Metre Gauge Action at Chetpet and Chennai Egmore (Dec. 1999)

[@banadigan7511]

Very nice capture of Indian Railways in 1999.

[@arundellpan]

Thanks for the Best Video's this is a Remarkable Video in SR History.. people would have seen MG Egmore and BG Egmore.. But from 1997-2000 Egmore Had both MG and Bg Platforms and Express Trains Leaving Both Terminals.... and you have again Made it Mani Sir.. there is nothing Better than this Video.. Awsome.. Need to Find a new word to Express my Feelings on seeing this video

[@vgg2009]

This makes me nostalgic! My grandfather introduced me to trains in childhood, and we rode in the MG Suburbans from Beach to Tambaram for fun. I also have fond memories of the long-distance MG trains - traveling to Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Rameswaram, etc. Although slightly inconvenient, these trains were so compact, having no side berths. So as a kid, I liked standing on the other side, watching out the window. In the mid-'90s, we got a BG line in the Beach - Tambaram stretch while the MG line was still there. Then, the second long-distance line was converted to BG as well, and all MG long-distance trains started operating from Tambaram instead of Egmore. At this time, we had both MG and BG Suburbans running in parallel - that was an absolute treat to watch! And then, the remaining MG lines were converted to BG by 2004. A few years later, the MG lines in most of Tamil Nadu (Villupuram - Mayiladuthurai - Kumbakonam - Thiruvarur - Karaikudi - Rameswaram) were converted. While I was happy that the rail connectivity of TN with other states improved after this conversion, it was the end of an era. We lost a treasure forever. I would have liked it if they had retained one section of MG railways as heritage.

[@kanakasabhainatarajan7192]

What a lovely video sir.Having lived and enjoyed MG action everywhere esp. in Tamilnadu, I was stupid not to take pictures in spite of having the best of cameras.Now while regretting it all the time, there is consolation in your wonderful videos. I can't thank you enough.

[@ManiVijay]

Glad you enjoyed it! Even I regret not having taken more pictures and video footage. I guess we all took these MG beauties for granted, not realizing that they will disappear forever.

[@srirambalakrishnan8625]

Sad to see that MG rakes were old and poorly maintained in 1999. I still remember travelling in the MG Vaigai Express in 1980 and it was the best maintained MG rake.

[@virtuosowins]

Broad gauge conversion was taking over

[@NatarajanC12119]

Super sir.. 2 YDM2's can be seen as well.. :)

[@keyurijoshi3323]

I travelled Egmore - Madurai ( Or Mannamadurai ) in January 1991. was surprised to see electric MG loco, perhaps MG electric line was up to Villupuram about 100 kms. Thanks. - Rajanish Joshi

[@ManiVijay]

Keyuri Joshi Yes, these MG electric locos ran till Villupuram.

[@virtuosowins]

Brilliant period video. Made my day, and the desire to see a green MG SR coach and seeing that green diesel MG loco was such a sight. YAM MG Electric loco was a bonus. I was in Madras, visiting, during Sep 1999 as my great grand mother had passed away at the time. Egmore station was being revamped at the time because that's when some of the SR Meter Gauge trains were starting to be operate on BG. I remember taking a BG Pallavan express back to Trichy with my family for the first time, till then I had always traveled on MG White and Red Livery Pallavan, MG Green and Yellow Livery Rockfort, MG Blue and Yellow Livery Pandian and MG Standard Livery Pearl City Express.....Down the memory lane..!!

[@ManiVijay]

Thanks for your detailed comments. I terribly miss the MG days in SR :-(

[@virtuosowins]

Agreed.

[@user-xf2no9kq8m]

@@ManiVijay www.irfca.org/docs/chennai-gc.html verifies the gauge conversion details somewhat

[@Oktolibre]

2:10, That bridge still exist and those palmgroves are replaced by residential building

[@menon_ji4984]

Another gem by mani sir

[@ManiVijay]

Thanks a lot! I horribly miss MG in SR and SCR.

