BOF/Barog (2 PFs)

बड़ोग

بڑوگ

Track: Narrow Gauge

NORTHERN RAILWAYS INTRODUCES CHARTERED SEAT IN JHAROKA & RA-100 SELF PROPELLED COACH AND RAIL MOTOR CAR ON KALKA-SHIMLA RAIL SECTION

To boost tourism on Kalka - Shimla Rail section Northern Railway introduced chartering of individual seat in Jharoka, RA-100 self propelled train coach and Rail Motor Car during summer season from 13.06.2019 to 10.09.2019. Now the passengers can book tickets in these coach and trains on chartered seat basis. Presently the facility of booking of Jhoroka, RA-100 self propelled coach and Rail Motor Car are available on full...
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charter basis.
Passengers can book tickets in these services from booking counters at Kalka and Shimla Railway stations. In RA-100 self propelled coach & Jharoka Coach maximum 08 passengers can book their tickets while in Rail Motor Car 12-14 passengers can book. These all services are operated on demand basis. The services will only be operated when minimum 06 passengers are booked for RA-100 and Jharoka and in case of Rail Motor Car it will be after 08 passenger have purchased the ticket and then service shall be made available within 02 hours. Tickets once purchased are not refundable but if 06 no. of passengers in case of RA-100, Jharoka & 08 passengers in case of Rail Motor Car are not available then Railway shall unable to operate train and in such condition full fare will be refunded from ticket counters at Shimla and Kalka Railway stations. The tickets purchased for these services are not transferable and at the time of booking original ID proof, copy of which is submitted at the time of booking to be produced by the passenger during journey failing which he/she will be treated as without ticket and passenger shall be charged as per extent rules. In case of advance booking of respective coaches of charter service they will be confirmed one day in advance and these services shall run subject to availability of stock and in case say for example for a particular date Jharokha is booked in advance on that date due to non availability this service shall not be available for on seat displacement basis. Child above 5 years would be treated as on adult fare and below 5 years would be free of cost but no seat would be given.

The Railways have always been in the forefront of Nation building by creating better Travel and Tourism opportunities in a region. In this regard Railways has effectively contributed towards enhancing Tourism facilities in the state of Himachal Pradesh by providing greater impetus to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Kalka - Shimla Hill Railways.

The Kalka Shimla Railway is a very long-established and ambitious narrow gauge mountain railway project built by the British in India. It required a great deal of engineering development work, and took twenty years to complete, largely because of the difficult mountainous terrain and climatic conditions. The railway line connects the towns of Kalka and Shimla. Kalka is situated at the foot hills while Shimla the erstwhile summer capital of British India and now the state capital of Himachal Pradesh, is situated at a whooping height of over 2000m in the Shivalik Region of Himalayas. The 100 km long track has 102 Tunnels, the longest being 1,144 m at Barog, 869 Bridges, 18 Stations and 919 curves on it.

The Kalka – Shimla Train is a major tourist attraction and a trip to the region is considered incomplete without a ride on the Hill Train. Northern Railway offers multiple choices of train services which include Rail Motor Car, Shivalik Palace, Shivalik Queen and Shivalik Delux Express. ‘Jharokha’ and ‘Vistadome coach’ have been added to popular services. The section is abuzz with free wi-fi provided at all stations. click here

