was excellent.We were having a nice time at the door,watching EMUs go past us and also TBM bound EMUs being overtaken by the 103.The run was excellent and we met Pearl City Express with the GOC loco 15519 near Meenambakkam.After that the train slowed down before Chromepet and thereafter it was a pretty slow run towards Tambaram.We stopped there for quite sometime.

Tambaram is the only place where one could see Metre Gauge(MG) train services near Chennai.So the comparatively small sized MG coaches and locomotives were a nice sight to look at.Though the station is dominated by BG(Broad Gauge) traffic,MG's charm is very much felt over here.We spotted YDM-4 6310.

We waited for quite sometime for the clear signal for our train.After a few minutes,the train left the busy station towards the suburbs of Chennai.The train picked up good speed.

We spotted the Anantpuri Express behind 22244 at Maraimalai Nagar which was a stop for 103.


There are a number of stations between Tambaram and Chengalpattu.Among these,the 103 stops at important ones.In this order,we stopped at Singaperumal Koil.Here,we spotted MG passenger train with YDM-4 6150.

The train did a good run,with the WAP-4 stopping and picking speed efficiently.We stopped at Paranur for a minute.Just as we were about start,the Tamil Nadu Sampark Kranti crossed us at moderate speed behind WAP-4 22556.I tried to capture a video in vain.Aravind captured a photo.


In s few minutes,we reached the famous curve around the Kolavai Lake just before Chengalpattu station and entered the station with a slow pace at platform 6.Chengalpattu has been a very major junction for many years.As one enters the station,one could spot many old and deserted buildings of the bygone Colonial era.These buildings were once used to house steam locos.Our plan was to meet Naveen from Pondicherry at Chengalpattu and catch the Chengalpattu-Arakkonam Passenger to Arakkonam.

Naveen had come from Pondicherry and stayed at Villupuram station that night.He had then come to Chengalpattu before us and was waiting to join us.We alighted from 103 and immediately went to the platform where Arakkonam bound passenger was waiting.We had 30 minutes time for departure.Myself,Aravind and Ashwanth had a chat with Naveen and spent some time watching some activities at the busy Chengalpattu station.Since it was a Sunday,the platforms were not very crowded.

The loco for the Passenger was WDM-7 11008 from TNP shed.The loco sported a cream green livery and contained the words "Running in Bio-Diesel".We have already had some ghastly experiences about the performance of a WDM_7 on our previous trip to Pondicherry.So our expcectations were not high.We boarded a coach quite close to the loco and the train started moving at snail's pace out of platform 4 of the station.The line from CGL to AJJ begins with gauntleted tracks,and as we were going through it,we spotted the Koodal Express behind WDM-2 16861 from GOC.

The loco emitted copious amounts of smoke during pick-up and was doing an average run.This route has only a single line and the train being a Passenger,has to stop at all stations en route.This route is an interesting one.There are no big cities on the way,no huge junctions and no crowd too.These are replaced by green fields,picturesque villages and stations like those that you see in movies.One of the stations,Palur,which was featured in National Geographic,is a favorite spot for movie makers.The passengers mainly comprise of people transporting agricultural goods to towns.The only big station on the way is Kancheepuram.

The line was built long back and one could see old,deserted station buildings,ticket counters and remnants of old MG lines.Things have changed over time.Not much of the reminders of the previous era have been preserved.Bridges on the way have been extended to provide an additional line.Sleepers could also be seen.


One of the important stations on the way is Walajabad.Here again,the Passenger made a halt for a couple of minutes.Here we met another Passenger(195) waiting for our arrival.Since this is a single line,the 195 was made to wait in the loop line for our train to cross.The train was behind WDM-7 11012.


An interesting piece of drama unfolded after leaving Walajabad.I have mentioned earlier about the slow pick up and performance of the WDM-7.This point became very much evident now.The railway line runs parallel to the road for many kilometres.Two men were riding a bike parallel to us in the same direction.They easily overtook the whole train and they made comments about the speed of our loco by showing gestures.

Myself and Ashwanth noticed this,and were anxious to know what was going to happen.Suddenly,one of the slippers of those men fell down.At the same point of time,the WDM-7 picked up speed and took its revenge.It was very similar to the "Hare and Turtle" story.

After that incident,the ride till Arakkonam was quite uneventful.After reaching the station,we saw another WDM-7.


With this,our journey in the passenger came to an end.This marks the end of part one of the blog.The return to Chennai Central has a lot of factual details and story telling.So,that will be a separate post.

I hope you would have enjoyed reading.Please feel free to comment.Please leave your name if you comment in the anonymous account.