[@gauthutheboss]

Wow sir!! An awesome video... Now I realize Chetpet has changed so much... :D

[@aproopjoshi]

Seriously sir. I love Watching your Past Awesome Videos in your Channel. Thankx a lot for Sharing sir :)

[@ManiVijay]

Glad you are enjoying them :-)

[@shubhu1072]

You are technically the first Indian railway youtuber :D

[@ManiVijay]

Thanks 🙏🙏

[@sriramsrinivasan6237]

Excellent anna!!... You are really lucky anna!! :) ... Shedding blood tears anna!!.. :'( .. I have encountered many many MG-BG race near TINDIVANAM,MAILAM etc anna since I frequently travel to MDU,TPJ,TEN etc anna!!.. One nice experience I share here anna!!.. Once I was travelling by GURUVAYUR (then KOODAL EXP) to SRGM ,one YAM 1 hauled passenger chased us from CGL anna !! .It overtook us somewhere.. Then we overtook it at MELMARUVATHUR anna..Then we were stopped at MAILAM for crossing with PALLAVAN exp which made it overtake us .. Then it was stopped at VM home leaving us first

[@ManiVijay]

Though I feel lucky, now it's more a feeling of sadness that all these precious MG trains are no more. Looks like had a very long and interesting race with an MG train :-)

[@sriramsrinivasan6237]

Yes anna!!! All dead now!! :'( :'(

[@ManiVijay]

Sriram Srinivasan True :-( :-(

[@_the_train_guy]

Superb shot sir.. :) I used to love these scenes... i wouldnt forget the epic race we had from MS to CGL, YAM1 vs some BG loco (possibly WDM2)... i was onboard some night train to MV and Pandiyan was running in BG.... Our YAM1 was not allowing the ALCo to run away with Pandiyan and 1 hr of amazing parallel action.... Shrieking YAM1 (i was in the 1st coach) and epic sparks with chuggs of ALCo... I was a kid of 3-4 then and didnt know much except that Pandiyan was BG, we were in MG.. I wish i had a camera then :(

[@ManiVijay]

Wow! That must have been a classic MG-BG race. Those great MG days of the past ... miss them!!

[@viki19910]

I also had same experience

[@viki19910]

Same experience MG was in lead till cgl

[@sathishkumars6830]

Suprised & good to see such open platforms on egmore railway station

[@jaygajjar723]

OMG.. OMG.. I thought we india railway only ruuned disel hauled engine in meter guage i show first time full electrified tracks. I firmly bekived that today broad guag is fine but not fit for all land scaps. And today meter guage dying.. Thank you for uploading video .. And feel proud that a part of inda had fully electrified metere guage line .otherwise meter guage means only slow speed

[@jijinrjayan8737]

Wow nice capture of the ydm2 loco it's very rare

[@ManiVijay]

All gone from SR except for the Nilgiri railway.

[@arundellpan]

i have Experienced these scenes from Chilhood But havent Documented it.. i love this video.. i Green Livery Train which has the Chennai -Trichy Board on it is MG Cholan Exp.. which is ready with YDM 2 to be shunted into the platforms

[@RamanKumar-ly4jv]

This is very intresting to watch.I do remember my MG Journeys by Cholan Express which used to start from 9.45 in the Morning and reach kumbakonam at around 5 P.M in the evening.Also the chennai trichy cholan express use to Swap its Engine with the down train Trichy Chennai cholan Express exactly at Villupuram Junction.Further the madurai chennai Vaigai Express used to cross this Cholan at Tindivanam or Mailam.Another Intresting Fact is the MG Vaigai Express/Pallavan Express/Koodal Express were the trains that used to reach trichy by 5.5 Hrs and madurai by 8 Hrs.All those days have now become things of the past.

[@ManiVijay]

Thanks for the detailed info. Happy New Year! I remember my journey my Cholan Exp. from Thanjavur to Egmore way back in 1973. It had a nice blue-with-yellow-stripes livery. A magical journey. Unfortunately, all that is gone.

[@RamanKumar-ly4jv]

Oh Thanks sir and Wish and ur family a happy new year 2015.nice to hear your experience.

[@stranger6614]

@@ManiVijay wow happy to hear that I'm also thanjavur I was born in 2005 I in my childhood that time only 3 platforms 1 and 2 empty space and it's pure diesel section when was meter gauge removed In thanjavur? and thanks for sharing the nostalgic memories and I unlucky to born in that time just 10 years before I born I enjoy everything even I dint enjoyed diesels in 2016 that time I'm fan of diesel this route is electified in 2020 😢 yes I travelled in train but not so many times sometimes 10 times per year and yeah nandri Mr Mani Vijay nnostalgic memories share pannadhuku😀 I'm sooo happy.