◾An engineer, a gunshot, and a tunnel that he could not complete add up to a great piece of railway history◾
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It is imperturbably quiet. The few locomotives in the yard are motionless. Gangmen go about their work. From the platform’s far edge, one can see the low hills of the Shivalik range, silhouetted against a cloudless sky. There is a hint of moving mist over their wooded tops.
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The breaks release and the wheels clang as Train No. 52453 gets in motion. The first, tentative movement is through sal and silk-cotton clusters. Blades of wild grass on both sides of the tracks are speckled with dew that catch the first shafts of light. We are mostly in a silent glide before the engine imparts more combustion to climb higher.
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There is the sudden scent of chir pines in the early autumnal air. The bird calls, still audible, are intermittently muffled by the mournful, contrapuntal horn of the old engine. As the foothills turn steeper, the rickety, rackety train puffs and huffs up the sharper gradients over masonry bridges and through endless tunnels amidst dense pines. The grandness of the engineering conception is unmissable.
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•Trundling through valleys•
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It’s a two-hour, 40 km journey to the quaint Barog station in Solan district in Himachal Pradesh. The Kalka-Simla Railway is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Trains operate over 880 bridges, over 919 turns and through 102 tunnels. That is the techno-engineering aspect. The slow trundle through the hills and valleys covered with pines, deodars, oaks, willows and blooming rhododendrons is the aesthete’s reward.
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When a passing cloud lifts on the back of a strong wind, faraway mountains with snow peaks appear momentarily.
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Barog comes after 32 tunnels. The over-hanging pine canopy parts ever so slightly to the sides to reveal the entrance to Tunnel No. 33. This is the longest straight tunnel in the railways and is 1.14 km long. It is the straightest tunnel in the world, which is associated with local tales and legends. Inside it, the engine’s amiable horn becomes a darkening roar before the train gently rolls into the station yard with two apologetic, staccato horns and pulls along the platform.
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Barog station is what an Indian railway station is not. It is unreal, clean, uncrowded, totally jostle-free. The woodwork is brilliant blue with a forest backdrop.
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Small tracks intertwine in smooth curvature before disappearing in straight lines beyond the signalman’s cabin in a single track.
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Barog town derives its name from the railway station. It is a small hill station. At about 4,500 ft in the Himalayan foothills, it is mildly cold. In the British era, hill trains would stop here for an hour, and sahibs and memsahibs would have a leisurely and elaborate meal. The dining hall with the viewing gallery is still intact. The dusty plains of the Punjab would become peremptorily forgotten strands of memory and the ascent of the hills, with their coniferous crowns, truly began here.
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Colonel Barog, a railway engineer, was assigned the work of Tunnel No. 33. The Barog tunnel is precisely 1,143.61 mt long. He made his calculations and as per the usual practice ordered the crew to drill from both sides of the mountain. He had planned that after a while both sets of drillers would meet at the centre and complete the tunnel.
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The crew kept drilling but could not come to the meeting point. In fact, their trajectories seemed to have diverged. Morale dipped and everyone grew frustrated.
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Col. Barog was a worried man. He soon realised that his calculations had gone awry. The tunnel would not be completed and the project was a failure.
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The British government fixed responsibility on Col. Barog and he was fined ₹1 for causing a loss to the exchequer and wasting government resources.
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Col. Barog felt humiliated by the censure and became depressed. His professional reputation had been dented.
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•Dead end•
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One day he went for a walk near the unfinished tunnel, accompanied only by his dog. Weighed down by despair, he decided to end his life. In that twilight moment, he removed his revolver from the holster and shot himself. Local people say that his terrified dog, who found the master lying in blood, ran to the village. But when people reached the tunnel mouth, Col. Barog was already dead.
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The work of the tunnel was reassigned to Chief Engineer H.S. Harrington, who completed the tunnel in 1903. But it is said that he too could not properly align the two segments. He is said to have sought the advice of a spiritual person from Chail, a diviner who indicated the correct course to drill. His name was Baba Bhalku.
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The Shimla Railway Museum records, in fact, mention Baba Bhalku’s contribution.
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Despite his calculation error, the government and the railways honoured Col. Barog and named the tiny hill village after him.
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And where the old village was, is the present Barog railway station. The hillsides covered with pines and deodars lend it a lyrical quality.
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Tunnel No. 33, the longest straight tunnel in the railways, is known as the Barog tunnel. It requires constant maintenance like any installation. To aid the maintenance staff, there are 55 lights inside. But often even this is insufficient. So for more light, the staff uses a reflecting mirror to direct sunlight into the tunnel, an old practice that is still continued.
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Since light travels straight and the Barog tunnel is straight, the beam reaches up to 800 metres. According to the Station Master, D.D. Upadhyaya, reflectors can be used at both ends if needed.
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Villagers believe the good colonel still haunts the tunnel, and that one can hear an Englishman whispering inside its dark confines.
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The train from Solan has arrived. It halts for eight minutes. Evening has a transformative effect on Barog. A crisp breeze blows through the trees. The light is decidedly softer. The sky changes colour. You need a cardigan to ward off the chill. I hop aboard as the train moves. Inside Tunnel No. 33, there are no human or other voices. Only a mechanical reverberation.
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© SAPTARSHI_KQU

भारतीय रेल द्वारा कालका शिमला रूट पर 'हिम दर्शन एक्सप्रेस' को सभी विस्टाडोम कोचों के साथ शुरू किया गया है,
जो हिमालयी श्रेणियों के मनोरम दृश्य प्रदान करके यात्रियों को रोमांचकारी अनुभव को बढ़ाएगा।
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of the Him darshan express is that we hv been able to provide the charter type services on individual basis tariff for luxurious and premier train service on a very economical price i.e. Rs 630/- each irrespective of age & boarding/de boarding