[@treatseaweed]

I like the present form.

[@avinuvenkis]

i feel those were the golden eras of IR !! lovely lovely lovely! people who witnessed these were reallly lucky :) thanks for sharing these golden stuffs sir :)

[@ManiVijay]

Glad you enjoyed it! Really miss these MG beauties.

[@user-xf2no9kq8m]

yes traveled between 1987 and 1992 a lot on MG Trains Pallavan Rockfort Pearl City Sethu Expresses, pleasant memories I'd cherish for a long long time

[@krameshsivapriya442]

இந்த மீட்டர் கேஜ் பெட்டிகள் இப்போது என்னஆனது?.

[@ManiVijay]

Thanks! I forgot to mention the shunters :-)

[@trueindian887]

In the year 1988,I sat near a window seat on the madurai - chennai vaigai express.Due to shyness,throughout journey,I turned towards window.Whrn I reached Madras and travelled to Ambattur ,I felt a severe pain in my left eye. As lot of dust got collected in it .I was admitted to Egmore eye hospital,operated upon and my left eye was retrieved but with reduced visibility.Even today,my left eye power is less than that of the right one

[@treatseaweed]

Very sad to know that. You must have been a small kid. That is why it affected your eye

[@shyambharani]

Mani Vijay How you managed to take a snapshot of video in 1999.With the Digicam or with mobile phone with camera???????

[@ManiVijay]

With an Analog HandyCam. It was actually a Hi8 SONY camcorder - at least twice the size of my present HD one :-)

[@kanakasabhainatarajan7192]

Very true. Cholan had green and yellow coaches in the period of this video( taken by you as well) but did not not have sleeper coaches as it has now in BG. Pandian had green and yellow coaches the type shown ( faded) for some time while Rockfort also had parrot green coaches in MG for some time.I have travelled in these Pandian coaches as a student and remember occupying Trichy quota berth in manual reservation.

[@ManiVijay]

Really miss those elegant liveries! I traveled in MG Cholan only once, in 1973, and at that time it had a light-blue-with-yellow-stripes livery.

[@kanakasabhainatarajan7192]

Mani Vijay Sorry to bother again.Pandian, Rockfort and Quilon Mail were water washed every day and so clean in the eighties. I remember taking Quilon Mail MG from Villuppuram to Trichy in 1978 and even the unreserved coaches were so clean. Pandian had leather clad sides in all coaches but the deterioration started in the nineties due to conversion proposals.

[@ManiVijay]

kanakasabhai natarajan No bother at all! I also remember my South MG trips in the 70s and 80s - extremely clean coaches. In fact, we took an overnight passenger from Egmore to Thanjavur and the sleeper coach was so clean, you could even sleep on the floor. Project Unigauge has been the biggest enemy of MG lovers like us.

[@Harishkumarindianrailways]

Why BG coaches are in red color?

[@ManiVijay]

The vacuum braked coaches were always red. The air-braked blue coaches started to show up in 1999.

[@Harishkumarindianrailways]

@@ManiVijay what are the difference between Vaccum braked and air braked?

[@ManiVijay]

I had you in mind when I was creating this video ... I knew you would love it :-)

[@peripogunageswararao1162]

Super sir

[@AjayKashyapRailfan]

Wow very nice ❤️👍

[@ManiVijay]

Regarding the Chennai-Tiruchi board, which train could this be? Cholan had already left by that time (we met it near Guindy) and Rockfort was already a BG train.

[@virtuosowins]

Sir, Rockfort MG was traditionally in the Green and Yellow Livery. The Green MG Diesel loco also seems suggestive of that only. This is based on my Trichy - Madras - Trichy travels between 1987 - 1992 at least, post this my travels had become bus travels. By 1999 the MG Trichy Madras line via. Vizhupuram, Dalmiapuram, Srirangam became BG. So, chances are the green coach is a detachment from the original MG Rockfort, aligned to some other train ?? My comments are open to correction.

[@galatashankar]

Mani Vijay sir, it was TPJ - MS Fast passenger via VM, MV,Tj.... MG line...

[@sayonmondal535]

This the first time I saw electric locomotive in meter guage 😃😃

[@ManiVijay]

They were twenty of them. All gone after conversion :-(

[@quark31]

@@ManiVijay i dont see any significant advantages of broadguage other than occupying more space. It gets ugly beyond a certain point. The Japanese have all their metre guage trains under electric traction in addition to their signature standard guage bullet trains. The local trains around tokyo all run on metre guage... Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia all have metre guages....we should have just gone in for dualguage or improved the technology around metre guage to ensure high speeds with tracks n coaches.

[@mcmurugan12]

நன்றி!

[@kathirnizzu]

No words to express

[@ManiVijay]

Thanks!!!

[@mohamedaslam.j1280]

Awesome video

[@ryanbraganza6647]

hey are u travelling in a broad gauge or meter gauge??

[@ManiVijay]

I was in a broad gauge train - Nellai Exp.

[@raghavanramalingam7019]

Sir, was 9 am the correct arrival in those days even with BG? What time did it used to leave Tirunelveli? Very heartwarming and joyful to watch your old videos. Thank you very much Sir :)

[@ManiVijay]

Glad you enjoyed it. I believe the train was running a couple of hours late. It had left TEN around 7pm previous evening.

[@raghavanramalingam7019]

Oh ok Thank you sir

[@gunasekarkrishnan4947]

Nostalgia ,😫😓

[@ManiVijay]

I believe these are YDM2s.

[@sourabhverma243]

Beautyful coaches of meter gauje.

[@ManiVijay]

Nice to hear that. Those MG coaches were truly beautiful.

[@ManiVijay]

Thanks!

[@raamvignnesh5520]

Metre gauge memories

[@climbeverest]

Clean southern railway meter gauge coaches from yesterday days, totally bad today

[@ManiVijay]

I agree. There is no comparison between now and how great it was then.

[@joyguru8504]

The great Indian railway and metter gaze train should be return in platform.

[@ManiVijay]

How I wish that could happen.

[@immanuelrailfans7111]

Super sir

[@ManiVijay]

Thanks.

[@raneetsaha]

Chennai is fully changed now

[@ManiVijay]

True....all BG now.

[@HarshPathak]

wow well done

[@shakthiyvelanvl2249]

That days no one will come to chetpet station, station full of poor people sleeping no passenger very low income station in madras

[@rajagopalangeetha]

One can go by taxi near to mg train to board the train it was possible only in EGMORE station ! All over India there's no privilege like this in EGMORE@ metre gauge days !

[@ManiVijay]

I agree. Howrah also had that feature.

[@divyaerlanki8483]

Electric poles by the side of railway tracks seems to be the major pollutants to the environment. Several birds and other small creatures like squrrels arc have vanished totally from our sight.

[@ManiVijay]

Ironically, the new railway ministry seems hell bent on electrifying all major routes in India.

[@divyaerlanki8483]

@@ManiVijay Due to unpleasant sight out side the window , spongy doubtful seats inside the train, even children often refuses to go to native place during summer vaction.

[@ManiVijay]

Sorry to hear about your experiences. My train journeys have been mostly positive but that could be because I am a huge train fan :-)

[@divyaerlanki8483]

@@ManiVijay Have you seen out side the window. Notice the flora and founa did you noticed nonbiodegradable polythene bags laying by the side of tracks . Previously it was not so during narrow gauge trains.

[@jamaaluddinas1jamaaluddina28]

MITERGAUGE MAALGARI KI SIRF JHALAK HI DIKHLAYA AAP NE CHALTI HUWI MAALGARI KI VIDEO HU TU AWR AGAR PAMBAN BRIDGE PAR SE MITERGAUGE TRAIN KI GUZAR TI HUWI VIDEO HU TU UPLOAD KIJIYE SHUKRIYA MOHAMMAD AHMAD SECUNDERABAD

[@durgachowdhary4214]

Mitar gauj ki safar good

[@ManiVijay]

Bilkul sahi.

[@manichandran1216]

I remember you that thera are about 7 to 8 lines in the shunting yard to shunt all the then express racks except vaighai recks! Supposed to be all other goods racks to be found at beach lines

[@bhargavchauhan211]

In Just 25 Year Chennai has Vande bharat express train.. Good growth...